Monday, October 26, 2009

Eric Goldstein
One World Education
Executive Director
1678 Oak St. NW
Washington, DC 20010
Eric@oneworldeducation.org
(202) 558-8899

Ms. Bea Tijerina

Vice President of RPCV/w
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington DC
P.O Box 66101
Washington, DC 20035

Dear Ms. Tijerina and RPCV Community,

One World Education (OWEd) is a DC-based nonprofit organization with a mission to promote literacy,
global awareness, and meaningful citizenship for DC students in their schools and communities. Our
organization and Schools Program was created when I was a DC, public high school teacher and our
model was greatly influenced by the Peace Corps World Wise Schools Curriculum. Our team feels we
would be an ideal partner for the Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington DC Partnership for Peace
Program. In the past month, our impact on local education has been the focus of a CBS News and
Verizon News story.

The Need for One World Education:

One World Education is addressing the need of Literacy Enhancement and Student Engagement in DC
schools and communities. The 2006 High School Survey of Student Engagement shows that 67% of
high school students disengage from the learning process on a daily basis. Washington DC was
described in a Johns Hopkins study as a “drop-out factory.” In the District, 70% of African American
males never graduate from high school and the district-wide graduation rate is a mere 49%. Keeping
students engaged in the learning process and in school addresses a root cause of these problems. The
need for a different, relevant and engaging approach to classroom learning is clear, and this is the origin,
mission and vision of One World Education.

OWEd History:
I created One World Education in 2007 while I was teaching middle and high school at the SEED Public
Charter School. Based on the World Wise Program model of curriculum developed around the writing
of Peace Corps alumni, another teacher and I started building curriculum around the reflective writing of
students I led programs with in Zambia and Greece. The literacy skills of student authors improved
through an editing process and from increased writing as students were empowered to share their own
ideas and experiences. Levels of engagement increased because students were better able to relate to
information from people their own age. Other teachers utilizing this early model of the OWEd
curriculum saw direct results in student achievement inside and outside their classrooms.

www.oneworldeducation.org
Explore, Learn, Share, Teach…One World Education
Copyright 2009 One World Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Our Work:
The success of this early, classroom model evolved into the Schools
“The OWEd Curriculum
Program and the creation of the One World Curriculum. Our unique One
engaged my students
World Curriculum begins with DC student-written primary sources about because they were
personal experiences with culture and local and global issues.! Similar to learning from people
the World Wise Program, professional teachers align the student writing their age. I know I will
with an engaging, interdisciplinary and DC standards-based curriculum to use this again and again
return student learning outside of school back to classrooms to teach other – the class discussion
students. In our first year of full-time operations, the One World that ensued was exactly
Curriculum was independently and successfully piloted in five DC schools. why I teach.” - Julie
The positive results of this pilot evaluation have validated our program’s Caccamise, Wilson HS
expansion and we are currently working with DCPS to promote our Teacher
Schools Program throughout the District.

“One World Our other signature program is our Community Program, which connects
Education provides DC teachers with youth-serving organizations to incorporate literacy into
me a place to share student programs outside of school.! Educator-led LearnShops for students
my ideas. Learning and teachers promote literacy, global awareness, and citizenship. In addition
from other teenagers
to LearnShops, our development of writing journals allow students to write
will help alleviate
stereotypes” – 9th
about their learning experiences outside of school and to practice literacy
Grade DC Student skills while away from the classroom.

OWEd & RPCV/w:

The opportunity to participate in the 2010 Partnership for Peace Program was brought to our attention by
our Administrative Assistant, Bianca Verrilli, a RPCV (Peru ’05-’08). While OWEd has not worked
with RPCV in the past, we are excited about the opportunity to create a new partnership. As a
volunteer-powered and locally serving non-profit organization, OWEd can greatly benefit from
RPCV/w’s fundraising and outreach capacity, allowing our programs to expand to more schools and
youth programs. Our partnership will allow OWEd to promote RPCV/w program news and events to
our dedicated and involved community of DC teachers and students.

One World Education’s mission and vision are closely related to the goal of RPCV/w to “promote a
better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans”. We are dedicated to supporting the
nation’s most underserved communities and to creating an outlet through which youth in our local
communities can share their experiences with others. OWEd hopes RPCV/w will join our network of
advocates to help improve global learning and literacy in Washington DC and beyond. I look forward to
the opportunity to present One World Education to your members on November 10th.

Thank you for your commitment to local education.

Sincerely,

Eric Goldstein
Executive Director, One World Education

www.oneworldeducation.org
Explore, Learn, Share, Teach…One World Education
Copyright 2009 One World Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved