Beginning in 2013, the educators and scholars, who were part of the Global Educational Community (GEC), understood the rich learning and benefits of practitioners from around the globe having an opportunity to collaborate. To facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and understanding about global, regional, national, and local issues and the interconnectedness and interdependency of different countries and populations, GEC developed an annual global project and conference. Educators and leaders from various countries, including Finland, Canada, Australia, China, and Israel, developed a project around a common theme and then met to reflect and share the different approaches used by each teacher in its classroom implementation. The annual projects included developing curriculum around a common theme to pairing individual teachers from different countries to co-create an instructional unit and teach in each other’s classrooms. The information gathered from the annual events was part of GEC’s ongoing examination of global research and evidence of effective teaching and learning, led by Dr. Ann Lieberman of Stanford University.

One step at a time, one teacher at a time, our global collaboration has never stopped! Our school, the school next door, the teacher next door, our children, and the child next door, regardless of the country, town, region, or country, we are continually learning together, developing together, and building a global school.