The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Friedman

Review to appear in the next issue of Connections by Cyndi Dunlap

In my job that I get paid for (many of you think my job is NHSTE and the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference, but these are only my volunteer jobs) I was very lucky to be involved in the National Education Summit held in Brewster on Cape Cod from October 6th through the 8th. Here leadership from 28 states across the nation, including New Hampshire, convened to discuss and strategize for two days the greatest challenges facing educators across the United States.

Teams of eight to twelve leaders consisting of representation from the respective DOEs, legislative branches, and select school districts were invited to participate in this summit hosted by CELT Corp, CCSSO (the Council of Chief State School Officers) and ECS (Education Commission of the States). Presenters for the plenary sessions included Alan November, Dr. David Thornburg, Dr. Terry Crane, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Dr. Richard Fairley and others.

Each of these distinguished speakers highlighted the positive changes that are happening across the nation’s schools with respect to improving student achievement, but each also addressed areas where we are not making gains, falling behind, and perhaps more importantly, just plain ignoring! Many of the issues that are being ignored are the focus of “The World is Flat”. The author takes you on his journeys to India, China, Japan, Korea, and beyond. What he describes is both enlightening and frightening! From the jacket cover, “ With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, Friedman explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, communities, and individuals; and how governments and societies can, and must, adapt.” We, as educators, must be a critical component of this adaptation process.

If you have not yet purchased this book you will. How do I know this, because it was by far the hottest topic with the broadest implications at the National Education Summit. If you thought you understood what “outsourcing” is and how it is impacting our economy, our nation, and our schools, read just the first hundred pages and you will have second thoughts. I purchased the hard cover version at Barnes and Nobles on Monday (just under $20) knowing that I was traveling on Tuesday and needed “airport” reading. I made it though to page 106 due to flight delays and am struggling not to curl up on a chair and just keep on going on this gloomy Wednesday! But instead I am sitting here at the keyboard writing articles that are due on Friday. As usual, I have my assignments for Connections articles and this is one that was not assigned, but needed to be written!

The paper back version is due out in March of 2006, and I propose that every New Hampshire legislator, staff member at the NHDOE, superintendent, principal, teacher, and all other educational leaders accept this reading assignment as their own for the summer of 2006, IF NOT SOONER!