The Office of the Undersecretary coordinates several efforts that span different offices within the Department of Education. These special initiatives include the following:

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). The APEC Education Forum is an international organization that promotes joint education activities among the 18 economies that are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Work is underway in three priority areas: (1) providing high-quality instruction in key subjects; (2) developing ways to monitor the performance of education systems; and (3) facilitating mobility of persons and the exchange of information for human resource development.

International. The United States Department of Education provides domestic and global leadership on international issues facing American education here and abroad. It is involved with and provides information and services on international matters related to American education to American educators and other interested publics.