For Private School Administrators

In light of the need to educate effective global citizens, independent schools around the world are leading the way in integrating global issues, sustainability, critical thinking, and a global perspective across their curricula. To support these efforts, Facing the Future works closely with teachers and administrators at private schools throughout the United States and in other countries.

Facing the Future resources support the larger network goals of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to promote global education and sustainable schools.

Our Work with Independent Schools

Facing the Future supports independent schools in the following ways:

Providing global issues and sustainability curriculum

• Facing the Future curriculum includes student textbooks, teacher lesson plans, and thematic units on sustainability and climate change.
  
  
• Email us if you are interested in adopting Facing the Future curriculum for your department or school, or call us at 206-264-1503.
  
  
• Read more about curriculum adoption.

 Presenting inservice workshops and consulting at schools

• Facing the Future has conducted customized inservice workshops on integrating global issues, sustainability, and service learning for a number of independent schools. View a partial list of both public and private schools where we have presented in recent years.
  
  
• Find out more about our professional development workshops, and view sample workshop topics and descriptions. Read what educators say about Facing the Future workshops.
  
  
• Email or call us at 206-264-1503 if you would like to schedule an inservice workshop in your department or school. References are available upon request.

Working with Classroom Partners and Peer Educators at independent schools

• View a list of Facing the Future Classroom Partners and Peer Educators.

Offering resources on service learning and action projects

• Facing the Future provides resources to assist educators in implementing service learning, culminating projects, and project-based learning. Our service learning section provides the latest research on service learning, examples of projects from schools, and service learning resources.

How We Have Worked with Private Schools

Polytechnic School
Facing the Future gave a keynote presentation to K-12 faculty and staff at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, CA to kick-start their schoolwide global initiative. Facing the Future's student textbook Global Issues and Sustainable Solutions is being used as a core text for "Your World," a class that all 7th grade students take. 8th grade students won an award for their participation in the NAIS Challenge 20/20, for which they used Facing the Future resources and partnered with Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School in Canada.

Explorer West Middle School
Explorer West Middle School in Seattle, WA, with which Facing the Future has worked closely to integrate sustainability across the school's curriculum, was recognized as a NAIS 2006 Leading Edge honoree in Environmental Sustainability. Facing the Future's student textbook, It's All Connected, is the core teaching resource for a year-long global issues course for 8th grade students, and the entire faculty has used hands-on lessons from Engaging Students through Global Issues in their advisory groups after an inservice presented by Facing the Future staff.

Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart
As a member of the Global Advisory Committee at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue, WA, Facing the Future assists the school in its ongoing development of a globally infused program. Facing the Future staff has provided several inservices for the middle and high school faculty to help integrate global education into every subject and grade level.

New Horizon School
Facing the Future has worked with New Horizon School, an Islamic school in Pasadena, CA, to focus the school's curriculum on the theme of “Building a Better Future,” specifically by incorporating sustainability and service learning.

For further reading...

Links to the National Association for Independent Schools' (NAIS) initiatives on:

Global Education (including Challenge 20/20)
Sustainable Schools for the 21st Century