National Resource Centers on Canada: Support for K-12 Educators PowerPoint Presentation at the 91 st Annual NCSS Conference Washington, D.C. – December 3,

Joint NRC Outreach The US Department of Education encourages increased knowledge of Canada at K-12 levels of education and provides significant funding to 2 NRCs on Canada in the US with mandates to support K-12 learning. Pacific Northwest NRC on Canada Northeast NRC on Canada Western Washington University & University of Washington University of Maine & SUNY Plattsburgh Additional outreach and program grant support is awarded annually by the Embassy of Canada (Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Education Section). 2

Why Teach Canada? There are many reasons to offer classroom connections to Canada: US & Canadian Embassy websites provide persuasive reasons (see handout) International education goals should consider North America first Teaching Canada is an elevating – not alarming – experience: Raises student achievement levels (K-12 and beyond) Improves student awareness of cross-border perspectives & trans-border/global issues Increases the proportion of students prepared for post-secondary study Generates interest for the post-secondary study of Canada, specifically Expands appeal of in-Canada study opportunities and internships as well as pursuit of graduate and professional school opportunities. 3

A reality is that Canada sometimes falls in a K-12 curriculum “gap”: Canada appears intermittently in social studies standards California and Texas standards drive the textbook industry and, without specific mention, Canada is often minimized and/or left out of textbooks even in key areas like economics. Therefore, the NRCs on Canada perform a variety of outreach services to build local/regional/national interest in Canada. * To learn more, see SUNY Plattsburgh Study: The Country Left Behind by Dr. Joseph-André Senécal, Professor Emeritus, University of Vermont. Getting Canada on the map…. 4

Joint NRCs on Canada Outreach Shared exhibits, presentations and advocacy for Canadian Studies at education conferences is regularly undertaken by the NRCs… …and each NRC offers a variety of support to teachers nationwide: Classroom Resources Publications and E-Newsletter Teacher Loan-Kits Websites w/Curricula and Calendar Multimedia Classroom Tools Summer Institutes and PD Instruction 5

Multiple organizations have partnered with the NRCs on Canada to support innovative outreach initiatives for K-12 educators: Canada is Coming to NCSS! (w/ NCSS, QGO and Government of Canada, 2008) 21 st Century Toolkit: History of Canadian-American Relations Project (w/ NCSS, DFAIT, US Embassy and others, 2008 and ongoing) Canada and the American Curriculum Conference (Embassy of Canada, 2010) Series of “Canada Clinics” (w/ NCSS and Consulate General/Embassy of Canada offices) 6 Joint NRCs on Canada Outreach

7 Pacific Northwest NRC – Current Outreach A few “K-12 STUDY CANADA” initiatives include: O Canada! Newspapers in Education Supplement (Washington Times, Embassy of Canada, 2006 initial publication) Canada and the Washington Curriculum (Project that links the OSPI site with WA-State aligned curricula posted on the learning portal) NCHE History Matters! newsletter column (“Connecting History Classrooms to Canada”, 2010 and ongoing) NCSS Leadership E-Resource News to “Canada Listserv” STUDY CANADA Summer Institute: A Capital View of Canada: Nations within a Nation (Annual – Held in Ottawa with a daytrip to Montréal)

8 Northeast NRC – Current Outreach A few University of Maine and SUNY-Plattsburgh initiatives include: Canada and the New Hampshire Curriculum* Canada and the Massachusetts Curriculum* Canada and the New York Curriculum* * Each of the above projects includes content workshops at teacher conferences, day-long workshops for specific groups of teachers, and in-class presentations. Canada Community leadership at NCSS Articles in education journals (eg: NCGE and MSU publications) Québec Dimensions Summer Institute (Annual – Held in Montréal and Québec City) Summer Institute for Teachers of French (Alternate years with a new theme each time)

Great news about K-12 support… There is more support available than you may know… Leading educational organizations (Canada and the American Curriculum Conference - Embassy of Canada, 2010) State councils are looking to be more inclusive of Canada. Regional Consulates/Consulates General of Canada and other organizations may be able to offer partnership support for professional development. 9

Potential Partners for K-12 Outreach 10 US and State Departments of Education Canadian Embassy in DC & Consulates of Canada in the US US Embassy in Ottawa & US Consulates in Canada (DFAIT) Québec Government Offices in the US NRCs on Canada and K-12 STUDY CANADA Teacher-Associates Individual Teachers/Schools/School Districts/Educational Collaboratives Canada-America Society (eg: Seattle and Atlanta) National and Regional World Affairs Councils National and State Councils for the Social Studies (NCSS) National Social Studies Supervisors’ Association (NSSSA) National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) National Council for History Education (NCHE) Local/regional businesses/organizations with Can-Am interests….

11 NRC Outreach – Future Goals The NRCs on Canada aim to solidify Canadian Studies linkages in the US and Canada and integrate Canadian Studies in American K-12 curriculum by: Enhancing current outreach, particularly in regards to online and PD instruction Encouraging and providing support to other colleges/universities for K-12 outreach initiatives Partnering regularly with regional community colleges Publishing the K-12 National Directory on Canada and other resource materials online or in print Increase national integration of Canadian Studies through outreach and advocacy with NCSS, NSSSA, CS4, IA, NCGE and NCHE ….

It all begins with one teacher and one student … and your interest in teaching about Canada is appreciated. The eventual multiplier-effect is impressive. It is essential not only to prepare students as citizens of a nation reliant on a strong Canada-US relationship but also as global citizens in an increasingly connected world. 12 Thank you