International Education Week 2003 kicks off Monday with a digital videoconference conversation among students and education ministry representatives from Egypt, Mexico, South Africa and the United States, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced today.

"No Child Left Behind: International Education is for Everyone" runs through Nov. 21 and is the most ambitious commemoration to date. This year's celebration includes activities emphasizing the benefits of world studies for all children, including students with disabilities, English language learners and disadvantaged students. A complete list of press activities follows at the end of this release.

"Education can unite us," Secretary Paige said. "It is the common ground for all peoples, regardless of geography, political system, religion or ethnicity. Education can bring us together. There is so much we can learn from each other. The world can be brought into the classroom, and international education is for everyone."

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State to promote programs that prepare Americans for a world economy.

Paige will launch this year's celebration with an international classroom connection at Cardozo High School in Washington. The department is working with iEARN and the Global Nomads Group to connect students and education ministry representatives from Egypt, Mexico, South Africa and the United States in a digital videoconference conversation.

Highlights of International Education Week 2003 include:

• Monday, Nov. 17: Secretary Paige participates in the interactive classroom connection to connect students and education ministry representatives from Egypt, Mexico, South Africa, and the United States. Cardozo High School, 1300 Clifton St., N.W., Washington, D.C., at 11 a.m.
• Monday, Nov. 17: A Wellington, New Zealand, middle school class will compete against Virginia Beach, Va., students in a digital videoconference "game show" to quiz each other's knowledge of geography and history. U.S. Department of Education, Office for Postsecondary Education, 1990 K St. N.W., 8th floor conference room, Washington, D.C., at 3 p.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 18: Irish Education Minister Noel Dempsey joins Secretary Paige for a video hookup between students at the St. Joseph School in Dublin and Fairfax County students. Mantua Elementary School, 9107 Horner Court, Fairfax, Va., at 9 a.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 18: Acting Deputy Secretary Eugene Hickok will help kick off the D.C. Public Schools' celebration of International Education Week. Key Elementary School, 5001 Dana Place, N.W., Washington, D.C., at 10 a.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 18: Secretary Paige will deliver remarks during the Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education dinner. Park Hyatt Hotel, 24th at M streets, N.W., Washington, D.C., at 6:45 p.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 19: Secretary Paige will deliver opening remarks at the Autism Summit Conference, co-sponsored by the department's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and the Department of Health and Human Services. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W., Washington, D.C., at 9:15 a.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 19: "Building International Partnerships for the Disability Community" roundtable discussion at Georgetown University, co-sponsored by the department's National Institute for Disability Rehabilitation and Research and the Georgetown University Child Development Center. Acting Deputy Secretary of Education Eugene Hickok and Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Bob Pasternack will participate. Georgetown University Child Development Center, 3307 M St., N.W., Washington, D.C., at 2 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 20: Acting Deputy Secretary of Education Eugene Hickok will moderate a panel discussion on the professional development for teachers of international education. Department of Education, Barnard Auditorium, 400 Maryland Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., at 2 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 20: Deputy Under Secretary Maria Hernandez Ferrier will deliver keynote remarks at the National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Languages conference in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, 1201 Market St., Philadelphia, at 11:30 a.m.
• Friday, Nov. 21: Secretary Paige will deliver keynote remarks at the annual conference of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St., Philadelphia, at 11 a.m.
• Friday, Nov. 21: Secretary Paige will deliver remarks to the World Affairs Council meeting. Crystal Tea Room, Wanamaker Building, 100 Penn Square, Philadelphia, at noon.

For more information about International Education Week 2003, please visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/edlite-iew.html.

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