CFR Education Launches Teacher Ambassador Program to Promote Global Civics Education

As part of its education initiative, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has launched an annual CFR Education Ambassador program to support teachers and promote global literacy in the classroom.

Through facilitated dialogue and events, education ambassadors share best practices and challenges associated with promoting understanding of global issues, while receiving support in deploying CFR’s award-winning educational products: World101, Model Diplomacy, and Convene the Council.

“Teachers are on the frontlines protecting America’s democracy. Their commitment to helping students identify misinformation and build the capacity for argument, persuasion, compromise, and tolerance of disagreement is essential to our national security and prosperity,” says CFR Vice President of Education Caroline Netchvolodoff.

Now in its second year, the CFR Education Ambassador program is a ten-month engagement that connects high school social studies teachers across the United States with educational resources, professional development activities, and a network of like-minded educators who are committed to equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and perspective to navigate today’s connected world.

Past education ambassadors have relied on the network of global civics educators and CFR materials for inspiration for their own lesson plans. In turn, their experiences using CFR’s products in the classroom help to shape the teaching resources and lesson plans of other educators across the country.

“I like the Education Ambassador program because it keeps me connected and motivated to build a strong coalition of like-minded professionals to effect systematic civic engagement through education,” says Rhonda Coombs, a high school teacher at Bozeman High School.

“This is my second year as a CFR education ambassador and I have found it to be most valuable to my teaching. I use CFR President Richard Haass’s The World: A Brief Introduction as my textbook in the fall semester for my class, Contemporary Global Issues, and run role-plays through Model Diplomacy during both semesters of the course,” says Robert Barnidge, a high school teacher at Chaminade College Preparatory School.

This year, CFR Education has accepted nearly one hundred high school educators into the Education Ambassador program. For more information and to apply, visit the Education Ambassador program website.