Leaders across the Middle East realize that their nations' long-term economic sustainability hinges on the development of their human capital. They also understand that their status as global economic leaders is inextricably tied to the strength of their education system. We at ASCD are working with several Middle East nations in creating innovative solutions to address the opportunities and challenges all learners face in the 21st century.
ASCD Middle East, launched in 2008, provides educators in the region with tailored professional development and capacity building. This model supports educators in the Middle East region in creating their own professional learning communities and allows them to tap into educator resources across the globe.
ASCD Middle East's first conference, "Valuing the Whole Child: Embracing a Global Vision," was held Nov. 8–9, 2008, in Istanbul, Turkey. It connected educators from 30 nations with leading education researchers and school improvement experts to explore practices and programs that ensure all students are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.
The conference highlighted how a broader definition of achievement and accountability can help schools respond to the demands for a highly skilled and educated workforce. Attendees learned how to assess the professional development efforts in their schools and discover which learning models and practices build instructional capacity that leads to results-based school improvement.
Educators, regardless of our locale, share a common purpose: We want to ensure that our students will be prepared to live in the challenging future. The role of the educator of the future will play out in a world without boundaries. The definition of where and when learning happens will continue to become more and more blurred, as will the definition of who our students are and what the culture of schooling should be.
We need to start where we want to finish—by identifying what we want all our students to know and be able to do, and by defining what it means to be a whole child and a whole graduate. Our children are not only citizens of their local community and their country, but also, increasingly, of the world.
For the past 65 years, ASCD has worked hard to become a worldwide leader in learning, teaching, and educational leadership. We will continue to engage and connect diverse communities—for example, through our work with ASCD Middle East—in addressing both the opportunities and challenges learners face in the 21st century.
