About Us
The International Education Advisory Council was established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in 2005 with grants won from the Asia Society and the Longview Foundation. The vision of the council is that Pennsylvania citizens will use the knowledge and skills gained through international education to lead and serve in the global community. This focus is aligned with Governor Edward Rendell's efforts to promote increased economic development of the Commonwealth through education, to ensure greater global competitiveness.
The Council meets regularly to share information, recommend actions, and support activities. The Council's goals include assessing existing international education activities, identifying significant opportunities and challenges that PA faces regarding international education, and initiating partnerships with China, India, Japan and other countries. The Council seeks to integrate international content into PA education reform to support school efforts to become world-class institutions.
The Council is composed of more than 30 members representing government agencies, schools, businesses, higher education and other community partners.
The International Education Report
International Education is a comprehensive response to the increasingly interconnected nature of the global arena and its subsequent impact on the United States, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, local communities, business enterprises and institutions of learning.
The International Education Report (pdf)
The 2006 Forum
The Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania International Education Advisory Council held the first Pennsylvania International Education Forum on December 13, 2006. The goal was to begin a dialogue among educators and businesses to explore the best way to prepare Pennsylvania students to become global leaders. This event provided Comonwealth educators and businesses the opportunity to connect with speakers, exchange ideas in workshops, and foster partnerships with diverse colleagues.
Remarks were provided by Pennsylvania Department of Education's Executive Deputy Secretary, Thomas Gluck, Pennsylvania's Secretary of State, Pedro Cortes and Harrisburg Area Community College's President, Dr. Edna Baehre, who iterated that international education is the key to keeping the Commonwealth globally connected. The keynote speaker, Dr. Schuyler Foerster, President, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, emphasized that international education should focus on two issues, the first being global literacy (how to understand) and the second global competency (how to interact). Key presentations included the International Baccalaureate programs from Lancaster School District and Upper St. Clair School District, the Governor's Advisory Commission on Asian American Affairs and the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino American Affairs. In addition, there was a panel presentation on world language standards, which included Labor and Industry's Deputy Secretary Sandi Vito, and Marilyn Zilli from Senator Musto's office.
Special Thanks to:
- Asia Society and Longview Foundation for helping Pennsylvania launch an international education initiative.
- Harrisburg Area Community College for hosting the International Education Forum at the Wildwood Conference Center.
- Ms. Shoba Kumar for demonstrating classical Indian dancing.
- The Mexican Club students from Generacion Diez: Maricruz Franco, Dulce Franco, Luis Franco, Azaherel Cerras, Paulina Garcia, Nageli Lua and Paulina Rico.
