Evanston Township High School
Evanston
Township High School (ETHS), a suburban public school
located outside Chicago, Illinois, has a student body
of just under 3,100, approximately 50 percent of whom
are white, 38 percent African American, seven percent Hispanic,
and five percent other. In 1992, ETHS instituted a one-year
international studies requirement for graduation. A team
of teachers developed a series of interdisciplinary courses
on the history, literature and art of Asia, Africa, Latin
America and the Middle East. Every student must enroll
in least two semesters of study of other world regions.
From the beginning, internationally oriented courses have
developed in many departments. The school is particularly
known for its simulation activities in which students
play the role of, for example, a participant in the Berlin
Conference of 1885, or the creator of NGO designed
to address a contemporary world issue. Outside the classroom,
students participate in extra-curricular clubs including
Model United Nations, Islamic Culture Club, Tea Ceremony
and Amnesty International.
ETHS offers world language courses in Japanese, Hebrew and Latin in addition to Spanish, French and German. Technology is used to connect language classes to native speakers and for online discussion with students in other countries, such Pakistand Zimbabwe. The quality of the progr stems from the school's commitment to professional development. The school have developed relationships with area studies centers three locuniversities and the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations to give teachers access to scholarship and expertise. ETHS is recognized a leading example of best practices in international education featuring teaching and learning teams for curriculum development and community outreach by students. In 2003, Evanston sponsored a Global Studies conference for schools in Illinois to share curriculum and teaching strategies.
Read on for interview with Paula Frohman, Department Chair, Media and Instructional Technology Services:
You were recently awarded a prize for excellence from Goldman Sachs Foundation and Asia Society. What impact has it made?
We
offer seven global studies courses for students. As a result, providing
resources and professional development for new teachers is essential.
The $25,000 Prize has allowed us to provide materials and professional
development opportunities for new teachers who would not have been able
to travel to countries they teach about without these subsidies. These
experiences have allowed us to keep up the quality of the teaching in
our global studies courses.
Winning the prize brought the school national attention. A result of this
national attention, students became very involved in bringing in
speakers to discuss globissues. Additionally, the Christion Science Monitor
did a great article about our program, which caught
the eye of Rush Lumbaugh who attacked our program. Our students who
responded about the need for global education received some very good
press. It brought the discussion of the need for international
education to the forefront. The national attention brought a great deal
of credibility and status for our global studies program. We
have been able to build relationships with local teachers and share our
successes with schools thhave contacted us after finding out that we
received the Prize. Through the Middle Ground Club, we were able to
bring in speakers and performers to the school about hot topics such as
Iraq War. Overall, budget cuts became more prevalent, we were able
to support the global studies program and continue our rich curriculum
and excellent teaching.
What advice do you have for others trying to engage K-12 students in learning about the world?
First, start where you can in your curriculum. Second, reach
out to the universities and museums for resources, and third, reach out to
other schools thhave successful programs for ideas on how to
organize the class.