Action Blog: North America

Back in January, we talked about what the changes in the 113th Congress might mean for global education. Five months have passed since then, so where are now?

With the theme "Every Child Needs a Teacher," the 2013 Global Action Week enabled GCE-US, the Basic Education Coalition and RESULTS to co-sponsor a Capitol Hill reception to highlight the still urgent need to support education internationally both as a right, and also as a means to spur development and lessen global poverty. The reception was in cooperation with Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Representative Dave Reichert (R-WA). 

This morning before I went to school, I spent about ten minutes tidying my room in an attempt to appease my mom in her quest for cleanliness. After half-heartedly chipping away at the piles of clutter that were strewn around, I felt satisfied and began to prepare for school. Leaving my chore unfinished came with few consequences other than a slightly agitated parent and an increasingly decrepit bedroom.

Now that we are in the 21st century, information is becoming more open, available, and easy to exchange. Even in some of the most remote and disadvantaged places on earth, wireless internet technology is bringing the world to people who may never leave their village. Today more than ever, creating educational resources that are free to access and use can change the face of development, and the world, forever.

Here in our nation's capital, the city is preparing for President Barack Obama's second inauguration. The parade route has been marked. Tickets to the inaugural balls have been secured for a few (thousand) lucky ones. The crowds are preparing scarves and hats and gloves help keep warm while they trek down to the National Mall for the festivities on Monday.

At buildOn, we believe the power of our programs lie in the direct connection between U.S. inner-city students and community members in rural villages around the globe. While U.S. students work to rebuild their neighborhoods through service, villagers around the globe are contributing volunteer labor to build schools for their children. And through buildOn's Trek for Knowledge Program, these two seemingly different groups of people are joined together in one goal: to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education.

One of the most significant hurdles in enrolling all children in school and keeping them there is the high drop-out rate of girls across the globe, as well as the dismaying amount that were never enrolled at all. Therefore advocating for basic global education dictates advocating for gender equity. Girls make up for over half of children not in school worldwide. Keeping girls in school makes them safer, healthier, more powerful citizens of the world and has corresponding effects on the whole world.

In the United States, isn't it time we take a stand for teachers and put an end to the bullying from education reformers who think the scores on a high stakes standardized test can adequately define a teacher's practice without taking into account the impact of poverty and social inequity? Isn't it time that we - as a nation and individual citizens - stand up and speak up when the finger of blame is pointed at the individuals on the front lines fighting to deliver high quality learning in a system of education that does not adequately support their work?

November 9, 2011 The Guardian 

October 21, 2011 The Washington Post