The Global Education Conference Network

How can states create and implement an action plan to support education goals? Over the past four years, the North Carolina State Board of Education has been analyzing and strengthening global education policies. This week, Helga Fasciano, Special Assistant for Global Education, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, shares their process, lessons learned, and advice.

In September 2014, NCDPI staff presented to the Board a framework in which a candidate for the Global Educator Digital Badge would work with his or her principal to create a professional development plan focused on embedding global education in instruction. Candidates for the badge would be required to complete 100 hours or 10 CEUs of global educational professional development and meet a Capstone Project requirement within two years (including acceptance into Home Base as a statewide resource). Upon completion of the requirements, a digital badge would be issued to the teacher at the state level and the designation would be documented in the teacher's Home Base Educator's Professional Development Profile.

Girl Rising provides teachers with a unique opportunity to introduce students to the issues surrounding girls' education in the developing world, and it's transformational power. To help teachers learn about the girls' education movement and effectively share the information with their students, the Pearson Foundation has created this standards-aligned curriculum.

There are 17 goals drafted to focus on the most critical universal issues that will affect us all over the next 15 years. These range from ensuring health and wellbeing, to building resilient infrastructure, protecting the biosphere to achieving gender equality. The goals and the issues they address are interdependent, and if fully realized they would see the complete eradication of extreme poverty by 2030 and ensure that urgent action is taken to deal with the threat and impacts of climate change.