US and the World Education Act

A host of growing challenges—international security, global markets, immigration, world health, the environment, and the emerging educational and material aspirations of the world’s poorest people—are fundamentally altering the international landscape.

Rapid technological advances and the information age are shrinking the world, exponentially enlarging access of all peoples to essential knowledge, concepts, and ideas, and connecting Americans to their counterparts across the globe.

The diversity of American workplaces, schools, and communities increasingly parallels the world’s diversity.

Americans, in the performance of their citizenship roles, are required to make informed judgments about the role of the United States in the world, as well as the impact of other nations and world regions on the United States.

The place of the United States in the world will depend on whether teachers, citizens, and policymakers of the United States understand how international events shape the lives, politics, economics, and security of the Nation.

American-based multinational corporations, as well as small businesses, increasingly need employees with knowledge of foreign languages and cultures to market products to customers domestically and around the globe, and to work effectively with foreign employees and partners in other countries.

It is the primary function of the Nation’s schools to prepare America’s students to meet the requirements of the workplace and to perform citizenship roles in dynamic and rapidly changing domestic and global communities.

Recent surveys consistently demonstrate the illiteracy of young Americans in geography, economics, and world history, as well as the low priority university students give to learning about other countries and cultures.

Only rarely do American high school or university students elect to study geography, world history, international relations, or global issues, or to obtain fluency in a foreign language.

School curricula and university programs of study are not adequately aligned to new international and global realities.

State educational agencies and local educational agencies must be encouraged to include international education competency as part of teacher credentialing and licensing.

to raise student achievement in world history and cultures, international and global studies, and foreign languages by increasing the international education competence and literacy of elementary school and secondary school teachers; and

to support programs that supplement student educational achievement in world history, international and global studies, and foreign languages.

increasing teacher competency with respect to international education subject matter; and

implementing supplemental international education services.

Application

To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

Priority

The Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that—

50 percent of such grant funds to develop, implement, and strengthen programs to teach international education within core elementary school and secondary school curricula, which shall include programs with respect to international education subject matter that—

50 percent of such grant funds to supplement core academic subjects through supplemental international education services outside of normal instruction hours, such as—

quantifies student academic achievement in international education; and

describes promising and exemplary practices of preparing teachers to teach international education topics and providing international education to students.

the total amount of grant funds awarded under section 4, and the geographic distribution of such awards;

the results of the evaluation conducted under subsection (a); and

any other information deemed appropriate by the Deputy Assistant Secretary or the Secretary.