International Visitors Task Force
Mission Statement
May 2009
The idea of forming an ad hoc International Visitors Task Force (IVTF) surfaced a few years ago as NCSS’ leadership began to look for ways of establishing more effective relationships with its neighbors to the north and south and to better provide for those international visitors who attend NCSS annual meetings. While these initiatives and others have been part of the business of NCSS, their place on the organization’s agenda have been dependent on individuals and small entities and occasionally are not given the attention they deserve. As such, The IVTF was created to address four specific initiatives: (1) provide a program at the annual convention that will broaden international perspectives of NCSS members and encourage participation of international educators at the convention, (2) assist NCSS with developing formal relationships with Mexican and Canadian social studies educators as well as teachers across the globe, (3) coordinate the efforts of the International Assembly (IA), International Activities Community (IAC), NCSS staff, and others who wish to host international social studies educators so that an inclusive International Visitors Reception and International Visitors Program can be offered, and (4) develop international social studies relationships so that an NCSS social studies meeting might take place outside the US in the near future. Because the IVTF sees itself as assisting and expanding the work of International Assembly (IA), International Activities Community, or other units within NCSS that have an international agenda, it characterizes itself as a “clearinghouse” for the international activities of NCSS.
At the present time, the IVTF is involved in activities aimed at making the Atlanta NCSS Annual Meeting a success. Working with Vice President Syd Goldston and her national and local planning committees, the Task Force is helping to plan the International Visitors Program (IVP) in partnership with the Center for Civic Education who is bringing social studies specialists from several different world regions to the convention. There will be an International Visitors Reception on Thursday night. With appropriated funding from the joint efforts of IVTF and IA, it will be open to all foreign conference attendees. Convention sessions will target international social studies issues, classroom visits and other activities. There will be an opportunity to evaluate the convention and the IVP experience. In addition, Jesus Garcia and Yali Zhao are holding a meeting in Atlanta with interested social studies educators who are interested in putting together an application to the BOD on an international social studies conference in Beijing in 2014.
Outcomes of NCSS’ focus on Canada last year in Houston are ongoing and being followed up by Tina Storer and Betsy Arntzen, including the establishment of a pan-Canadian social studies organization that hopes to connect formally with NCSS in future and a historic NCSS-sponsored resource and curriculum project that focuses on the history of the US-Canada relationship.
Since the IVTF serves as a clearinghouse for many ongoing international activities and interests, Yali Zhao is developing a blog for IVTF that would allow all interested parties to highlight their activities, communicate with each other, and for the coordination of all NCSS international business.
ssinternational said
International Visitors Task Force
Mission Statement
May 2009
The idea of forming an ad hoc International Visitors Task Force (IVTF) surfaced a few years ago as NCSS’ leadership began to look for ways of establishing more effective relationships with its neighbors to the north and south and to better provide for those international visitors who attend NCSS annual meetings. While these initiatives and others have been part of the business of NCSS, their place on the organization’s agenda have been dependent on individuals and small entities and occasionally are not given the attention they deserve. As such, The IVTF was created to address four specific initiatives: (1) provide a program at the annual convention that will broaden international perspectives of NCSS members and encourage participation of international educators at the convention, (2) assist NCSS with developing formal relationships with Mexican and Canadian social studies educators as well as teachers across the globe, (3) coordinate the efforts of the International Assembly (IA), International Activities Community (IAC), NCSS staff, and others who wish to host international social studies educators so that an inclusive International Visitors Reception and International Visitors Program can be offered, and (4) develop international social studies relationships so that an NCSS social studies meeting might take place outside the US in the near future. Because the IVTF sees itself as assisting and expanding the work of International Assembly (IA), International Activities Community, or other units within NCSS that have an international agenda, it characterizes itself as a “clearinghouse” for the international activities of NCSS.
At the present time, the IVTF is involved in activities aimed at making the Atlanta NCSS Annual Meeting a success. Working with Vice President Syd Goldston and her national and local planning committees, the Task Force is helping to plan the International Visitors Program (IVP) in partnership with the Center for Civic Education who is bringing social studies specialists from several different world regions to the convention. There will be an International Visitors Reception on Thursday night. With appropriated funding from the joint efforts of IVTF and IA, it will be open to all foreign conference attendees. Convention sessions will target international social studies issues, classroom visits and other activities. There will be an opportunity to evaluate the convention and the IVP experience. In addition, Jesus Garcia and Yali Zhao are holding a meeting in Atlanta with interested social studies educators who are interested in putting together an application to the BOD on an international social studies conference in Beijing in 2014.
Outcomes of NCSS’ focus on Canada last year in Houston are ongoing and being followed up by Tina Storer and Betsy Arntzen, including the establishment of a pan-Canadian social studies organization that hopes to connect formally with NCSS in future and a historic NCSS-sponsored resource and curriculum project that focuses on the history of the US-Canada relationship.
Since the IVTF serves as a clearinghouse for many ongoing international activities and interests, Yali Zhao is developing a blog for IVTF that would allow all interested parties to highlight their activities, communicate with each other, and for the coordination of all NCSS international business.