Connecting young people around the world through physical and virtual exchange is a “national imperative,” writes Ed Gragert, executive director of iEARN, in the Huffington Post. Gragert, an Alliance board member, calls for President Obama to commit to linking “every school in the U.S. with at least one other school somewhere in the world through virtual exchanges by 2016.”

Meaningful interactions between U.S. students and their peers around the globe is something Gragert believes promotes enhanced student motivation and learning and will prepare young people, both in the U.S. and abroad, to effectively work together in a connected and global society:

Imagine the possibilities for language practice online with native speakers around the world, for our students to learn with the world, instead of just about it, creating a student citizenry that is aware of and comfortable with interaction with peers worldwide. The Partnership For 21st Century Skills, a collaboration between the education community and private sector companies, has identified global awareness, ability to work in teams and a familiarity with technology as some of the skills that our young people will need to have to effectively work in a global environment.

Research now has clearly demonstrated that authentic interaction with the world's students across the curriculum results in enhanced learning, improved reading/writing test scores by our students and a heightened motivation to learn. A recent doctoral dissertation by an official of the Delaware State Department of Education found that teachers who took an online professional development course on how to use online technologies to connect with classes internationally exuded an enthusiasm for meaningful global connections that translated directly into enhanced student motivation to learn their curriculum subjects.

The President and Secretaries of Education and State need to use their positions to advocate that schools reach out to the existing private and public-sector programs to interact and learn with peers around the world.

Gragert also recently gave a talk in Washington, DC on Global Youth Service Day about the importance of exchange experiences and global connections for young people: