State Superintendent Signs Agreement With French Academy

OLYMPIA, April 27, 1010 — An agreement signed today will help students from France and Washington learn about the language, history and culture of each of their countries.

The memorandum of understanding, between the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Académie de Nantes in France, establishes a formal agreement between the organizations. Under the agreement, each will agree to consider partnerships, such as the sister school program, that could benefit students at every grade level.

“I am pleased with this agreement,” State Superintendent Randy Dorn said. “It’s important for Washington students to be able to directly interact with a variety of cultures and languages in order to become respectful and responsible global citizens of this world.”

In signing the memorandum, both entities acknowledge the crucial role that each of their respective languages have played historically and will play in the future. They also understand that a successful global education needs intercultural components.

The goal of the collaboration is to provide educational opportunities that will:

• support the teaching, learning, and understanding of the respective languages, cultures and their contributions to history and contemporary issues;
• promote a better knowledge, understanding and appreciation of our respective educational systems;
• provide students, teachers and other educators and administrators with educational opportunities and resources, both linguistic and cultural, that prepare them for future personal, academic and professional success; and
• incorporate international dimensions and comparative approaches in teaching, learning, training and research, and the evaluation of these areas.

The Académie and OSPI will issue an annual report detailing the progress made on the collaboration. The initial memorandum of understanding sets the agreement at two years, with a chance for renewal if both parties agree.

The Académie de Nantes is composed of about 3,600 schools, ranging from kindergarten through college, serving more than 665,000 students. The Académie serves Nantes, a city of more than 800,000 people that is located about 200 miles southwest of Paris.

About OSPI

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is the primary agency charged with overseeing K-12 education in Washington state. Led by State School Superintendent Randy Dorn, OSPI works with the state’s 295 school districts and nine Educational Service Districts to administer basic education programs and implement education reform on behalf of more than one million public school students.

OSPI does not discriminate and provides equal access to its programs and services for all persons without regard to race, color, gender, religion, creed, marital status, national origin, sexual preference/orientation, age, veteran’s status or the presence of any physical, sensory or mental disability.

CONTACT:
Nathan Olson
OSPI Communications Manager
(360) 725-6015

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