International Education Policy

Students

Dear Prospective Students:

Thank you for your interest in the International Education Policy Program. Over the last few months a number of you have visited Harvard to meet faculty, visit classes and learn directly from our students about the program. I realize, however, that for a number of you a visit to campus has not been possible. In this letter I am sending information which I hope will help you gain a richer understanding of our program.

The first is a short video describing the program and containing samples of instruction from the faculty who teach students in the International Education Policy Program. You can access this video in three formats (see more information at the end of this letter about viewing real media streaming video):

Broadband connection

Dial-up/modem connection
 
Audio-only

The second is a recording of an online open house we held recently with a number of prospective applicants to the program. You can access this recording in three formats:

High bandwidth

Low bandwidth
 
Audio

I would also like to remind you that the deadline to submit applications to the International Education Policy Masters Program is January 16, 2009.

We hope you find this information helpful as you prepare your application. Please do not hesitate to be in touch if we can help you. We look forward to welcoming you into the community of global education leaders.

Sincerely,

Fernando Reimers

We also suggest you include information about viewing real media streaming video. We use the following text with hyperlinks that you could use:

Streaming video is a sequence of "moving images" that is sent in compressed form over the Internet as a continuous stream and that plays as it arrives (rather than requiring that the user downloads a large file before playing). The user needs a "player" to uncompress and view the streaming video. At GSE, streaming video is played via Real Player. Follow these steps for best success when viewing streaming video.

Getting Started

• Does your computer meet the minimum system requirements outlined below?
• Are your speakers turned on or your headset plugged in?
• Do you have RealPlayer installed? View RealVideo test clips. If you can not view the clips, you need to download free RealPlayer.

Minimum System Requirements

• Sound card and speakers or headset
• Hard-wired, high-speed internet access (not wireless)
• RealPlayer 9 or above (download free RealPlayer)
• JavaScript and ActiveX plug-ins
• Windows XP PCs up to and including Vista OS: Internet Explorer (6, 7) and FireFox (2, 3) Mac OS X: FireFox and Safari (on Intel Macs, Rosetta mode is recommended)

Please Note

Skype extension in Firefox conflicts with viewing streaming video. The extension needs to be disabled or uninstalled.

After you have downloaded RealPlayer for the first time, especially on a Mac OS X computer, don’t forget to complete the installation: that is, double-click the RealPlayer icon and run through the set-up wizard, which will configure and install the player appropriately on your computer. You must complete set-up wizard to play Real Media files.

Life at Harvard

In addition to the formal curriculum, students at HGSE have a rich panoply of extracurricular opportunities for academic and professional development, social life, and community service. Students regularly have individual and small group conversations with national leaders in education who come to Harvard to speak in classes, to attend Harvard's executive education programs, or to consult with Harvard faculty. Informal career exploration conversations with senior administrators are scheduled throughout the year.

HGSE students can also take advantage of the extraordinarily rich offerings found throughout the Harvard University campus and the greater Boston area. For a sample of Harvard programs, see:

• the Harvard University Events Calendar
• the Harvard College Events Calendar
• KSG Today
• the Askwith Forum

Links to Harvard Square and Cambridge:

• Harvard Square
• Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Map of Harvard
• Harvard Virtual Tour

Resources

This section provides a comprehensive list of online resources relating to international education and international educational policy. Each category includes several sub-categories with an alphabetical listing of educational resources available on the Web.

Although we frequently check to ensure that the links to external websites are accurate and complete, it is possible that information and addresses may change prior to updating. In this case, we welcome your suggestions on how to improve our site and correct any errors.

Harvard Resources

Geographic Units

Types of Organizations
(include Governmental, Inter-governmental, and Non-governmental/non-profit)

Types of Resources
(includes Data Archives, Databases, Statistics, Documents, Directories, Journals, and Working Papers)

Thematic Areas
(includes Adult Literacy, Comparative Education, Distance Education, Education Policy, Gender and Education, Multiculturalism, and Tertiary/Higher Education)

Other International Education Fields
(includes Economics, Environment, Demography, Gender, Law, Public Health, and Sustainable Development)

Resources for Students
(includes Learning Resources, International Programs/Centers in Other Universities, American Professional Associations, Study/Work Abroad Programs, Funding Resources, and Search Engines)

Also see:

• the UNICEF Video 'State of the World's Children' (1999)

• the Virtual Seminar website

• The Virtual International Educators' website (VIEWS) offers an annotated catalogue of international education links. It is particularly strong in Latin American organizations.