By focusing students on real-life connections using a global lens, we can create more engaging and powerful opportunities to learn. Meghan Sullivan shares some classroom examples.

Schools know how to teach literacy and critical thinking skills. Heidi Hayes Jacobs added two other dimensions of literacy pertinent to future success: digital literacy and global literacy.

Today we share a piece by a teacher at Oak Hill High School in Cincinnati, Ohio—a member of Asia Society's International Studies Schools Network. Meghan Sullivan is a French and World History teacher who has openly embraced the pillars of 21st century skills, global competence, and deeper learning. Read on to see how she combines all of these in her classroom.

Asia Society's work in China which includes creating opportunities for American students to learn Chinese, connecting them with peers in China, and convening individuals and institutions in education, business, policy, and the arts, contributes to a larger U.S.-China diplomatic effort—what Jeff Wang calls "smart diplomacy." However, Jeff points out a growing mutual distrust between our countries and the importance of education in overcoming it.

Can policymakers overcome partisan bickering in the service of language immersion programs? Aiden Fleming, Legislative Liaison for the Arizona Department of Education, tells how it happened in Arizona and shares three strategies you can use in your community.

Classrooms and teachers can go global with Twitter. Try one or more of these 12 ideas to Tweet your way around the world.

Worldwide competitive events provide multiple opportunities to explore global content such as international relations, geography, economics, the origin and history of games, and the qualities of collaboration and sportsmanship. Terri Marini of MindWorks Resources explains how she teaches youth to investigate the world by asking questions about the World Cup.

American disinterest in acquiring language skills to adapt to linguistic and cultural situations in which they find themselves is hurting an entire nation's likelihood of maintaining a predominant role in 21st century world matters. World interconnectedness coupled with the savvy of other world powerhouses has dictated that English is no longer the language needed to join the exclusive and elusive club of success and opportunity.

Globally focused teachers create a place where students learn science from interdisciplinary and global perspectives. Using a science curriculum with global case studies engages students in problem-based learning tasks and scientific investigations founded on research in scientific literature.

By deeply diving into the core tenets of global competence, Denver Center for International Studies students find that learning is engaging and relevant, while preparing them for college, careers, and the global society they will graduate into.