Professional Development Clients

Sample Projects

Cleveland High School Global Studies Academy

Facing the Future worked with the Global Studies Academy to develop a grade 9-12 scope and sequence for integrating global issues throughout core and supplementary classes. The project included the crafting of a Values Statement that outlined academy-wide themes, student skills, teaching strategies, and the culture of the academy. Using the values statement as a foundation, Facing the Future then facilitated integration across grades and disciplines by generating the scope and sequence with faculty and advisory council input on the themes/concepts, content/knowledge, essential questions, skills, strategies, and assessments for each subject, class, and grade.

E.E. Just Environmental Leadership Institute

Facing the Future presented a one-week institute on integrating global issues and sustainability across the curriculum at the E.E. Just Environmental Leadership Institute in New Hampshire. Participants examined the background of global and sustainability education and engaged in hands-on activities to teach about global trends such as food, water, energy, economics, health, biodiversity, social justice, and culture. The institute covered pedagogical principles and best teaching practices, multimedia presentation and technology resources, guided exploration of the local environment, and connections to service learning. While learning about successful models, participants had a chance to develop and share their own strategies to bring global sustainability into their classrooms or across their schools in new ways.

“I especially enjoyed the opportunity to try out so many activities from the student perspective. This is so much more effective than just reading/hearing about them. Thank you! This workshop was very useful and inspiring.”

- Sustainability Institute Participant

Humble School District

After attending a Facing the Future service learning workshop at an education conference, an administrator from the Humble School District in Texas invited Facing the Future staff to present a series of workshops at her district. During a full-day inservice, board members, science teachers, and social studies teachers learned about service learning and engaged in hands-on activities to integrate global issues and action into their schools and classrooms. 

In order to accommodate the participants’ range of knowledge about service learning (from beginners to experts), the agenda included background on service learning, examples of how other teachers and schools have connected community service to the curriculum, and an overview of global issues as a relevant context for service and action. Those who were already heavily involved in service learning had an opportunity to share their experiences and to build on their own models. One of the teachers used the workshop as a jumping-off point to develop the district’s framework for senior culminating projects, using global issues as a context for the projects.

Woodland Park Zoo

Facing the Future cofacilitated an all-day workshop with Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo for teachers from schools around King County. Participants explored issues of Ecological Footprint, biodiversity, and wildlife conservation within a larger context of global interconnections including population, poverty, consumption, the environment, and peace and conflict. Investigations of endangered species at the zoo highlighted specific impacts of these issues on animal populations in different areas of the world, such as gorillas in central Africa, snow leopards in Central Asia, jaguars in Central and South America, and Humboldt penguins of South America. 

“Thank you very much for a very informative, educational and productive day at the workshop. I really enjoyed your presentation. Your examples and activities are perfect for all age groups.”

- Woodland Park Zoo Workshop Participant

Clients

Here is a partial list of schools, districts, state departments of education, university programs, and other organizations Facing the Future has worked with.

Teacher Inservice Workshops

• Archdiocese of Seattle, Catholic Schools Department, WA 
• Cairo American College, Egypt 
• Clark University, Teachers Center for Global Studies, MA
• Cleveland High School, Global Studies Academy, WA 
• Cleveland High School, HEAL Academy, WA 
• Corvallis Middle School, CA
• Developing Virtue High School, CA
• Eagle Harbor High School, WA 
• E.E. Just Environmental Leadership Institute, Kimball Union Academy, NH 
• Einstein Middle School, WA
• Enumclaw High School, WA
• Episcopal School of Dallas, TX 
• Eugene Public School District, OR 
• Evergreen High School, Arts and Academics Academy, WA
• Explorer West Middle School, WA 
• Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, WA 
• Greece School District, Rochester, NY
• Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services, OH
• Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
• Heritage Institute, WA
• Humble School District, TX
• Lake Washington School District, WA 
• Lakeside School, WA
• Langley Middle School, WA
• Lincoln High School, Global Pacific Studies Academy, WA
• New Horizon School, CA 
• Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, WA
• Oregon Episcopal School, OR
• Polytechnic School, CA 
• Sehome High School, WA
• St. Mary's County School District, MD
• St. Thomas School, WA
• Tacoma School District, WA
• Technology Access Foundation, Federal Way, WA
• Tyee High School Global Connections Academy, WA 
• University of Washington, Summer Institute for Life Sciences, WA
• University Prep, WA 
• Washington Middle School, WA
• Woodland Park Zoo, WA

Preservice Teacher Workshops

• Antioch University, WA
• Baylor University, TX
• California State University at Fresno, CA 
• Heritage University, WA
• Illinois State University, IL 
• Islandwood, WA
• Muckleshoot Tribal College, WA
• Seattle University, WA 
• University of Alabama, AL
• University of Washington, WA 
• Woodring College of Education, Western Washington University, WA

State Departments of Education

• New Jersey Department of Education
• Tennessee Department of Education
• Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction

Community Organization Workshops

• Alternatives to Growth, OR
• Audubon Society, WA
• BioQuest Academy, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, WA
• EarthCorps, WA
• The Mountaineers, WA 
• Olympic Park Institute, WA
• OneWorld NOW!, WA 
• PeaceJam Northwest, OR
• Point Defiance Zoo, Olympia, WA
• Population Connection, WA 
• Society for Ecological Restoration, WA
• VISTA Service Learning Coordinator Training, WA
• Washington State Model United Nations
• Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle
• YMCA, WA
• YMCA Earth Service Corps, WA