Greater Atlanta Coalition for Global Education and Research (GAcGEAR)

What is GAcGEAR?

Greater Atlanta Coalition for Global Education and Research (GAcGEAR) mobilizes federally and state-supported entities that promote linguistic and global competence in an ambitious, collaborative effort to expand capacity for global and intercultural engagement throughout the Greater Atlanta region.

GAcGEAR seeks to align K-20 global educational programs in the region with the greater international economic efforts currently underway by numerous state and local agencies by fostering a dialogue to create a unified education and economic vision for workforce development in the area of language education and global competencies for the greater Atlanta region.

GLOBAL COMPETENCE is developed and demonstrated by investigating the world, recognizing and weighing perspectives, acquiring and applying disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge, communicating ideas, and taking action.

Global competence is a critical component of education in the 21st century, as reflected in national initiatives focused on literacy and STEM at the PK-12 level and included in the essential learning outcomes of the Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) program of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

*GAcGEAR endorses American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)’s definition of Global Competence.

For more information, please scroll down and also see ACTFL Global Competence position statement.

Position Statement

The challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century require a global outlook, one that understands interrelated factors and that values diversity of opinions, people, and ideas. All students deserve the chance to develop global, cross-cultural, and multilingual skills to become the problem-solvers and innovators of the future. Working together, civic, private, and educational sectors can cultivate a globally-competitive workforce, propel the individual success of graduates, and ensure economic prosperity for the Greater Atlanta region. Through cross-sector collaboration, the Greater Atlanta Coalition for Global Education and Research supports four priorities:

1. Strengthen Metro Atlanta's Global Talent Pipeline
2. Promote Global Career-Readiness for Students
3. Raise Metro Atlanta's Profile as a Global Competitor
4. Advocate for Policy that Supports and Strengthens Global Education and Opportunities for Global Achievers

Read the GAcGEAR Position Statement

Vision & Mission

The Atlanta region has one of the highest concentrations of institutions of higher learning in the country, along with 70 foreign consular and foreign trade offices, 15 Fortune 500-level headquarters, over 30 bi-national chambers of commerce, a vibrant research and development community engaged in global issues and language expertise, and numerous international non-profits. Georgia is also a regional leader in K-12 world language education with a number of innovative programs focused on identifying and building linguistic and intercultural competencies for the workforce. Such diversity of international presence and engaged stakeholders makes the region an ideal hub for innovation in the area of education and research focused on languages, global competence, and sustainable development.

Mission:

• Connect and engage key stakeholders in Global Education and Research at all levels in the greater Atlanta region
• Coordinate awareness and advocacy efforts for Global Education and Research
• Define and support the elements that make up a Global Education with key stakeholders from a variety of public and private sectors.
• Establish a network of stakeholders and invite conversations to accomplish all of the above.
• Establish common benchmarks and targets of language proficiency and global competence that address career priorities

Goals:

• Enhance and advocate for language training and international competence in partnership with collaborating organizations.
• Enhance and advocate for recognition and promotion of greater Atlanta as a global hub for education and research.
• Establish an annual summit (first Wednesday of November) to bring together key decision makers in support of this effort.
• Advocate for education as one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

For more information and to read how GAcGEAR defines its role in strengthening the Greater Atlanta Region’s global competitiveness, please read the GAcGEAR White Paper: A Call for a Unified Vision.

Founding GAcGEAR core members are committed to creating dialogue around the evolving educational and professional needs of the region’s diverse stakeholders, and to utilizing Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS), National Resource Center (NRC), Language Resource Center (LRC), Language Flagship, Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), STARTALK, and other federally and state-funded programs to develop and support student opportunities, instructional practices, and research to meet those needs. Pursuant to their shared commitment to solidifying the region’s role as a national leader in Global Education and Research, the following entities serve as core and founding members of GAcGEAR:

• Atlanta Global Studies Center (NRC-Georgia Institute of Technology & Georgia State University) and Center for Urban Language Teaching & Research (LRC-Georgia State University)
• Latin American & Caribbean Studies Institute (NRC-University of Georgia)
• CIBER Georgia State and CIBER Georgia Tech
• Language Flagship Programs (University of North Georgia and the University of Georgia)
• Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) World Languages & Global Workforce Division
• STARTALK programs at Agnes Scott College and University of North Georgia
• Agnes Scott College Summit Global Learning and Leadership Program

Directory of core members [PDF]

Global competence is the ability to:

1. Communicate in the language of the people with whom one is interacting.
2. Interact with awareness, sensitivity, empathy, and knowledge of the perspectives of others.
3. Withhold judgment, examining one’s own perspectives as similar to or different from the perspectives of people with whom one is interacting.
4. Be alert to cultural differences in situations outside of one’s culture, including noticing cues indicating miscommunication or causing an inappropriate action or response in a situation.
5. Act respectfully according to what is appropriate in the culture and the situation where everyone is not of the same culture or language background, including gestures, expressions, and behaviors.
6. Increase knowledge about the products, practices, and perspectives of other cultures.

Global competence is developed and demonstrated by investigating the world, recognizing and weighing perspectives, acquiring and applying disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge, communicating ideas, and taking action.

Global competence is a critical component of education in the 21st century, as reflected in national initiatives focused on literacy and STEM at the PK-12 level and included in the essential learning outcomes of the Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) program of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). 
 

The Need for Global Competence

Global competence is vital to successful interactions among diverse groups of people locally, nationally, and internationally:

*GAcGEAR endorses American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)’s definition of Global Competence. For more information, please see ACTFL Global Competence position statement.
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For more information about GAcGEAR, please contact: agsc@gatech.edu