I just returned from attending the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference, held this year where the temperatures were low and the snow drifts were high. This in stark contrast to the warm temperatures, lack of snow (even in the mountains) and early spring in Seattle. Global climate destabilization indeed.
Boston
Seattle
Along with listening to inspiring speakers, attending edifying workshops, and networking with colleagues from all over the country and many parts of the world, I had the opportunity to share a new 
resource with the NAIS community. My colleague Willy Fluharty from Cape Henry Collegiate School and I introduced a book we co-edited over the past two years. Willy and I are both founding members of the Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG) and have been active in the organization since its inception in 2008. At that time, four schools (Cape Henry, Lakeside, Providence Day and Charlotte Country Day) met and then at the behest of NAIS, invited 15 other schools to join us. We embarked upon a mission of benchmarking, sharing, and collaboration that has served individual schools, and also helped define and develop global education in all independent schools.
Over the years, we have collected data to benchmark what GEBG schools are doing in their programs, created a Wiki page to share information, become a 501c3 entity with a Board (on which Willy and I both serve), and organized an annual Global Educators Conference. A couple of years ago, we realized we had learned so much through collaboration that would be useful to others outside of GEBG. We gathered resources from 24 different global educators representing 12 schools and 12 outside organizations, and compiled it into a handbook that GEBG published as an iBook available for $20 on iTunes.
The first section of the book concerns itself with Why We Should Be Global, the philosophy behind the work including a compelling essay by Father Steve Sundborg, President of Seattle University who gave the keynote address at the first GEBG conference at Lakeside School. Next we created a chapter outlining a number of different ways to become global at all levels of K-12 education. Subsequent chapters deal with curriculum, collaboration, competencies, finances, and risk management. Finally, we included sample data charts from our annual survey and resources to help people develop their own programs.
Our hope is that people will examine the book as a whole, and then use it, like the title suggests, as a roadmap for global program development. Rather than a rigid “how to” manual, we want it to be a guide to help clarify program goals and identify appropriate paths to those goals. Some readers may spend more time investigating the big picture questions of philosophy and pedagogy; others will dive right into specific sections on risk management and curriculum; still others will use the data to support their own desired outcomes. The book highlights a few trends such as the rise of global diploma programs, the need for better risk management practices, and the push to integrate global experience and classroom practice. Because the field of global education is relatively new and constantly changing, we plan to provide periodic updates. We are currently preparing it for publication on PC-compatible platforms and Kindle as well.
A couple of talks I heard at the NAIS conference this year were particularly relevant to our experience editing the book. John Maeda talked about the importance of creativity, thinking outside of the box, and making bold choices without bowing to public opinion. We certainly dove into this project with no prior publishing knowledge, and we learned a great deal through trial and error. Sarah Lewis, who wrote The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery described the difference between success (a single accomplishment) and mastery (consistent excellence) that comes only through continual examination of failure and subsequent adjustments. Willy and I encountered many obstacles, and while I make no claims about mastery, we did approach the process with curiosity and the belief that we could overcome any obstacle through persistent effort. It was a fascinating collaborative undertaking, and we hope it serves as a useful and enjoyable tool.