Since June 17th, our Center for Global Studies has been hosting a group of 30 international secondary educators in Urbana as part of a grant from the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This is the first year that the State Department is supplying the 3-year grant to us to host the Study of the United States Institute, and the theme for our 6-week program is “The American Dream: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of a Cultural Heritage.” Program participants include educators from all over the world, from France to Madagascar to Thailand. The program will conclude July 29th and has incorporated lectures and curriculum workshops from University of Illinois faculty.
On July 1st and 2nd, the Center for Global Studies brought the international secondary educators to Washington D.C. While in town, they met with the State Department as well as Senator Durbin’s office. OGR’s Jon Pyatt led the meeting with Senator Durbin’s office, where they learned more about our legislative process and the role of education in our democracy. It was a productive meeting with substantial Q&A, and we look forward to doing it again next year.
