Needham High School
Global
Competence
Program
©Needham Public Schools
A collaborative initiative of the
Needham Education Foundation and
Needham High School
History and Links
•East Asian Study Committee
•District goal - Promote Active Citizenship
•School sponsored exchanges and trips
Why Global Competence?
Students will participate in an increasingly
interdependent world requiring:
• Understanding of people, places and
environments from many perspectives
• Skills in communicating, interacting and
building relationships with people of
another culture
2006 NHS Global Competence
Study Committee Conclusions
A. Think globally
B. Communicate effectively
C. Contribute responsibly
Think Globally
•Be a geographically informed person
•Understand the interdependence of the
world
•Participate in international experiences
•Think about issues from a global
perspective
•Evaluate information critically from
various sources
Communicate Effectively
•Converse proficiently in a foreign language
•Communicate through a variety of media
Contribute Responsibly
• Build relationships with people from
other cultures with respect and flexibility
• Seek knowledge to shape one’s own
values
• Analyze one’s own motivation in relation
to others, reflect and adjust
• Help others embrace multiple
perspectives
By learning more about their
world, students learn more about
themselves.
• Personal growth
• Overcoming uneasiness
• Facing challenges
• Opportunity to use skills
Introducing the Needham High School
Global Competence Program (GCP)!
• Achievable by all
• Encompassing
what students
are already doing
• Student-directed
The GCP Requirements
• Foreign travel
• Foreign language
proficiency
• Global service
• Global Focus
Project
• GCP Résumé
• Reflective essay
Students who successfully complete the
above will be awarded a Certificate of Global
Competence, and graduate with distinction.
GCP International Travel
Requirement
• Challenging student to step outside comfort
zone and connect directly to the
culture/people
• Student financial
commitment
encouraged
• Student involvement
in planning
encouraged
Foreign Language Proficiency
• World language
through Level 4
• Passing grade of
C or above each
year
Global Service
• 1 Community Classroom credit (30 hours)
• Exposes student
to another world
culture
• Ideally enables
student to employ
foreign language
skills
Global Focus Project

Select an aspect of a
foreign country or region’s
culture, political system,
history, geography or
economy to explore

Study this interest area by
engaging in 3 extracurricular activities (books,
movies, cultural events,
foreign cooking, lectures
etc.)
• Write a 2-3 page essay on
the topic, synthesizing
what was learned through
the extra-curricular
activities
GCP Résumé
A summary of
the student’s
GCP related
activities
GCP Reflective Essay
•250-500 words
•Reflecting upon student’s
travel and/or global service
experience(s)
GCP Website
•Link to the GCP website from the NHS
homepage: www.nhs.needham.k12.ma.us
•All necessary forms, information sheets
and approved travel program and global
service lists can be downloaded from the
site.