One Student at a Time Leading the Global Education Movement i ii One Student at a Time Leading the Global Education Movement Fernando M. Reimers With contributions from Nour Abu Ragheb . Joel Adriance . Wilson Aiwuyor . Shatha AlHashmi . Zohal Atif . Suman Barua . Sergio Cárdenas Denham . Mariali Cardenas Casanueva . Manuel Cardoso . Mariam Chughtai . Gilda Colin . Peter Cooper . Mariana Clucellas . Bettina Dembek . David Edwards . Nelly ElZayat . Erin Esparza . Armando Estrada Zubía . Ana Florez . Soujanya Ganig Luis E. Garcia de Brigard . Eugenia Garduño . Emanuel Garza Fishburn . Juliana Guaqueta Ospina . Ghazal S. Gulati . Anne Elizabeth Hand . Ming Jin . Kevin Kalra . Zahra Kassam . Myra M. Khan . Susan Kippels . José La Rosa . Annika Lawrence . Sandra Licón . Michael Lisman . Mingyan “Ophelia” Ma . Janhvi Maheshwari-Kanoria . Tara Mahtafar . Luis Felipe Martínez-Gómez . Nicholas Moffa . Jomphong Mongkhonvanit . Eliana Carvalho Mukherjee . Lily Neyestani-Hailu . Maria Elena Ortega-Hesles . Ana Gabriela Pessoa . Teresa Cozetti Pontual Pereira . Kevin Roberts . Haneen Sakakini . Shajia Sarfraz . Colleen Silva-Hayden . Juan de Dios Simón . Daniel Tapia-Quintana . Maya Thiagarajan . Ernesto Treviño . Leanne Trujillo . Pam Vachatimanont . Ethan Van Drunen . Razia Velji . Jamie Vinson . Austin Volz . Elyse Katherine Watkins iii These files are provided to students of the course solely for the purpose of the course, and are not to be shared with others. © 2017 Fernando M. Reimers. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ All rights reserved. “Whether you opened this book looking for practical guidance on how to address some of the most critical issues in education or in search of powerful and inspiring tales of impact, you’re in luck. The stories of wisdom, passion, and determination that Dr. Reimers has assembled here in this volume make me both grateful for the work Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni are doing and hopeful for the world they are building—one student at a time.” James E. Ryan, Dean of the Faculty and Charles William Eliot Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education. “The essays in this book challenge us to re-think leadership in a global society characterized by fluidity, increased insecurity and inequality. At a time when authoritarian, nativist, exclusivist, and arrogant leaders emerge by exploiting fear, misogyny and xenophobia, this book emphasizes the need for trust and cooperation amongst countries and individuals. Cooperation without which humanity will not be able to materialize the goal of sustainable societies. It highlights the case for cultivating a generation of global citizens who know how to include rather than exclude, respect rather than reject, listen rather than pontificate. Fernando Reimers and his colleagues show us how we can preserve, sustain, and deepen the values of democracy, liberalism, and human rights through a global education movement...one that encourages citizens and leaders to challenge taboos, remain curious enough to learn, and demonstrate strength through humility. We CAN deny the trappings — the hubris — of arbitrary power; this passionate collection proves it. A testament to the great human potential and the possibilities of our times, these are inspiring voices that provoke us to remain optimistic!” George Papandreou, former Prime Minister and former Minister of Education of Greece. “This is a highly readable and useful study of the challenges and opportunities that those advancing education for all around the globe face. A must read for all education leaders interested in freedom and justice. Arne Duncan, Former US Secretary of Education. v “The book is an excellent example of how to assess the impact of an educational program through the work of its graduates, a valuable reading for those who work in higher education. The book presents an ambitious graduate program that aims to influence the improvement of educational systems around the world cultivating the leadership capacities of the students. The description of the challenges that these leaders take on as they transform education around the world as teachers, project leaders and policy makers, provides the reader with an engaging and informative outlook into the program’s effectiveness.” Cecilia Maria Velez White, President, Universidad de Bogota Jorge Tadeo Lozano and former Minister of Education of Colombia. “Preparing today's young people for the challenges of the 21st century-rapid change, unpredictability, globalization, new technologies, and political conflict-will require very different forms of education than those that marked the 19th and the 20th centuries. There is an enormous need throughout the world for a new generation of educational innovators with the values, passion, professional training, and experience to lead this process of global and national change, while still realizing it must take root one student at a time. In this important book we hear from many such young entrepreneurs about their own learnings in leading educational change.” Dr. Charles MacCormack, President Emeritus, Save the Children. “This work both inspires and challenges those of us working in education to reevaluate our role as global, political change-makers. It situates the global roles of education within context of the profound work of Professor Fernando Reimers and the work his students are doing all over the world in a powerfully vulnerable and reflective way. It is an incredible collection of leadership and policy lessons offered through the biographies of some incredible leaders in the field who are having a profound impact across the globe.” Earl Martin Phalen, Founder and CEO of the George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academies. vi "The collective wisdom of this book is a great inspiration and a rich source of advice for every leader, not only in education. It gives us practical insights into the key leadership competences needed in a world of continuous learning and adaptation. This vibrant global education network is the best place to stand and a great lever to move the world!” Dr. Antonella Mei-Pochtler, Senior Partner & Managing Director, The Boston Consulting Group. “Fernando Reimers takes the title for this book from his wife, who taught him that "the deepest way to educate is one student at a time." As the long-serving director of the Harvard's Graduate School of Education's master's program in International Education Policy, Reimers has been one of the leaders of a global education movement, which his students are taking forward, one educator at a time. In this volume, sixty former students share hard-fought, universal lessons for educators across the globe. One of my favorites is that we must balance patience with setbacks and at the same time balance process with impatience for results. Reimers’ larger lesson concerns the role of higher education to prepare global citizens as defenders of democracy. This is Reimers’ most personal volume to date as he encourages us all to discover our common humanity through this work.” Kathleen McCartney, President of Smith College. “For any who doubt that international education can be transformative or worth the investment, be prepared to be converted. And for all of us who need new talking points, read this book.” Allan Goodman, President, Institute for International Education. “Universalizing education and making it a force for peace and sustainability calls upon the knowledge of a constellation of leaders – in schools, universities, civil society, the private sector, governments and international organizations. This book provides fascinating insight into the trajectories of graduates from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education International Education Policy Program. Each one of them is driven by a passionate commitment to leave no one behind and vii advance educational opportunities for all children and youth across the world. In their own voice, they reflect on the challenges of innovation and reform, of pushing the boundaries of teaching and learning in their societies. They belong to a global education movement that must be supported to fulfill a fundamental human right and the most powerful development catalyst at a time of complex change and accelerating globalization, one that more than ever requires the nurturing of global citizens.” Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO. “This vivid collection of experiences from the educational frontline is a vital reminder of the compelling leadership contribution of those who power and shape the impact of education in communities across the world. Read it and catch an urgent vision of how we might build a more connected and progressive global educational system with incalculable benefit for society.” Dame Julia Cleverdon Co- Founder of Step up To Serve in the UK. "One student at a time epitomizes the calling of true educators who see the urgency of getting education to those who need it most. Responses to the multifarious contexts of education addressed in this book are highly insightful and pragmatic - whether it be schooling, organizational transformation, program development, policy or governance. The anecdotes and cases make for excellent reading — coming from a confluence of brilliant minds and inspired hearts catalyzed by an outstanding professor who has impacted many through his amazing care and scholarship.” TAN Oon Seng, Professor and Director, National Institute