Advocacy Email - August 15 2004

In June, members of the Washington State Coalition for International Education submitted a legislative issue to the Washington State PTA. The PTA Legislative Committee and State PTA Board have approved our issue and it will next go to the PTA Legislative Assembly in Yakima October 15-16 for debate and voting as a priority issue.

Title: International Education for All Kids

Text: The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation or policies that prepare all Washington students for today's interconnected world by providing opportunities for teachers and students to engage in global issues and the study of world languages in addition to English and to learn about other regions and cultures represented in our communities and around the world.

Background:  As citizens of Washington State, we are all participants in a globally interdependent world through our cultures, our government, and our economies. From our smallest rural farms to our largest cities, the quality our lives is impacted by global events. Our ability as citizens to build better and secure lives locally, regionally and nationally depends on our commitment to understand and connect with the world. Washington has long considered education its "paramount duty." It is time for parents, educators, and our political leadership to support the meaningful teaching and learning about the world at all levels of education in order to have a globally competent citizenry. To do this, all students need opportunities for rigorous international study and experience through Social Studies (including Civics, Economics, Geography, History, Cultures of the World), Math and Science, and World Languages. Washington is a gateway to the Pacific Rim, yet our state is one of the few where students can graduate from high school without every having studied language besides English. Washington State is one of the most trade-dependent states in the country with 1 in 3 jobs impacted by international trade. We are in a time of crisis, when school districts continue to make cuts in Social Studies and Languages that we cannot afford. We are in a time of strategic opportunity, when we can choose to revitalize education by prioritizing global competencies and thereby ensuring a more well-rounded and internationally engaged citizenry.

ACTION:
Requested by August 31, 2004

We are now in the process of collecting names of organizations and also PTAs and PTA members who would support this issue. (For PTAs, you'll have to discuss it at a PTA meeting and vote on whether or not to support it as a PTA; however, as an individual you can tell us your PTA affiliation, if you are a current member.)

If you are interested in supporting this issue, please email your contact information to action@internationaledwa.org.

Get Involved

To build strong grassroots advocacy for internationalizing education K-12 (K-20 even!), please invite your friends and colleagues to sign on to the advocacy@internationaledwa.org listserv. To subscribe to the listserv, they can complete the Get Involved Form: http://internationaledwa.org/forms/get_involved.htm.

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