Academy for Educational Development

Washington, D.C., January 11, 2006 — The Global Learning Portal today announced a new partnership with Education International, the world’s largest federation of teacher unions with 29 million members worldwide. The Global Learning Portal is powerful online network and set of collaborative tools for teachers, administrators, and education policymakers around the world.

The goal of the Global Learning Portal is to connect to educators in underserved and resource-poor countries and regions and give them access to online discussions, professional development, and a library full of materials on teaching, learning, and research from multiple countries and in multiple languages. It is currently located at the Academy for Educational Development, one of its founding members.

“Through our partnership with Education International, the resources of the Global Learning Portal will reach millions more educators around the world each day,” said Stephen F. Moseley, President of AED. “It will particularly help developing countries meet the challenges set forth by the United Nations in the Framework for Action for Education for All.”

“Because it provides educators with the very information and resources they need to improve their instruction, we believe the Portal will complement the work of our existing educational institutions and network of affiliates,” said. Fred Van Leeuwen, General Secretary of Education International. “It will prove very beneficial to our members.”

The Global Learning Portal is committed to ensuring “education of quality” for all children, supported by strong educational institutions and competent teachers with adequate training and resources. It provides material in five major languages and 15 other languages.

Education International has 345 affiliates around the world and will participate in the advisory and management structures of the Global Learning Portal. In addition, specific collaborations and projects will cover three main objectives:

• To provide educators world-wide access to professional development and life-long learning opportunities;
  
• To provide the capability for teachers and other educators to network in several ways, including discussion forums, collaboration on specific themes or tasks, and exchanges of materials, lesson plans, and information; and
  
• To ensure the Global Learning Portal reaches the widest possible audience, through expanded partnerships that are both sustainable and have a strong, positive impact on teachers.
  

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