US Education plan focuses on ‘hyper-connected world’

The United States has unveiled an international education policy aimed at preparing today's students for a "hyper-connected world."

The strategy, which was launched by the US Department of Education under Secretary Miguel Cardona, defines the goal of becoming a country where a diverse society, global challenges and opportunities, financial competitiveness, national security, and diplomacy "are the truth." It's a replacement for the preliminary 2012–16 strategy.

The strategy's framework, like its predecessor, is built around two goals: enhancing US education and advancing US international priorities.

Source: https://sites.ed.gov/international/international-strategy-2022/ 

The Department of Education says it would "raise global and cultural competencies" in US students while learning from other countries and "engaging in active education diplomacy" to achieve these aims.

This updated 2022 version of "Succeeding Globally Through International Education and Engagement" is, nevertheless, very identical to the department's 10-year-old version drafted by secretary Anne Duncan.

Jill Welch, the senior policy advisor at the Presidents' Alliance, said "It's good to see the department demonstrating how it intends to focus on international education as part of its strategy for strengthening U.S. education and advancing U.S. international priorities."

“We have called for a White House level office to coordinate government action across the agencies to support welcoming and retaining international students,” she continued.

When it comes to communication pathways, one of the strategy's main goals for international educators in the US is to engage in "active education diplomacy."

The Department of Education intends to achieve this goal by "engaging bilaterally" with other countries and participating in more international organisations - all while sharing the expertise of their educational systems with one another.

"Education diplomacy is an important component of US engagement that builds goodwill and provides an avenue for regular and positive engagement," the policy states.

“The department’s work on issues related to academic and professional mobility also helps to build relationships in the international education community,” it continues.

The goal of improving US students' global and cultural competency is to create "people who are: fluent in at least two languages"; culturally aware; critical and creative thinkers "who can understand diverse perspectives"; and able to operate at a "professional level" in intercultural situations.