Stephen Bigelow, PhD - Education Leadership

  I read  The World is Flat by  Thomas Friedman sometime in the mid-2000s. While I had an appreciation for different cultures and a vague understanding of the world’s interconnectedness—I didn’t contemplate it much. I recall Friedman’s book stretching my thinking, detailing the rapid changes brought about by technology, global trade, and interconnected economies. Since then, we have witnessed an accelerated “flattening” fueled by advancements in communication and the rise of social media. What involvement should schools play in fostering global competence? Education is about preparing students for the future, which is undeniably global. By fostering global competence in K-12 classrooms, we guide the next generation in meeting the challenges of an interconnected world with confidence, creativity, and compassion.  By embedding global themes into the curriculum, students develop critical thinking skills to analyze issues from multiple viewpoints. Language learning enhan...