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A summary of the KCIES survey Teachers, professors and librarians. Lawyers, architects and secretaries. Musicians, marketers and builders. Social workers, realtors and homemakers.
All took the time last fall to fill out a survey for the Kansas Committee for International Education in the Schools. From their comments, it’s clear that many had given the topic of international education some thought.
Many believed that Kansas children need to know more about the world and its countries, about their history, cultures and customs, about how they are governed. Many of them thought our children and country had lessons to learn because “the world is shrinking daily,” as one put it, and we can’t hide from its difficulties.
They said that Spanish, followed by Chinese or Japanese, are the languages Kansas students should study, and that Asia, the Middle East, and our neighbors Canada and Mexico are the regions most important for students to learn about.
The vast majority of respondents agreed with the need for international education, but it is worth noting that some respondents temper their support by saying they do not want to see “hard skills”— the “basics” of education — ignored in the process.
The survey was completed by nearly 3,000 people. Some respondents completed it out by hand and mailed in the results, but the majority was filled out online.
In order to compete successfully in the global economy, how important is it for Kansans to have the following skills? - Nearly three-quarters — 73 percent — ranked it “very important” for Kansans to “be aware of international issues and events.”
- 68 percent thought it very important for Kansans to understand international trade and economics.
- Two-thirds of those surveyed, 66 percent, thought it very important to understand other countries’ cultures and customs.
- In descending order, respondents ranked an understanding of other countries’ geography (58 percent), history (51 percent) and political/governing systems (50 percent) as very important skills in order to be competitive.
- A smaller percentage, 46 percent, thought it was very important to speak a foreign language in order to be competitive. Still, a healthy number, 47 percent ranked that as “somewhat important.”
Quotable - “The world has become interdependent in terms of goods, jobs, politics, culture, etc. … We must, however, teach varying points of view and not assume eminence for all of our country’s opinions.”
- “International events have daily impact in the Midwest. I am concerned though about the temptation for academics and their institutions to sway their focus to “doing international” (i.e. “soft skills”) rather than driving even more strongly the curriculum for “hard” skills. We are losing our competitive edge in hard skills, not international awareness. It is just that to be truly effective, we need to be able to put those hard skills into a global context.”
- “If you only understand yourself, you are at a distinct disadvantage in working with other people.”
- “I work in the area of international litigation” and the No. 1 reason for lawsuits is “clashing cultural values; problems in communication.”
- “One will understand that the American way is not the only way and one will understand the complex issues facing us and the world.”
- “There is a reason why U.S. kids do so poorly on tests about American history, politics, culture and geography — they are expected to learn just as much about everyone else’s history. ...More time and resources need to focus on American education.”
- “Easy to be informed today with Internet, CNN, etc. But our students need to understand how interpret the events that are constantly presented.”
- “To understand why a decision is made in a foreign country you need to understand the … economy of the country, culture/customs, religion and most importantly the politics. And the first step to understanding is learning the language.”
- “Most Kansans know nothing about other countries. We should include these topics in required education, not wait until a problem or issue arises.”
How important is it to include international content in the following courses studied in our schools? (The choices were geography, history, literature, business, economics, government, art, music, math, science and foreign language). - International content is very important in government classes, according to 74 percent of respondents.
- Other courses cited often as very important were geography (72 percent), economics (71 percent), foreign language (70 percent), history (67 percent), and business (63 percent).
- Down the list were science (43 percent), literature (34 percent) and math and art (both 33 percent).
- Music (27 percent) was the least cited.
What do you think are the top three reasons for Kansas’s students to learn about the world? Please mark only three - The most-cited answer, by 25 percent of respondents, was that “It is important to understand the causes and effects of world events since the United States plays an active part in the world affairs.”
- Next, with 24 percent, was that “We live in an increasingly diverse society and need international perspectives.
- Tied for the No. 3 spot, with 16 percent, were that “The Internet and technology are making the world a smaller place” and “International knowledge is important to the U.S. technology.”
- Next up, at 12 percent, is that “Kansas is actively engaged in the world economy.”
- Interestingly, the least-cited answer is that “International knowledge can promote safety and well being.” There are at least two ways to look at that little-held belief: One is that there is a challenge in convincing people that knowledge and understanding of others is linked to the safety of our society. Second, if, as we believe, international education is vitally important to our state and future, then there are far more persuasive ways than personal and national safety to convince people of its importance.
How strongly do you agree with each of the following statements? - Ninety-seven percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that “knowledge about international issues will be important to the careers of young people in my community” and that “it will be difficult to compete successfully in an international economy unless our workforce is knowledgeable about international issues.”
- Nearly all respondents (up to 99 percent) agreed or strongly agreed that “Citizens who have an understanding of the world can give Kansas a competitive edge in the marketplace.”
- Ninety-eight percent agreed or strongly agreed that Kansas’ young people need to know about international issues no matter where they are from, whether it’s a rural, suburban or urban area.
- Only 24 percent of those surveyed believed that “Young people who graduate from Kansas high schools have a broad knowledge of the world.” About half of those responding disagreed that those young people had “a broad knowledge,” and one-sixth or more strongly disagreed that they had such knowledge.
- Ninety-five percent believed that Kansas high schools should require students to take courses that include international topics.
Other than English, what do you think are the three most important languages for Kansas students to study? Please mark only three. - More than one-third (34 percent) say Kansas students need to learn Spanish the most, with many saying that is because it’s a knowledge needed to communicate with fellow residents of our country.
- Next in importanc
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