What implications will a global economy have on education policy in the United States? Should high schools, community colleges, and universities revise their programs and services in order to prepare young people to be successful in work places that are evolving as technology’s influence become increasingly pervasive? What does it mean to be “career ready” in the 21st Century?
The MSU Global EPLP (formerly in partnership with the Institute for Educational Leadership, Inc.) is designed to provide GEPLP Senior Fellows with the opportunity to study policy in the Age of Globalization by investigating education policy challenges in economically developed and developing countries. Across cultures, political leaders and policy makers are preparing initiatives to ensure that their countries will remain competitive in a global economy.
The Global EPLP engages participating Senior Policy Fellows in conversations about these and related questions with policy makers, educators, private sector leaders, and others in the countries selected to better understand the changing global education policy landscape. Through a series of assigned readings, online synchronous meetings, and a highly-focused in-country field study, the Senior Fellows gain insights into global policy challenges, develop new network contacts and experience new cultures.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Format
- Monthly Conference Calls – Pre-departure orientation and briefings
- 10-Day International Field Experience
- A blend of academic, business, and cultural experiences
- Post-trip reflections and evaluation
- Background readings and discussions
- Optional Policy Project
Goals
- Develop greater awareness of how other countries prepare young people for a globally interconnected economy
- Develop a multi-cultural perspective on U.S. effort’s to ensure its schools are globally competitive
- Observe and engage with leaders shaping school reform efforts
- Establish relationships with global education policy leaders
History
- 2011 and 2012 Field Experience to Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai, China (Group Photo, Lessons from China)
- 2013 Field Experience to London, Cambridge and Oxford, England (Group Photo, Lessons from London)
- 2015 Field Experience to Thimphu and Paro, Bhutan (Group Photo)
- 2016 Field Experience to Bangalore, Delhi and Agra, India (Group Photo)
- 2017 Field Experience to Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu and Shanghai, China (Group Photo, Sino US Forum)
- 2018 Field Experience to Baden-Württemberg, Germany and Zürich, Switzerland (Group Photo)
- 2020 Field Experience to Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Terra del Fuego, Argentina (Canceled due to COVID-19)
- 2021 Field Experience to Iceland (Group Photo)
- 2022 Field Experience to England (Group Photo: Churchill College, Cambridge University, Group Photo: Little Ilford Secondary School)
- 2023 Field Experience to New Zealand (Group Photo: University of Auckland Powhiri, Group Photo: Hobbiton Movie Set, Matamata)
Our partners
Typically, the MSU Global EPLP works in collaboration with a distinguished host country university, government agency, or respected national education partner to plan and organize a series of orientation briefings designed to provide policy context and help prepare the Senior Fellows in advance of their international travel. In addition, our host country partners also assist us in arranging focused in-country briefings during the field study with expert academic, policy and community leaders, and strategic school and university site visits. Our distinguished international academic partners are highlighted below.
Recruitment
Each year applicants are recruited from across the United States. Candidates include academics, researchers, school and policy leaders. Since 2011 over 2/3 of program participants have been female. See map for the states where past Senior Fellows were based.
Application
Applications for the Fall 2024 Global EPLP Program to Norway are now closed. Please continue to check for detail regarding the 2025 Global EPLP.
Program Fees
Each GEPLP Senior Fellow or the Fellow’s employing agency–the sponsor–pays the participation fee of $5,400, which is inclusive of program fees, double-occupancy hotel accommodations, land transportation with guides, tips, and gratuities, daily breakfast, admission to all sites included in the itinerary, and ground transportation (for single room occupancy, add $1,295). The round-trip international airfare costs are the responsibility of the individual participants.
Norway 2024 Field Study
The 2024 Global EPLP Senior Fellowship is focused on Norway’s challenges and experiences in using a decentralized school and community-based improvement approach, which places a strong emphasis on teacher judgement in student assessments. The October 2024 field study, based in Oslo and Trondheim, Norway will include visits to K-12 schools, briefings at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and discussions with key policy leaders. Monthly online meetings and the field study will enable Senior Fellows to engage with leading academic and policy experts who will share their perceptions on topics such as Norway’s “Going Gradeless” initiative, the requirement for assessment for learning, the participatory dialogue process between students and teachers, the challenges of social media and the gender gap in science and technology, and a philosophy of engaging in risky play. Click here for more information about the Norway 2024 Field Study.
Program Leaders
Dan Schultz
Coordinator
Global EPLP
dws@msu.edu
Dan Schultz is Senior Policy and Program Advisor for the Office of K- 12 Outreach in the College of Education at Michigan State University. He serves as Coordinator Emeritus for the Michigan Education Policy Fellowship Program (MI EPFP), a program he co-led for more than 35 years. He has developed and led over 25 academic and policy-oriented study tours to China, India, Botswana, Bhutan, Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., Iceland, and New Zealand. His background includes executive leadership and policy roles in state government in Michigan, where he was Assistant State Superintendent and Director of Technology and Grants for the Michigan Department of Education. He holds academic degrees in economics and education administration. He is the recipient of the Michigan Reading Association’s Advocacy Award, the MSU College of Education Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the Institute for Educational Leadership’s National Leadership Award, and the International Friendship Award from Southwest University in China.
Robert J. Monson, Ph.D.
Coordinator
Global EPLP
rjm747@me.com
Bob Monson coordinates the Advanced Education Policy Leadership Program in New York. From 2000 to 2009, he was a senior lecturer and program coordinator in education leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. From 2001 to 2022, he coordinated the Education Policy Fellowship Program in the Department of Education Policy & Social Analysis at Teachers College. In 1977, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Across seven states he has served public school children in the capacities of teacher, high school assistant principal, high school principal, assistant superintendent, and four superintendent positions in Ohio, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York. In 2010, he was a visiting fellow in education at Oxford University. From 2011-2015, he was a consultant to the University of Cambridge (UK) International Education as well as a consultant in Bhutan, China, the U.A.E., Nicaragua, and India.
For questions, please contact one of the program co-coordinators.
