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The following is a list of items previously posted on the International Affairs "What's New" page. Secretary of Education Rod Paige Meets with Afghan Minister of Education Rasool Amin and Minister of Higher Education Sharif Faiz U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige met with Afghan Minister of Education Rasool Amin and Minister of Higher Education Sharif Faiz at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 28, 2002. The ministers visited Washington, D.C., as part of an official delegation headed by Afghanistan Interim Leader Hamid Karzai and his Cabinet after participating in the International Conference for Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan held in Tokyo, Japan. Karzai and his Cabinet came to the United States to strengthen U.S.-Afghan ties and to confirm United States support for rebuilding Afghanistan's government and institutions. Plans call for re-opening the country's public schools, including Kabul University, at the end of March. However, with 1.5 million students and 20,000 to 30,000 teachers, the needs are staggering; schools desperately need desks and chairs, blackboards, textbooks and other materials, and teachers have gone months without being paid. Secretary Paige noted that the United States intends to be a supportive partner to Afghanistan for the long term. He offered to work with the Afghan government, United States Agency for International Development and the Department of State to identify concrete ways in which the United States can assist in addressing the country's educational needs.
U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige Connects Students with International Space Station to Mark International Education and American Education Weeks Students at John Quincy Adams Elementary School in Washington, D.C., joined U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige and NASA International Space Station senior scientist and former space shuttle crew member Roger Crouch for a live conversation with the International Space Station (ISS) astronauts on Nov. 15, 2001, at an event commemorating International Education Week and American Education Week. International Education Week was established in 2000 to promote the importance of international partnerships and international education in today's global environment. The International Space Station theme was chosen in 2001 to highlight events and activities that demonstrate the importance of math, science, technology, engineering and international skills. For more information on this event and other International Education Week events, visit the following International Education Web sites at http://exchanges.state.gov/iew2001/ and http://education.nasa.gov/IEW2001/.
President George W. Bush Calls for Schools and Students to Take Part in the New Friendship through Education Initiative The new Friendship through Education initiative to promote communication between U.S. students and students in predominantly Muslim countries has generated strong interest since it was announced on Oct. 25, 2001. The Friendship Web site has logged more than half a million hits from visitors from almost every state in the United States and nearly 80 countries an estimated 350 schools in the United States are in the process of establishing relationships with schools throughout the world. For more information, visit the Friendship through Education Web site at http://www.friendshipthrougheducation.org/.
Open Doors 2001 Data Released The Institute of International Education (IIE) has released its annual report on international education, Open Doors 2001, indicating positive trends in international student mobility. Open Doors 2001 data indicate that the number of U.S. college students receiving credit for study abroad in 1999-2000 jumped nearly 11 percent from the previous year and that the number of U.S. students going to less traditional destinations has increased dramatically in last 15 years. For more information, visit IIE's Web site at http://www.opendoorsweb.org.
Ten FIPSE Grantees Announced for Fiscal Year 2001 FIPSE announced 10 grantees for the Fiscal Year 2001 trilaterally funded Program for North American Mobility in Higher Education competition. The funded projects cover a broad range of subject areas including: journalism, international education, the environment, ecotourism, ecology, environmental technology, international ethics and social responsibility in marketing, community rehabilitation and disability studies, animal and poultry health and production. These grants help postsecondary institutions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico form partnerships to promote joint curriculum development projects and student and faculty exchange. FIPSE has posted the abstract of the funded projects at: The HRDC site is located at: The SEP site is located at: PISA 2000 Results The Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA) was developed by the Paris-based Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) to assess the reading, mathematics,
and science literacy of 15-year-olds in 32 participating countries.
According to the first round of results, released December 4, 2001,
American students perform at the international average of their peers
in all three subjects: the U.S. ranked 15th in literacy, 18th in math,
and 14th in science. "Unfortunately, we are average across the board
compared to other industrialized nations," Secretary Paige responded.
"In the global economy, these countries are our competitors--average
is not good enough for American kids." On a positive note, the U.S.
had among the highest percentage of students scoring in the top 10
percent in overall reading skill, trailing only Canada, Finland, and
New Zealand. But, the U.S. also had more students at the lowest level
than several countries. Other findings: girls outperform boys in
reading in every participating country (there was no difference by
gender in math or science in the U.S.); parents' education and
socioeconomic status is strongly linked to student performance in most
OECD countries; and, like other studies, there are gaps in performance
between racial and ethnic groups. For more information, please see
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/.
International Education Week 2001, November 12-16 During the week of November 12-16, the U.S.
Department of Education and U.S. Department of State will join other
federal agencies, non-government organizations, educators, students
and diplomats worldwide in commemorating
International Education
Week. This is an opportunity to reflect on the role education
plays in preparing citizens to live in a diverse society and compete
successfully in the global economy.
Secretary Paige
has proclaimed International Education Week 2001 a time to highlight
the importance of students' learning foreign languages and learning
about the history, geography, literature and arts of other countries
as well as exploring the benefits of study abroad.
Fulbright New Century Scholars Program Launched; Scholars from 19 Countries Announced The first Fulbright New Century Scholars
were announced on Wednesday, October 3 at the National Press Club. The
30 leading academic and professional experts from the United States
and 18 other countries will focus as a team for one year on
"Challenges of Health in a Borderless World" and ways to achieve good
health for all people worldwide. The Fulbright New Century Scholars
Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Council for
International Exchange of Scholars, aims to expand outreach and impact
by joining outstanding research scholars and professionals from around
the world to collaborate on issues of global significance.
Reports on Attitudes Toward International Education The American Council of Education (ACE) has released two reports on:
The reports suggest that while public interest in international education appears to be growing, most U.S. colleges and universities show a decline in foreign language enrollment and low levels of student global awareness. To view the reports, visit ACE's website at http://www.acenet.edu/programs/international/int_research.cfm.
State Department Launches Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has announced a new study abroad scholarship program for undergraduate students who are receiving financial aid and are citizens or nationals of the United States. The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program will provide scholarships of up to $5,000 for students of limited financial means to pursue study programs outside of the United States for up to one year. A result of the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000, this program aims to broaden the student population studying abroad by focusing on students who might not otherwise be able due to financial constraints.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation and WorldLingo, Inc. Partner To Bring Education Literature to the World The ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation and WorldLingo, Inc.
announce the formation of a strategic alliance to make the
world's largest education database accessible to the non-English speaking
world. Effective immediately, teachers, researchers, and members of the
public may search the ERIC database at SearchERIC.org in German and Spanish
as well as English. Users search by entering keywords in English or their
own language and then receive descriptions of relevant journal articles and
documents in both languages.
Open Doors 2000 Data Released The Institute of International Education (IIE) has released its annual report on international education, Open Doors 2000, indicating positive trends in international student mobility. The statistics show a 14% increase in the number of U.S. college students studying abroad in 1998-99 over the previous year and a 5% rise in enrollments of international students at U.S. institutions. For more information, visit IIE's website at http://www.opendoorsweb.org.
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| this page was last updated 10/08/02 (jer) | ||||
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