1 Leading for Global Competency Fernando M. Reimers September 1, 2009, Vol. 67 No. 1 • Abstract • Making the Case • So Why Don't Schools Promote Global Competency? • Lack of Resources • An Obsolete Mind-Set • The Reality in School • Since Wars Begin in the Minds of Men • Educating for Peace • Needed: A New Mind-Set • From the Bottom Up • First Steps for Leaders • Listening to Those in the Know Now more than ever, education should prepare students for global civility and peace. So what in the world are we waiting for? Good teachers and principals, in the United States and elsewhere, know that good education begins with clarity of purpose. The purpose of schooling is to prepare students for life in the real world in their communities and societies, both in the present —while students are in school—and in the future—after they leave school behind. Good educators know that the real world is ever more interconnected and interdependent. We all share in facing such planetary challenges as climate change, health epidemics, global poverty, global economic recessions and trade imbalances, assaults on human rights, terrorism, political instability, and international conflicts. We also share opportunities for global collaboration in such areas as scientific and artistic creation, trade, and international cooperation. These challenges and opportunities define the contours of our lives, even in their most local dimensions. Yet in spite of growing awareness of the importance of developing global skills, few students around the world have the opportunity today to become globally competent. I define global competency as the knowledge and skills people need to understand today's flat world and to integrate across disciplines so that they can comprehend global events and create possibilities to address