Americans in the Global Learning Process

A new international, economic, social, and political order will rest upon shared perceptions of common global problems and their best solution. These shared perceptions will be developed when Americans and others can reach beyond their own traditional cultural perspectives and overcome their initial psychological anxieties when approaching the challenges of a global society. While it is doubtful that these concerns can ever be modified to the extent necessary to build a culturally-integrated world, public policymakers and educational leaders must realize that enabling Americans to contribute to an interdependent world is not just a matter of more information, but involves a much deeper issue affecting the values, beliefs, attitudes, and lifestyle of the American people. The task to be undertaken is no less than a cultural transition and the peace of the United States and the world depends upon how successfully it can be achieved.