Barbara Markle, assistant dean for K-12 outreach in the College of Education.

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — Schools throughout the Midwest now have the opportunity to join a global Web-based network for sharing best practices in education reform, thanks to Michigan State University.

Leaders in the College of Education established MSU as the first U.S. hub for iNet, or International Networking for Educational Transformation, which currently links more than 5,000 schools in 40 countries with online and face-to-face resources such as forums, workshops and study tours. College officials will introduce iNet as a new resource at the third annual Internationalizing Michigan Education Conference, expected to draw hundreds of teachers and school administrators to MSU on Feb. 27. At least 250 Michigan schools already have joined iNet.

“Schools around the world, no matter what their system, have many of the same challenges,” said Barbara Markle, assistant dean for K-12 outreach, who spearheaded the agreement that allows MSU to enroll schools, host iNet events and more. “iNet gives educators a base from which to exchange ideas and really learn from one another. It has the potential of bringing some new, proven ideas into American education.”

Jim Ballard, executive director of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, encourages principals to join iNet and broaden their perspectives on school improvement.

“It’s not about comparing test scores, it’s about comparing instruction,” he said. “Education truly is a world delivery system now.”

Educators who attend the conference will learn how other countries are addressing school improvement through iNet partnerships, as well as practical ways to internationalize their curricula with perspectives from Asian, African, Latin American and Middle Eastern nations. MSU will welcome a delegation from the United Kingdom, including iNet’s top international leaders, that week.

“We are very much looking forward to bringing the richness of experience of the Michigan schools into the network,” said iNet Director Sylvia Paddock.

WHAT: Internationalizing Michigan Education Conference, “Where Globalization Meets School Improvement: Linking and Learning with Schools around the World,” sponsored by MSU, the Education Alliance of Michigan and the U.S.-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence.

WHO: Elizabeth Reid and David Hargreaves, Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (London); Sylvia Paddock, iNet; and MSU University Distinguished Professor Yong Zhao, one of seven worldwide academic advisers to iNet.

WHEN:  8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday, Feb. 27

WHERE: Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, 55 South Harrison Road, East Lansing.

Go here or call (517) 353-8950 for more information about joining iNet or registering for the conference, including a complete agenda. 

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.