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About Reach the World
The skill set required to prepare tomorrow's citizens for the global age must go beyond the "the basics" and even beyond the growing emphasis on math and reading. At Reach the World, we believe that high achievement and investment in education are driven by an interdisciplinary, technology-rich curriculum - which most disadvantaged public school students are not getting. In fact, in about half of low-performing public schools, students are not getting anything more than reading and writing.
Through our interactive website, Reach the World enriches the school day by connecting classrooms to travelers on actual journeys across the globe. RTW identifies volunteer travelers, manages web-based educational content posted by these travelers, and delivers customized curriculum and teacher training via graduate student interns, drawn from local teaching colleges such as Teachers College, Columbia University. In 2006, the National Geographic Education Foundation named RTW a Model Program in Geography Education, one of only six in the nation.
Reach the World has already affected more than 8,000 students and 300 teachers in three locations: New York, Chicago and Odessa, TX. Since 2004, we have expanded our program five-fold; our goal is to replicate in school systems nationwide. RTW measures its impact on both teachers and students. Through participation in our programs, ninety-seven percent of RTW students correspond with someone from another country, compared to eleven percent nationwide - a key factor in advancing geography proficiency. All RTW teachers deliver weekly instruction in foreign countries and cultures, compared to twenty-three percent nationwide.
Reach the World's first online journey was the 1997-1999 world Voyage of Makulu, a 43-foot sailboat. The third world Voyage of Makulu concluded in June 2007. RTW's website now also features the world Voyage of Aldebaran, another 43-foot sailboat. Through these journeys, volunteer travelers, teachers, and students develop online resources that supplement the curriculum and make learning come alive.
Have you traveled? Has anyone shared their travel stories with you? Has this affected your worldview? If you can answer "Yes" to any of these questions, then you understand the mission of Reach the World. RTW is capitalizing upon an existing energy in our society - travelers - and turning it into an educational resource for all children and teachers. Through Reach the World, the age-old tradition of traveling and sharing stories makes the leap into the digital age - and for once, disadvantaged students are along for the ride.