[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 171 (Thursday, November 19, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1666-E1667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK AND RECOGNIZING NORTH 
             CAROLINA'S EFFORTS TO ADVANCE GLOBAL EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2015

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, this week, November 16-20, 
marks the 16th annual International Education Week (IEW), which is a 
joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. 
Department of Education that serves as an opportunity to celebrate the 
benefits of international education and exchange programs worldwide and 
encourages participation in them. This important week is observed all 
across the United States and in more than 100 countries overseas. I 
want to recognize some of the efforts within my home state of North 
Carolina to provide a global education experience to as many students 
as possible.
   The theme of this year's IEW is `International Education: Advancing 
Access for All,' which is critical because opportunities to learn 
global competency skills are not currently accessible to all students.
   I want to call attention to the North Carolina State Board of 
Education, whose members help to guide NC's global education efforts 
via their 2013 report, `Preparing Students for the World: Final Report 
of the State Board of Education's Task Force on Global Education.' As 
noted in this report, ``Students in North Carolina are no longer 
preparing for future jobs in North Carolina. They are preparing to work 
and compete in a global workplace. The impact of cultural sensitivities 
and the capability to collaborate in a diverse international setting . 
. . cannot be understated. Our State Board of Education in North 
Carolina is rightfully focusing on these skill areas, as they will 
become even bigger factors and differentiators in determining the 
future success of our students.''
   At least in part due to this statewide focus on global education, 
there are an increasing number of course offerings and enrollment in 
language studies and an increasing number of K-12 dual language/
immersion programs in North Carolina. Today, there are at least 15 
world languages being taught in our state's K-12 schools, including 
Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Hindi. And there are over 100 programs--a 
number that is rapidly growing--utilizing several different learning 
models being implemented in school districts across the state. The 
State Board of Education recently

[[Page E1667]]

designated Piedmont Middle School as the first Global-Ready School 
under the Board's Global Education Strategic Plan and 15 schools have 
indicated an intent to apply for this designation in the upcoming year.
   I am also proud that North Carolina is home to the nation's first 
statewide Global Schools Network that serves to connect teachers, 
school administrators, non-profit and for-profit partners with a deep 
commitment to international education and 21st century student 
preparation. The Network's founding partner is VIF International 
Education, based in my district, an organization that supports the 
efforts of more than 180 Global Schools in 22 districts across the 
state. These schools are a mix of urban, rural, low-wealth, affluent, 
magnet and traditional sites and each provides school-wide access to 
global learning experiences via international exchange programs, global 
competence training for all teachers, a school-wide global curriculum, 
virtual classroom to classroom partnerships, and/or dual-language/
immersion programs. VIF's mission of `Global Education for All' serves 
as a rallying cry for the schools statewide.
   Our North Carolina universities further help to advance global 
competencies at the undergraduate and graduate level. For example, the 
statewide University of North Carolina (UNC) system hosts a myriad of 
global education programs, including World View, which provide daily 
proof of the positive impact of international exchange. And the Center 
for International Understanding (CIU), a program of UNC General 
Administration, is working to develop a first-in-the-nation strategy 
for North Carolina's business, government, nonprofits and educational 
institutions to strategically engage globally.
   Many of our state's universities are also using IEW as an 
opportunity to inform students about how to participate in Study Abroad 
programs or other opportunities for international learning that 
encourage the exchange of knowledge and understanding and promote 
enlightened and responsible global citizenship. The UNC system-to-
system student exchange partners currently total 32 campuses in seven 
countries, and individual UNC campuses offer numerous additional 
opportunities for students to study or intern overseas. In the 2012-
2013 academic year, more than 6,300 UNC system students participated in 
a study abroad program, studying in 89 known countries, and the 
percentage of students participating expected to increase in future 
years. Further, there are global certificate programs at 6 UNC campuses 
and most campuses are developing strategies to enhance such offerings. 
There are also countless faculty-to-faculty interactions that occur 
across nations in a variety of ways, primarily through research.
   During this International Education Week, I rise to celebrate these 
and the many other North Carolina-based organizations that are working 
day-in and day-out to ensure that our state continues to benefit from 
the efforts of international education. Further, I re-state my 
commitment to working this week, and every week, to help ensure that 
global competence is the norm rather than the exception for every 
student.

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