The Department of Education recently announced proposed changes to Section 656.4 (NRC) for the next round of the NRC grants, one of which will bear directly on IRIS NRC: they are recommending the elimination of the general “International Studies” grant that both UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee currently receive. This is an unwelcome proposal, and we intend to argue for the continuation of the International Studies NRC option during the public comment period that closes March 25. We hope you’ll join us in submitting a comment highlighting the importance of International Studies NRC funded activities in your schools and classrooms.
You can find the proposed changes here, and you’ll find a green “Submit a Formal Comment” button at the top:
The Global Studies/International category allows colleges and universities to expand global awareness and language education in the K-12 setting by:
- Engaging students in global learning more generally, drawing on the broadest possible range of social, cultural, and geographical contexts, long before students begin specializing in one language
- Connecting students with global artists, experts, and practitioners through youth workshops and programs to compliment classroom teaching
- Offering curricular resources to support global-to-local service-learning and informed action around global topics
- Facilitating professional development programming for K-12 educators on global topics, such as human rights education, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and incorporating global perspectives into civics courses
We thank you for your commitment to educating and inspiring the next generation of global citizens. If you have any questions or concerns about the proposed policy, please reach out to Essie Lechner (lenchner@wisc.edu) or Csanád Siklós (siklos@wisc.edu).
We hope you’ll consider sharing this message with your colleagues: