NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- U.S. students lack sufficient knowledge about other world regions, languages and cultures and are in danger of being handicapped in an increasingly interconnected and global economy. Further, with a few notable exceptions, the nation's public schools are doing a woeful job of teaching students about the world outside America's borders, according to the Asia Society.
Surveys conducted by Asia Society and the National Geographic Society show a huge gap in most students' knowledge about the growing importance of Asia and other world regions to the nation's economic prosperity and national security. In addition, recent reports from the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and Harvard's curriculum review committee conclude that most K-12 school students will not be able to be effective employees of globally oriented work organizations.
"The status quo is tantamount to a kind of educational isolationism," said Dr. Michael Levine, Executive Director of Education at the Asia Society. "Understanding foreign languages and cultures are essential to managing risk, producing products attractive to the rest of the world and the skill to market them effectively. In an interconnected world where security, competitiveness and democratic leadership depend on purposeful engagement, our nation must take urgent action to ensure that our international knowledge and language expertise is second to none," said Levine.
For example, while the rise of China is driving new demand for Chinese language speakers across business and social sectors, schools throughout the United States are largely unprepared to meet this need, lacking qualified teachers, programs or creative uses of modern educational technologies, according to a recent study released by Asia Society. The report adds that while more than a million students in U.S. schools studied French, a language spoken by 80 million people worldwide, fewer than 40,000 studied Chinese, a language spoken by almost 1.3 billion people.
While most schools are behind the curve on their international content, in part due to a lack of teacher preparation to teach about the world, some pioneering work in international studies programs is already underway.
The Asia Society, in partnership with The Goldman Sachs Foundation, is currently reviewing more than 475 international studies programs from school districts across the country. A preliminary review shows that from elementary school through high school, as well as university programs, the level of educator interest in international studies and the creativity of the programs, is clearly growing. Unfortunately, the benefits of such programs to millions of students who know very little about the 90 percent of the world outside our borders are squandered because of a lack of resources for replication, according to the Asia Society.
To help address this knowledge gap, the Asia Society and The Goldman Sachs Foundation are conducting a nationwide review to identify recipients of The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education, in which a total of $125,000 will be awarded to those schools and other organizations that have developed innovative programs to promote international learning. These "best practices" programs will be announced in early December and will then be promoted to school districts nationwide for adoption and replication.
According to Levine, many of the K-16 model international educational programs that Asia Society and The Goldman Sachs Foundation have reviewed show tremendous creativity in promoting rich, engaging instruction and promoting the new skills students need now more than ever.
"These programs demonstrate how a global focus can improve the quality of teaching, while motivating and inspiring students' curiosity to explore beyond their borders," said Levine. "As children learn to read, write and compute, or are introduced to the foundations of scientific inquiry, these programs show that there is no compelling reason why the international dimensions of these subjects cannot be included."
In fact, 15 states are studying their economic connections to other countries; assessing and strengthening their curriculum standards; enhancing opportunities for teachers; creating linkages with schools in other countries; and strengthening world language programs.
The concern over a lack of international studies by business and policy leaders, comes at a time when international language and cultural literacy is more important than ever -- both for national economic prosperity and security reasons.
Already, one in six American jobs is tied to international trade. The U.S. trade with Asia now equals over $800 billion a year, a figure that has surpassed trade with Europe since 1979.
"If young Americans are to take on challenging global leadership roles in the future, they must have not only an education grounded in the technology of the 21st Century, but also a deep understanding of other cultures, geography, history and languages," said Stephanie Bell-Rose, President of The Goldman Sachs Foundation.
About Asia Society
The Asia Society is America's leading institution dedicated to fostering understanding of Asia and communication between Americans and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific. A national nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization, the Asia Society develops cultural, policy, business and education programs about Asia for the public and influential leaders.
About The Goldman Sachs Foundation
The Goldman Sachs Foundation is a global philanthropic organizations funded by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The Foundation's mission is to promote excellence and innovation in education and to improve the academic performance and lifelong productivity of young people worldwide. It achieves this mission through a combination of strategic partnerships, grants, loans, private sector investments, and the deployment of professional talent from Goldman Sachs. Funded in 1999, the Foundation has awarded grants in excess of $54 million since its inception, providing opportunities for young people in more than 20 countries.