2016 California Global Education Summit

In 2016, California held its first Global Education Summit which was funded by a grant from the Longview Foundation. Around 150 stakeholders, including K-16 educators, business and community members, and student ambassadors convened for the two-day summit to review and expand the role of global education in California schools. The resulting report from the summit, Educating for Global Competency, represents findings from the event as well as findings from a state-wide survey on the status of global education in California. 

Summit participants shared practices, reviewed research, and learned from experts in global competencies throughout the two-day event. Following presentations and panel discussions, stakeholders focused on three central questions to move global education forward in California schools: “(1) How can we build global competence in California’s students? (2) How can local, regional, and state policies and leadership support this goal? (3) How can we leverage neighborhood, community, and business resources and perspectives to accomplish this goal?” As a result of small-group discussions and summit activities, stakeholders determined nine global education recommendations for schools, leaders, and communities. The recommendations for California’s next steps are detailed in the report along with resources for global classrooms and for professional learning and implementation support. 

California’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, argued for the need to “help foster global education and continue the conversation on increasing opportunities for all students to learn beyond borders”. According to the report, California schools have the largest population of immigrant families and English language learners in the nation. The state is economically and demographically global, yet statewide standards in global education do not yet fully reflect these patterns. This report represents a tool for California as it moves forward with global education as well as a model for other states. In addition to the report, California stakeholders created an online platform for sharing resources and continuing global education conversations, the California Global Education Network (CGEN) [webpage]. This platform includes links to resources from the summit as well as links to other global education and international studies resources.