The
WIIT Charitable Trust:
Creating Opportunities for International Trade Education
F. Amanda DeBusk, Miller & Chevalier Chartered
Suezy Vaughan, University of Richmond summer intern
The WIIT Charitable Trust has completed a busy and successful year. The Trust developed lesson plans designed to educate high school students on international trade concepts, and is now seeking to spread its education initiative nationwide. In addition, the Trust co-sponsored an international trade debate in connection with the 2004 presidential election. These activities highlight how the Trust carries out its mission of promoting public knowledge and understanding of international trade by being a valued source of information and by sponsoring research, educational programs, and information-sharing activities.
Education Initiative
During the summer of 2004, the Trust put its vision for educational resources into action by developing professional lesson plans for junior and senior high school teachers to use for teaching international trade. The lesson plans began with Trust members and friends who presented a series of classes at Largo High School in Maryland. The Trust recognized that the plans needed to be standardized and structured to meet national educational guidelines. To meet these objectives, the Trust hired Ann Dolan, a social studies teacher in Montgomery County, Maryland, to help put the plans into terms and formats familiar to teachers. With the help of intern Marie DeForest from the University of Richmond, the Trust worked to create and implement a set of eight lesson plans. These plans allow students to actively engage in their exploration of international trade concepts and issues. They cover such topics as negotiating a multilateral trade agreement and debating whether Congress should approve a bilateral free trade agreement. The lesson plans can be 90- or 45-minute exercises and, using role-playing, are designed to spark students' interest in international trade as a subject that affects all of our lives.
Currently the Trust is in the midst of "beta-testing" the lesson plans so they may be distributed more widely. Under the direction of Liese Wright, a former teacher and current member of the Trust, the plans will soon be available online through the Trust's website: http://www.wiittrust.org. This finished product will include a glossary of trade terms, background reading suggestions and sections that allow teachers to make the lessons more general or specific based on student need. In fact, Inside U.S. Trade editor Peter Kasperowicz has offered to draft fictitious news stories that discuss some of the issues connected to our lessons, and has several articles in draft. The final version of the plans promises to be a great resource for teachers interested in exploring international trade in the classroom. At OWIT's annual conference last November, the Trust's efforts received overwhelming support, and the possibilities for incorporating the lesson plans into other chapter areas seem to be endless.
Several teachers have already used the plans. The Trust continues to gather feedback and to fine-tune the lesson plans. The Trust's goal is to offer the plans to a larger audience in 2005, and welcomes ideas and contacts for tapping into the network of teachers and educational associations that might be interested in exploring international trade in the classroom.
International Trade Debate
During the fall, the Trust turned the public's attention to the positions of the presidential candidates on international trade. Along with Consumers for World Trade, it co-sponsored an international trade debate between representatives of the Kerry and Bush campaigns. The international trade debate was a sold-out success. Former Ambassador Clayton Yeutter, for the Republicans, and Dr. Lael Brainard, Deputy National Security Advisor under President Clinton for the Democrats, debated the positions of the two candidates on the Central America Free Trade Agreement, the World Trade Organization, and other trade policy issues. The event received widespread press coverage, including a front-page article in The Washington Post Business section.
Looking Toward the Future
Currently, the Trust is undergoing a constructive transition. In May, the Trust applied for final status as a publicly supported non-profit, educational organization. The Trust looks toward a future of continued success, and plans to accelerate development and to increase the implementation of its education tools for international trade. For more information on the Trust and its projects, please visit its website at http://www.wiittrust.org/projects.html and use the "Contact Us" feature. The Trust would like to hear from you!