Over the years, Cisco has learned many valuable lessons from the Cisco Networking Academy, the Jordan Education Initiative , the 21st Century Schools initiative, and the other educational initiatives that we have led or with which we have been involved. We have concluded that meeting the challenges that face education today will require nothing less than a holistic system transformation based on a new paradigm for teaching and learning. Building collaborative public-private partnerships will become critical as education systems evolve over the next century.

As a multinational company with a global workforce, Cisco has a vested interest in skilled, well-educated students coming through schools and universities in the decade ahead. By drawing ideas from a set of experts around the world, we have discovered a widespread desire for fresh and innovative thinking about education.

In the developing world, the priority is providing access and building basic capacity. Within emerging economies, the key issue is raising education quality. And in the developed world, the critical challenge continues to be how to decrease the variability in performance. Although our approach to education is global, we understand and respect the fact that educational change requires solutions tailored to local circumstances.

Global Journey, Local Destinations

Cisco believes that 21st century learning is a global journey with local destinations in villages, towns, and cities around the world. Reaching all those destinations will require the cooperation of local officials and institutions, sensitivity to diverse cultures, and attention to the needs of individual learners. After consulting with educators and other stakeholders worldwide, we have concluded that:

• 21st century instruction that emphasizes learner-centric teaching, interactivity, collaboration, and hands-on activities will lead to greater student participation and better outcomes.
• Technology can make a major contribution in the classroom, but it must be applied thoughtfully to ensure a balanced approach and adequate return on investment.
• Teaching the teachers to use the new pedagogy is critical to instructional success, but these skills must be supplemented by effective teaching materials, peer support, and educational leadership.
• Lasting reform will require a broad coalition of stakeholders in both the public and private sectors.

To turn these conclusions into actions, we have established the Cisco Global Education team, which works with teams across the company to build on our successes and experience to offer an expanded perspective on education. The Cisco Global Education team has initiated a number of engagements aimed at helping education system leaders address the profound challenges that face them as the 21st century unfolds.

For more on global education transformation:
White Paper: Equipping Every Learner for the 21st Century
Video: 21st Century Education: Driving Educational Change
Video: Global Education Transformation: Cisco’s Investment in Global Education