You can enhance the following activities from the Instructor's Resource Manual by incorporating the resources available on the World Wide Web.

Commonalities and Differences Among Systems

The Instructor's Resource Manual suggests:
Choose an educational issue frequently discussed in the United States and try to find out about the status of that issue in two other nations. What are the similarities and/or differences in the debate?

Some places on the Internet to do comparative research might include:

Comparative and International Education Society
This professional organization studies education around the world and publishes the Comparative Education Review.

Current Issues in Comparative Education
This international online journal includes articles on a variety of academic issues.

Education News
This weekly online publication is a good source of information on educational systems around the world and comparisons with U.S. education.

International Education
A collection of recent articles from Education Week examining trends in education around the world

Educational Policy Analysis Archives
Articles in this professional journal deal with educational policy at any level in any country. You can find several articles dealing with educational reforms in the U.S. and other countries.

Contrasting Systems

The Instructor's Resource Manual suggests:
Divide the class into groups and assign each a different country (be sure to include both industrialized and developing nations on the list). Have each group write a report on education in their assigned nation to present to the class. After all groups have given their reports, ask the class to identify the country that faces the greatest challenges in educating its citizenry.

A couple of web sites that will help students get started on this report include:

Education Around the World
This feature of the U.S. Department of Education's web site provides summaries of educational systems in many different countries.

International Bureau of Education
UNESCO's International Bureau of Education offers databanks and publications on international education, and sponsors a variety of regional education programs around the world.

The students could also check out the more general geographical resources listed for the activities on Issues in Developing Countries.

Exemplary Activities and Reforms

The Instructor's Resource Manual suggests:
Students should select an article from Comparative Education Review (or another periodical suitable for the topic) that describes an exemplary educational innovation in a country other than the United States and write a reflective review of the article. They should describe the innovation, describe what strengths and weaknesses are reported, consider whether this innovation is applicable to the U.S., and then summarize the review for the class.

Students can visit the Comparative Education Review and other periodicals on the web:

Comparative and International Education Society
This professional organization studies education around the world and publishes the Comparative Education Review.

Current Issues in Comparative Education
This international online journal includes articles on a variety of academic issues.

Education News
This weekly online publication is a good source of information on educational systems around the world and comparisons with U.S. education.

International Education
A collection of recent articles from Education Week examining trends in education around the world.

Educational Policy Analysis Archives
Articles in this professional journal deal with educational policy at any level in any country. You can find several articles dealing with educational reforms in the U.S. and other countries.

Issues in Developing Countries

The Instructor's Resource Manual suggests these two activities:

• Choose a developing country and, orally or in writing, describe for students as many details as you can find of current conditions in that country. With the students, identify the educational status of the nation: What problems does it seem to have, what are its strengths, and what factors will facilitate or impede any efforts the nation may be making or might make to improve education?
• Assign teams of students the task of contacting primary sources of information about education in a given developing country (or set of countries). Letters or e-mail could be written to embassies in Washington, DC, ministries of education in the assigned country, or leading universities in the selected country. Face-to-face contacts could be established through the campus international students' office. Students should solicit information from their contacts to develop a profile of schooling in the assigned country.

Some good places on the web to begin research about other countries include:

Library of Congress Country Studies
The U.S. Library of Congress has created online handbooks over 100 different countries.

Education Around the World
This feature of the U.S. Department of Education's web site provides summaries of educational systems in many different countries.

International Bureau of Education
UNESCO's International Bureau of Education offers databanks and publications on international education, and sponsors a variety of regional education programs around the world.

World Area Studies
This compilation of social studies links from Western Connecticut University is arranged by geographical region.

EmbassyWeb
This site may help students get in contact with embassies or governmental officers of developing nations.

International Agencies and Information on the Web
This listing is maintained by the University of Michigan libraries.

Virtual Library on International Development
The Canadian International Development Agency offers country-by-country lists of research resources.