C M Rubin

How does Singapore view the importance of a world-class teaching profession? How has its government responded? What progress has been made to date? What are Singapore's next steps to advance the teaching profession in the 21st century?

Today we continue the conversation with someone who understands better than anyone why professional excellence is one of the most vital investments we can make in our children's future: Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers.

Here's a powerful challenge to the world of education: Improve the profession of teaching.

"Through the process of disruptive innovation along came minicomputers, then personal computers, and now tablets and smartphones. That's the force of disruptive innovation, and it is closing the achievement gap on an international level."

The first IB "through school" will open its doors to students in one of the world's leading education systems in August 2012 -- Seoul, South Korea. The school is located in Seoul's new Digital Media City, considered Korea's Silicon Valley.

"Our teachers in Finland are quite autonomous already. They are allowed to choose their methods and they are allowed to be creative."

World Water Day on March 22 is a day on which all global citizens should focus their attention on the importance of fresh water to sustainable development.

How do you train an innovator? Which schools are doing it better than others? Are teachers equipped with the new skills required to educate students in this decade? Are curricula incorporating the essential content that will help young people become more innovative?

How important is dance to life? How important is oxygen to life? In American culture today, Martha Graham's legacy serves as a constant reminder of the importance of dance in our lives.

I had the opportunity to have a more private "face to face" with the 2012 Face to Face conference participant Dr. Eija Kauppinen on the thinking behind arts education in Finland today and for the future.

In 2009, Sir David Watson received the Times Higher Education Lifetime Achievement Award. I had the opportunity to get Sir David's views on higher education and a life of learning.

"Homogeneity is a conscious choice to ensure effectiveness of the results we are trying to achieve. Please note, the schools are co-ed with a boy:girl ratio of almost 50:50. This is remarkable, given the lack of opportunities and state of girls' education in India."

All children should have the opportunity to experience, learn and perform choral music by great composers. Francisco J. Nunez, Artistic Director and Founder of The Young People's Chorus of New York City, believes this.

On January 1, 2012, educators nationwide lost an educational icon. Dr. Martin Haberman, long time researcher, educator, writer, and mentor to teachers, passed away in Milwaukee. And Dr. Haberman never wavered from his goal.

The International Baccalaureate (the IB) continues to play an important role in changing the lives of students worldwide. Apart from PISA, it is the only test that measures the performance of students against their global peers.

"You can still walk into a kindergarten class in New York City on the first day of school, and simply on the basis of race and how kids are dressed, predict with frightening accuracy which kids are likely to graduate 13 years later."

Today, with the help of Kirsten Sivesind, and Principal Bjorn Bolstad, the faculty and students of the Ringstabekk Skole in Barum, a suburb of Oslo, we can gain education insights into how a model Norwegian public school is addressing skills needed in the 21st century.