cover image Raising Global IQ: 
Preparing Our Students for a Shrinking Planet

Raising Global IQ: Preparing Our Students for a Shrinking Planet

Carl F. Hobert. Beacon, $26.95 (224p) ISBN 978-0-8070-3288-6

In this well-meaning but disjointed plan for curricular reform, Hobert, an instructor at the Boston University School of Education and founder of a conflict resolution nonprofit, argues for increased global education through five “curriculum upgrades,” including foreign language instruction, technology and media literacy, foreign travel, conflict resolution skills, and experiential education focused on service. The first part of the book focuses on language instruction, “technology and media literacy,” and boosting foreign travel and culturally based extracurriculars as necessary tools for combating post-9/11 fear and isolationism. The book shifts gears dramatically in Part II, turning attention to tools for teaching “preventative diplomacy” and opportunities for service learning. The ideas, though worthwhile, don’t build on each other as presented, and are therefore less convincing as part of a united plan. Likewise, Hobert relies heavily on laudatory personal anecdotes, all of which could have been condensed to make this the more useful “evaluation and strategic planning tool” that he claims he’s presenting. What readers and school leaders may find helpful is Hobert’s brief bulleted list of ideas for action at the end of each chapter explaining “What We Can Do Now,” and his urging schools to have a “Director of Global Programs” so these important ideas have a constant advocate in the battle for instruction time. Agent: Joanne Wyckoff, Carol Mann Agency. (Feb.)