Loveland, Ohio – Abra Koch, a Spanish teacher at Loveland High School, is one of 44 public school educators from across the nation who have been selected for the NEA Foundation 2020 Global Learning Fellowship. As part of the program, Koch will spend a year in a peer-learning network of fellows who share a passion for global education and a commitment to preparing students with 21st-century skills.
“It is an honor to participate in the NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship,” said Koch. “I am 
excited to continue to focus on developing global competency in our students and to serve as an advocate for global education. Our students will be asked to face increasingly complex global challenges in their lifetimes, and the solution to those challenges will depend upon our students’ abilities to consider diverse perspectives, make connections and understand the global consequences of their actions and decisions. By providing opportunities for our students to communicate and connect with communities in other parts of the world, we can help them to become truly global citizens.”
“This work will support the implementation of the Loveland Schools’ vision of a Portrait of a Tiger – an essential component of that is to integrate global competency skills into instruction that will allow students to become curious explorers and global innovators,” according to a release by the District.
Koch, who has traveled extensively around the world, was part of an expedition to the Galápagos Islands in 2018 after being chosen for the highly selective Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship by the National Geographic Society. She was recently invited to attend the National Geographic Education Summit in Washington D.C., featuring three days of innovative strategy sessions designed to inspire students to explore and educators to take a global path in their work.
The NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship is a 12-month professional development program that includes online coursework, webinars, collegial study, and workshops. It will conclude with a nine-day international field study experience next summer.
“The professional development will take place throughout the year and will culminate in a trip to Peru next July when we will have the opportunity to interact and work with local educators, students, administration and policy-makers,” said Koch. “The learning will continue after we return home through the extensive fellow alumni network.”
About the NEA Foundation
The NEA Foundation is a public charity founded by educators for educators to improve public education for all students. Through the unique strengths of its partnerships with educators, the NEA Foundation advances student achievement by investing in public education that will prepare each of America’s children to learn and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
