Introduction

With some notable exceptions, our public schools are doing a woeful job of teaching students about the world outside America's borders. For example, surveys conducted by the Asia Society and the National Geographic Society show a huge gap in most students' knowledge about the growing importance of Asia and other world regions to our nation's economic prosperity and national security. The surveys find that 25 percent of our college-bound high school students cannot name the ocean between California and Asia. Eighty percent do not know that India is the world's largest democracy. Young Americans are next to last in their knowledge of geography and current affairs compared with young adults in eight other industrial countries. The overwhelming majority cannot find Afghanistan or Israel on a world map, but know that a recent "Survivor" show was shot in the South Pacific.

Meanwhile, K-12 language instruction does not reflect today's realities: Only about one-half of today's high school students study a foreign language, with the vast majority at the introductory level. Moreover, 1 million U.S. students study French, a language spoken by 80 million people worldwide, while fewer than 40,000 study Chinese, a language spoken by 1.3 billion people. None of this should come as a surprise, since our teachers are not prepared to teach about the world. Most prospective teachers do not take any international courses and have low participation rates in study-abroad programs.

These trends have serious consequences. In the 21st century, young people who understand the dynamics of global economic and intercultural relations will have a distinct advantage in securing good jobs. Those with knowledge of world history, languages, global health, and international affairs will be able to make informed decisions as voters about domestic issues influenced by global circumstances. By the same token, with an entire generation lacking in that knowledge, the United States is in danger of putting itself at a competitive disadvantage.

Globalization is causing policy and business leaders to call for new competencies to advance U.S. competitiveness, leadership in global markets, scientific innovation, security, and proactively improve international relations. These emerging realities of the globally interconnected world have been documented in both national and state-specific reports. Already, one in six American jobs is tied to international trade. Our trade with Asia now equals more than $800 billion per year, a figure that has surpassed our trade with Europe since 1979. The majority of future growth for industries of all sizes will be in overseas markets. Meanwhile, in addition to economic considerations, solving new national security and humanitarian challenges, such as terrorism, AIDS, environmental degradation, and poverty, will also require increased knowledge of other world regions, cultures, and languages. Increased diversity in our nation's classrooms, workplaces, and communities, including new immigrants from many different parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, requires greater understanding of the myriad cultures and histories students bring to school. These new realities demonstrate that future workers seeking careers in business, government, health care, law enforcement, and a wide variety of other jobs will all require global knowledge and skills.

Unfortunately, our K-12 schools do not have the capacity to respond to those demands. Recent reports from the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and Harvard's curriculum review committee confirm that most U.S. students lack sufficient knowledge about other world regions, languages, and cultures, and will not be able, if current educational practices continue, to be effective employees of globally-oriented organizations. Members of minority groups are especially underrepresented in international courses and careers. In today's world, the status quo is tantamount to a kind of educational isolationism. That is unacceptable. To meet future workforce needs and provide equal opportunities for disadvantaged and minority students, our schools need to expose all students -- not just those from affluent families -- to international content earlier in their education.