Global Competency & Rights

Global Competency & RightsDr. Patricia BurlaudDean of Operations, Assessments & Accreditation,Global Academic Programs,New York Institute of Technology,New York State ACEWN Coordinator

1The Educational Paradox

The best way to prepare students for the future is to equip them to invent it. Alan Kay, Viewpoints Research Institute

We see a strong disconnect between the superb institutional capacity of schools and their underperformance in preparing students to invent a future that appropriately addresses the global challenges and opportunities shared with their fellow world citizens.

Whether these are the challenges of collectively improving the livingconditions of the global poor and destitute, of achieving sustainable forms of humanenvironmental interaction, of finding fair and sustainable forms of global trade, of addressinghealth epidemics, or of creating the conditions for lasting peace and security few schoolsaround the world today are equipping students with the skills and habits of mind necessaryto collaborate with others, across national boundaries, in inventing and implementing lastingsolutions to these challenges. These are, without a doubt, complex issues and theirresolution can involve multiple options, some controversial.2The Educational Paradox

Few schools around the world today are equipping students with the skills and habits of mind necessary to collaborate with others, across national boundaries, in inventing and implementing lasting solutions to these challenges.This is paradoxical because we live at a time of extraordinary educational institutional capacity.

For much of the world, that is for the developing world, this transformation from societieswhere most people were unschooled to effective mass education was achieved over the lastcentury, and accelerated since the approval of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,with its focus on education as a fundamental human right, and the creation of the UnitedNations more than sixty years ago.3The Educational Paradox

The real paradox: preparing students for the social and economic contexts in which they will have to invent their lives. With regard to this goal of relevance, particularly relevance to live in a world ever more integrated, most schools fail. Addressing this paradox requires repurposing mass global education.

Making global education, whose focus is the development of global competency, a seriouspriority for schools around the world necessitates a narrative that describes this purpose,conceptualizes it and suggests how to achieve it, so that different social actors cancollaborate in the improvement of the global efficacy of schools.4Global Competency ElementsAppreciation of cultural diversity (ethical element)International awareness (disciplinary and interdisciplinary element)Proficiency in foreign languages and competitive skills (skills element)

1. A positive disposition towards cultural difference and a framework of global values toengage difference. This requires a sense of identity and self-esteem but also empathytowards others with different identities. An interest and understanding of differentcivilizational streams and the ability to see those differences as opportunities forconstructive, respectful and peaceful transactions among people. This ethical dimension ofglobal competency includes also a commitment to basic equality and rights of all persons anda disposition to act to uphold those rights2. Knowledge and understanding of world history, socioeconomic and political systems, and other global events.This awareness includes the understanding that local and national events can have international implications.An individual who is aware of the broader world environment also recognizes that an individuals actions can affect others beyond ones own borders.3. An ability to speak, understand and think in languages in addition to the dominantlanguage in the country in which people are born. Foreign language skills are analogous to stereoscopic vision to the global mind. The ability to understand, read, write, and speak in more than one language enhances cross-cultural communication skills. The knowledge of additional languages opens doors to the understanding of other cultures and people who speak those languages, and3bis. The ability to compete globally entails the acquisition of extensive knowledge of international issues. To be able to compete, students need high-level thinking skills that enhance creativity and innovation. Students who gain a thorough understanding of the economic, social, and technological changes taking place across the globe enhance their ability to compete in the worldwide marketplace.5Global Competency Dimensions

Affective (Ethical)ActionAcademicThe Teaching SpaceGlobal CompetencyAn Example: The AAC&U Global Learning Rubric

These dimensions for a teaching spacedefined by three orthogonal vectors: a vector focused on the development of character,affect and values; a vector focused on skills and the development of the motivation to actBy Fernando Reimers - August 20083and the competency to act; and a vector focused in the development of cognition, academicknowledge and the ability to draw on distinct knowledge domains to understand globalissues. Global education is multidimensional suggesting that quality global education mustattend to each of these dimensions. Some contemporary debates about education qualityare limited because they focus in one or the other of these vectors. Excellence in this domain,and perhaps in many others, is about teaching a specialized body of knowledge about globalaffairs (academic) and the ability to use that knowledge to solve practical problems (action),but is also about the development of character, of the virtues that would lead people to usetheir knowledge for ethical global purposes (affect).6Why is This a Pressing Concern?Economies are more and more interdependent;American society is even more diverse;Global challenges are becoming more complex;Global competence enhances overall academic achievement.

1 in 4 jobs in the US is tied to international trade The racial/ethnic distribution of public elementary and secondary students has changed over time. Between 200001 and 200708, the percentage of students enrolled in public school who were White decreased from 61 to 56 percent. During this same time period, the percentage of Black (17 percent) and American Indian/Alaska Native students (1 percent) remained unchanged. However, the percentage of Hispanic students increased from 17 to 21 percent, and the percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander students increased from 4 to 5 percent.3. Increasing global health and environmental challenges, such as HIV/AIDS and H1N1 flu, natural disasters, globalwarming, poverty, etc., call for coordinated global responses. With the outbreak of H1N1 flu, for example, we have witnessed coordination of governments and civil societies to address this issue. Offering timely responses to such challenges requires an understanding of other languages and cultures to facilitate easy communication.4. Students acquire global competence through the study of a second language, which is also linked with enhanced cognitive development, higher order thinking, and creativity. Research shows that students who study a foreign language score higher in both the math and verbal portions of the ACT than their counterparts who do not, and that students across all socioeconomic levels who take a foreign language perform better on the verbal section of SAT, with more years of foreign language study associated with higher scores. In addition, mastering the vocabulary of a foreign language enhances students comprehension and abilities in reading, writing, mathematics,and other subjects. This implies that students taking a foreign languageat the elementary level through secondary schoolare likely to achieve a greater level of proficiency in a number of content areas. 7Promoting Global CompetencyOur students must have complete access to a system of education that recognizes and incorporates best practices from around the globe, teaches skills and knowledge necessary for success in the 21st century, and utilizes high quality and rigorous curricula, including foreign languages and cultures. Council of Chief State School Officers, Nov. 2006.

Clearly, global competence can not be achieved without concerted efforts to train, recruit,and support globally competent teachers and principals for every classroom and every school. 8Promoting Global CompetencyAlign teacher preparation programs with global perspectivesDesign and support professional development programs with a global focusFind new ways to foster international exchangesExpand the teaching of foreign languagesBenchmark educational systems, standards, and support systems against high achieving countries

2. Currently, a few universities such as Indiana University, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, and the University of Wisconsin offer teacher preparation courses with a global approach. At the state level, three statesCalifornia, North Carolina, and Ohioare starting to integrate international perspectives into the classroomsEx: In California, an international studies project aims to support teachers in their quest for global competence 3. Less than one percent of Americas high school or college students participated in a study abroad program, withstudents preparing to become teachers constituting a small percentage of that group. States and districts need to do more to promote virtual exchanges between students and teachers from other countries through the use of email and social media such as blogs and video conferencing.4. Increase schools capacity to teach foreign languages, including languages that may be less commonly used but are considered critical to the nations competitiveness and national security. A few states, such as Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Utah, are stepping up support for foreign language study programs in public schools.5. The top performing countries have achieved universally high standards by investing in teacher and principal preparation and recruitment; Today the United States high school graduation rate ranks near the bottom amongdeveloped nations belonging to OECD 18 among 24 countries with comparable data, with countries like Finland, Germany, Japan, and South Korea more than 15 percentage points ahead.ii Over the last two decades, our competitors have recognized that raising high school and college graduation rates are the keys to developing a workforce capable of succeeding in the global knowledge economy. Unfortunately, America has almost stood still while the global talent pool has grown across the world. by promoting equity, diversity, and individualized learning; and by combining universal standards with substantial autonomy for schools 9Macro-example of Global Challenge: Global Womens Rights

The Academic Dimension:Knowledge of Womens rights and their history;2. The Affective (Ethical) Dimension:Understanding the importance of human rights, and in particular, of womens rights, appreciate and value these rights and discern how they are upheld in the various community of which students are part of;3. The Action Dimension:Act on this understanding as the cornerstone of global civility and peace. Offer students opportunities to get to know, collaborate and interact with others of diverse cultural, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, and the social norms that govern these interactions.

10The Academic Dimension

the full and complete development of a country, the welfare of the world and the cause of peace require the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields.

CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (CEDAW, 1981)

On 18 December 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It entered into force as an international treaty on 3 September 1981 after the twentieth country had ratified it. By the tenth anniversary of the Convention in 1989, almost one hundred nations have agreed to be bound by its provisions.The Convention was the culmination of more than thirty years of work by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, a body established in 1946 to monitor the situation of women and to promote women's rights. The Commission's work has been instrumental in bringing to light all the areas in which women are denied equality with men. These efforts for the advancement of women have resulted in several declarations and conventions, of which the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is the central and most comprehensive document.Among the international human rights treaties, the Convention takes an important place in bringing the female half of humanity into the focus of human rights concerns. The spirit of the Convention is rooted in the goals of the United Nations: to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity,v and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women. The present document spells out the meaning of equality and how it can be achieved. In so doing, the Convention establishes not only an international bill of rights for women, but also an agenda for action by countries to guarantee the enjoyment of those rights.At least every four years, the States parties are expected to submit a national report to the Committee, indicating the measures they have adopted to give effect to the provisions of the Convention. During its annual session, the Committee members discuss these reports with the Government representatives and explore with them areas for further action by the specific country. The Committee also makes general recommendations to the States parties on matters concerning the elimination of discrimination against women.11Academic Dimension (contd)

The Convention covers three dimensions of the situation of women. The first two address:Womens legal statusWomens reproductive rights

The legal status of women receives the broadest attention. Concern over the basic rights of political participation has not diminished since the adoption of the Convention on the Political Rights of Women in 1952. Its provisions, therefore, are restated in article 7 of the present document, whereby women are guaranteed the rights to vote, to hold public office and to exercise public functions. This includes equal rights for women to represent their countries at the international level (article 8). The Convention on the Nationality of Married Women - adopted in 1957 - is integrated under article 9 providing for the statehood of women, irrespective of their marital status. The Convention, thereby, draws attention to the fact that often women's legal status has been linked to marriage, making them dependent on their husband's nationality rather than individuals in their own right. Articles 10, 11 and 13, respectively, affirm women's rights to non-discrimination in education, employment and economic and social activities. These demands are given special emphasis with regard to the situation of rural women, whose particular struggles and vital economic contributions, as noted in article 14, warrant more attention in policy planning. Article 15 asserts the full equality of women in civil and business matters, demanding that all instruments directed at restricting women's legal capacity ''shall be deemed null and void". Finally, in article 16, the Convention returns to the issue of marriage and family relations, asserting the equal rights and obligations of women and men with regard to choice of spouse, parenthood, personal rights and command over property.Aside from civil rights issues, the Convention also devotes major attention to a most vital concern of women, namely their reproductive rights. The preamble sets the tone by stating that "the role of women in procreation should not be a basis for discrimination". The link between discrimination and women's reproductive role is a matter of recurrent concern in the Convention. For example, it advocates, in article 5, ''a proper understanding of maternity as a social function", demanding fully shared responsibility for child-rearing by both sexes. Accordingly, provisions for maternity protection and child-care are proclaimed as essential rights and are incorporated into all areas of the Convention, whether dealing with employment, family law, health core or education. Society's obligation extends to offering social services, especially child-care facilities, that allow individuals to combine family responsibilities with work and participation in public life. Special measures for maternity protection are recommended and "shall not be considered discriminatory". (article 4). "The Convention also affirms women's right to reproductive choice. Notably, it is the only human rights treaty to mention family planning. States parties are obliged to include advice on family planning in the education process (article l O.h) and to develop family codes that guarantee women's rights "to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to hove access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights" (article 16.e).The third general thrust of the Convention aims at enlarging our understanding of the concept of human rights, as it gives formal recognition to the influence of culture and tradition on restricting women's enjoyment of their fundamental rights. These forces take shape in stereotypes, customs and norms which give rise to the multitude of legal, political and economic constraints on the advancement of women. Noting this interrelationship, the preamble of the Convention stresses "that a change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of women in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality of men and women". States parties are therefore obliged to work towards the modification of social and cultural patterns of individual conduct in order to eliminate "prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women" (article 5). And Article 1O.c. mandates the revision of textbooks, school programmes and teaching methods with a view to eliminating stereotyped concepts in the field of education. Finally, cultural patterns which define the public realm as a man's world and the domestic sphere as women's domain are strongly targeted in all of the Convention's provisions that affirm the equal responsibilities of both sexes in family life and their equal rights with regard to education and employment. Altogether, the Convention provides a comprehensive framework for challenging the various forces that have created and sustained discrimination based upon sex.

12The Affective (Ethical) Dimension

The 3rd dimension that the Convention covers is:3) The elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women

The legal status of women receives the broadest attention. Concern over the basic rights of political participation has not diminished since the adoption of the Convention on the Political Rights of Women in 1952. Its provisions, therefore, are restated in article 7 of the present document, whereby women are guaranteed the rights to vote, to hold public office and to exercise public functions. This includes equal rights for women to represent their countries at the international level (article 8). The Convention on the Nationality of Married Women - adopted in 1957 - is integrated under article 9 providing for the statehood of women, irrespective of their marital status. The Convention, thereby, draws attention to the fact that often women's legal status has been linked to marriage, making them dependent on their husband's nationality rather than individuals in their own right. Articles 10, 11 and 13, respectively, affirm women's rights to non-discrimination in education, employment and economic and social activities. These demands are given special emphasis with regard to the situation of rural women, whose particular struggles and vital economic contributions, as noted in article 14, warrant more attention in policy planning. Article 15 asserts the full equality of women in civil and business matters, demanding that all instruments directed at restricting women's legal capacity ''shall be deemed null and void". Finally, in article 16, the Convention returns to the issue of marriage and family relations, asserting the equal rights and obligations of women and men with regard to choice of spouse, parenthood, personal rights and command over property.Aside from civil rights issues, the Convention also devotes major attention to a most vital concern of women, namely their reproductive rights. The preamble sets the tone by stating that "the role of women in procreation should not be a basis for discrimination". The link between discrimination and women's reproductive role is a matter of recurrent concern in the Convention. For example, it advocates, in article 5, ''a proper understanding of maternity as a social function", demanding fully shared responsibility for child-rearing by both sexes. Accordingly, provisions for maternity protection and child-care are proclaimed as essential rights and are incorporated into all areas of the Convention, whether dealing with employment, family law, health core or education. Society's obligation extends to offering social services, especially child-care facilities, that allow individuals to combine family responsibilities with work and participation in public life. Special measures for maternity protection are recommended and "shall not be considered discriminatory". (article 4). "The Convention also affirms women's right to reproductive choice. Notably, it is the only human rights treaty to mention family planning. States parties are obliged to include advice on family planning in the education process (article l O.h) and to develop family codes that guarantee women's rights "to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to hove access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights" (article 16.e).The third general thrust of the Convention aims at enlarging our understanding of the concept of human rights, as it gives formal recognition to the influence of culture and tradition on restricting women's enjoyment of their fundamental rights. These forces take shape in stereotypes, customs and norms which give rise to the multitude of legal, political and economic constraints on the advancement of women. Noting this interrelationship, the preamble of the Convention stresses "that a change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of women in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality of men and women". States parties are therefore obliged to work towards the modification of social and cultural patterns of individual conduct in order to eliminate "prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women" (article 5). And Article 1O.c. mandates the revision of textbooks, school programmes and teaching methods with a view to eliminating stereotyped concepts in the field of education. Finally, cultural patterns which define the public realm as a man's world and the domestic sphere as women's domain are strongly targeted in all of the Convention's provisions that affirm the equal responsibilities of both sexes in family life and their equal rights with regard to education and employment. Altogether, the Convention provides a comprehensive framework for challenging the various forces that have created and sustained discrimination based upon sex.

13The Action Dimension

The Committee is mandated to : (1) receive communications from individuals or groups of individuals submitting claims of violations of rights protected under the Convention to the Committee and (2) initiate inquiries into situations of grave or systematic violations of womens rights. The Committee also formulates general recommendations and suggestions. General recommendations are directed to States and concern articles or themes in the Conventions

14The Action Dimension

CEDAW Committee consists of 23 experts on womens rights from around the world.States parties (123 as per 2013) are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights of the Convention are implemented.

15The Action Dimension Examples:http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/followup.htm

16ReferencesAlan Kay, Viewpoints Research Institute, http://www.vpri.org/index.html U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 Statistical Abstract, Foreign Commerce & Aid: Exports and Imports, at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/foreign_commerce_aid/exports_and_imports.html U.S. Department of Education, NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2011, at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d11 M. Savile-Troike, What Really Matters in Second Language Learning for Academic Achievement? TESOL Quarterly (1984), www.jstor.org/stable/3586690Global Education Policy Statement, the Council of Chief State School Officers, November 2006, at http://www.ccsso.org/content/pdfs/ Global%20Education%20FINAL%20lowrez.pdf

17ReferencesCalifornia International studies project to develop teacher competence at http://csmp.ucop.edu/home/projectPutting the World into World Class Education: A National Imperative and a State and Local Responsibility, www.asiasociety.org/files/nationalpolicyrecommendations.pdfConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women New York, 18 December 1979. Complete text at http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/ProfessionalInterest/cedaw.pdf

18Thank you!P. Burlaudpburlaud@nyit.edu

19