Quality IV: Global Awareness and Action
Statement of
Distinction: An exceptional AILACTE institution values, implements,
monitors and promotes policies, programs, and practices focused on global
awareness and action. Global awareness involves understanding and reflecting on
knowledge and issues related to diversity. Global action involves students utilizing their
understanding of diversity to implement positive change within the lives of
children, schools and communities.
The institution supports cross-cultural sensitivity and affiliation,
develops programs that systematically integrate diversity, and encourages
faculty and students to think and act globally and locally.
Diversity can include
ability, domestic and international culture, gender, ethnicity, language, race,
religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.
1. The institution’s mission emphasizes the value
of global awareness and action. The institution provides policies and
programs that strive to create a prejudice-free environment. The institution supports a diverse
domestic and international student body.
2. The institution supports the study of diversity and
provides students with cross-cultural opportunities. Students are immersed
in another culture through geographical relocation, such as study abroad, or
off-campus settings in the United States.
The institution enrolls international students and students of color,
and provides purposeful interactive experiences for all students.
3. Peer institutions and P-12 schools view the
institution as a leader in global awareness and action education. The
institution’s international programs are respected as exceptional
models. The institution is known
for hosting local symposia on race and ethnic issues.
1. The curriculum stresses the development of knowledge,
experience, and skills that result in a positive attitude toward diversity. Students
voluntarily participate in additional cross-cultural experiences after
completing required practica.
Students model positive understanding and relationships with people from
other cultures.
2. The curriculum includes structured reflection on
diverse experiences. Students reflect on and analyze their own views and the
views of others related to issues involving religion and schools. Students
reflect on their service-learning experiences, and then lead a focus group with
the recipients of the service to discuss mutual benefits.
3. The curriculum includes application experiences that
enhance students’ understanding of diversity. Students explore
socioeconomic influences on the lives of children in their classrooms in urban
placements and demonstrate their ability to successfully guide the learning of
those children. Students learn and
use other languages within a diverse context.
1. Education faculty members emphasize diversity
throughout their instruction. Education faculty members select course
resources representing a variety of cultural voices. Education faculty members
establish supportive classroom environments in which students feel comfortable
discussing challenging issues of diversity.
2. Education faculty members actively participate in
off-campus cross-cultural programs. An education faculty member may lead a
study-abroad program. An education
faculty member may live in and study another culture in the United States
during his/her sabbatical.
3. Education faculty members are from diverse
populations. The institution recruits, supports, and promotes diversity of
education faculty. Diverse
education faculty voices are respected in policy deliberations.