Conference Stresses Importance of World Understanding
By Glenn Schmidt
NEA Director
“Our safety and our property depends on our knowledge
of the world around us,” were the strong words used by Dr. Michael
Levine at the first-ever Statewide International Education Summit held
at the Concourse Hotel in Madison in January. The words were not his,
in fact. They were first spoken by former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
In addition to Levine, the executive director of the
Asia Society’s Education Department, the conference featured Wisconsin
native and former State Assembly Speaker Tom Loftus. Loftus currently
works for the United Nations as special adviser to the director general
of the World Health Organization (WHO) and was the U.S. ambassador to
Norway from 1993 to 1997.
Loftus candidly remarked to the assembled group of
about 250 K-12 educators, university instructors, state workers and
business people that, “I do not know what an international education
is, but I think we should all get one.”
Bringing a broad perspective to the conference, Loftus
said, “The European Union is the greatest advancement in civil
life on the planet in the last 50 years.” He deplored the lack
of media perspective and told the assemblage to read the Financial Times
(London) to get a more rounded view than we typically receive.
Conference members had ample opportunity to hear each
others’ views during roundtables featuring five primary areas of
focus: Wisconsin in the Global Economy, Defining Global Literacy, Valuing
PK-16 International Education, Modeling International Education, and
Information Technology & Globalization.
Governor Jim Doyle and State Superintendent Elizabeth
Burmaster were on hand to receive an award known as the Goldman Sachs
Foundation Prize for Excellence in Education.
WEAC was represented by Vice President Terry Meyer,
NEA Director Glenn Schmidt, and Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association
President Bob Lehmann, in addition to other members with an interest
in international education.
Posted January 31, 2005