Susan O'Rourke | February 23, 2023
Earlier this month, the team at UNC World View celebrated the outstanding work of its partners at Elkin City Schools in earning recognition by the NC State Board of Education as a Global-Ready Model School District. This prestigious designation recognizes the transformation of the curriculum into one in which developing a global mindset is foundational to professional development, leadership decisions, and student growth.
Started in 2014, the Global-Ready Schools program is a rigorous, multi-tiered process during which district leaders, educators, administrators, media specialists, and community members form a committee and develop an action plan to ensure that “engaging global content has been fully integrated into all standards and into all disciplines, global themes are mapped vertically and horizontally, [and the] scope and sequence of connections between global issues and content are purposeful.”
What does it take to become a Global-Ready Model School in NC? Educators at Elkin City Schools achieved this distinction through the following practices (among many others):
- “At least 75% of teachers participate in 10-20 or more hours in annual PD that focuses on global content, pedagogy*, and technology.”
- “Engaging global content has been fully integrated into all standards and into all disciplines. Global themes are mapped vertically and horizontally.”
- “Classroom experience[s] includes collaborative investigation, problem-solving of real global issues and articulation of personal and multiple perspectives.”
- The schools have “strong partnerships with local global communities, organizations, and nonprofits [that] encourage students to explore multiple perspectives. [The schools have] developed partnership with a school abroad, and students and teachers connect with that school virtually.”
Leaders and educators at Elkin City Schools have long been engaged with UNC World View on their path to coming a global-ready school, as emphasized by Superintendent of Elkin City Schools Dr. Myra Cox and Director of Global Studies & Virtual Learning, Dr. Pam Colbert. Dr. Cox explained that “our participation and partnership with UNC World View has impacted Elkin City Schools at every level: administration, teachers and students. Students are the main benefactors as they learn about the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and engage in an interconnected world facilitated by their teachers.
Dr. Cox further shared that “The Task Force for the Global-Ready designation set high expectations for districts to embody global learning and graduate students prepared to be global citizens. UNC World View provided us the background, knowledge and tools to implement strategies that successfully positioned us for the Global- Ready Model district.”
Dr. Cox shared that UNC World View programs provided educators with valuable content as they incorporated more global perspectives into their courses. Dr. Cox explained:
“Elkin is such a small community and so attending UNC World View programs gives our educators a window into the world and in turn, opens our students’ eyes. We believe it is our duty to provide student access to the wider world, and that starts with equipping teachers to do so. When teachers are given the right information, resources, and tools, it has a greater impact on teaching and learning. Our partnership with UNC World View also provides us an opportunity to network with education professionals around the world.”
We are so grateful for the amazing work our partners at Elkin City Schools do to bring global education to NC students!