The Global Search for Education: Teaching in a Global World
"In Finland, Singapore and Japan, the approach is much different than the top-down, my-way-or-the-highway sanction and blame approach to accountability we see in too many schools in the U.S. If we are going to achieve our goal of a high-quality public education for every child, we need to lean into preparation, practice, and collaboration--not high stakes testing and narrow accountability."
-- Randi Weingarten
Let's talk about teaching. Randi Weingarten is the President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which represents educators and healthcare professionals to make sure that fairness and democracy prevails. Her long career as President of the United Federation of Teachers earned her the accolade of being one of the most influential New Yorkers in the New York Observer. Her commitment to education reform and her support for local unions is an inspirational example of what is needed to secure sustainable community solutions for the future of education. In this interview, I talk to Randi about what we can learn from successful education models abroad, the increasing importance of teachers having robust global and cultural competence, and how the US can do a better job supporting its teachers. Her globally informed insights are what we have come to expect from Weingarten, who also writes a monthly column, "What Matters Most," for the New York Times' Sunday Review.
"Achieving global competence also requires educators to be culturally competent. Effective teachers know how children learn and grow, they know the academic content they are teaching, AND they know how to teach that content to diverse groups of students using culturally responsive practices." -- Randi Weingarten
Randi, all countries share a common desire to create a high-quality education system that prepares children for success in their lives. You've attended the International Summits on the Teaching Profession and done study visits to other nations - what impressed you most from around the The Global Search for Education: Teaching in a Global World | C. M. Rubin: