A Global Perspective on Education Leadership
Education policy challenges extend beyond national borders. Through Global EPLP, Senior Policy Fellows explore how other countries approach education, workforce preparation, and the policies shaping schools and communities.
The program combines background readings, conversations with policymakers and education leaders, and an international field study. Fellows have opportunities to compare policy approaches, build professional relationships, and consider what these experiences mean for education in the United States.
THE PROGRAM EXPERIENCE
A Blended Learning and Travel Experience
Prepare & Connect
Participate in pre-departure briefings, readings, and discussions that introduce the destination's policy context and key issues.
Experience & Explore
Take part in an international field experience featuring conversations, site visits, and academic, professional, and cultural activities.
Reflect & Apply
Share observations, consider implications for U.S. education policy, and continue conversations with fellow participants.
2026 FIELD EXPERIENCE
Copenhagen, Denmark & Trondheim, Norway
The 2026 Global EPLP explores how Denmark and Norway are responding to questions about student and adult well-being, digital technology, social media, and healthy lifestyles.
Through discussions and field experiences, Senior Fellows examine policy initiatives, school practices, and cultural approaches to these emerging challenges.
Applications for the 2026 program are closed.
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Connecting Education Leaders Across Borders
Global EPLP brings together school and district leaders, researchers, academics, and education policy professionals who share a commitment to strengthening education. Through shared international experiences, participants build professional connections, exchange perspectives, and develop relationships that extend beyond the field study.
LEARNING ACROSS BORDERS
Global EPLP Through the Years
Since 2011, global EPLP has brought Senior Policy Fellows to education systems and communities around the world. Each field experience offers a different perspective on the policies, practices, and cultural contexts influencing education.
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NTNU Campus, Trondheim
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Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo
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Oslo City Hall
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Churchill College and Cambridge University
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Little Ilford Secondary School
Field experience to Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Terra del Fuego, Argentina (Canceled due to COVID-19)
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS
Our Partners
Global EPLP works in collaboration with a distinguished host country university, government agency, or respected national education partner around the world to create meaningful international learning experiences. These partnerships provide Senior Policy Fellows with access to local expertise, education leaders, and firsthand perspectives on education policy and practice.
Our distinguished international academic partners are highlighted below.
Program Leadership
For questions, please contact one of the program co-coordinators.
Dan Schultz
Coordinator
Global EPLP
dws@msu.edu
Dan Schultz is Senior Policy and Program Advisor for the Office of K- 12 Outreach in the College of Education at Michigan State University. He serves as Coordinator Emeritus for the Michigan Education Policy Fellowship Program (MI EPFP), a program he co-led for more than 35 years. He has developed and led over 25 academic and policy-oriented study tours to China, India, Botswana, Bhutan, Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., Iceland, New Zealand, and Norway. His background includes executive leadership and policy roles in state government in Michigan, where he was Assistant State Superintendent and Director of Technology and Grants for the Michigan Department of Education. He holds academic degrees in economics and education administration. He is the recipient of the Michigan Reading Association’s Advocacy Award, the MSU College of Education Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the Institute for Educational Leadership’s National Leadership Award, and the International Friendship Award from Southwest University in China.
Robert J. Monson, Ph.D.
Coordinator
Global EPLP
rjm747@mac.com
Bob Monson coordinates the Advanced Education Policy Leadership Program in New York. From 2000 to 2009, he was a senior lecturer and program coordinator in education leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. From 2001 to 2022, he coordinated the Education Policy Fellowship Program in the Department of Education Policy & Social Analysis at Teachers College. In 1977, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Across seven states he has served public school children in the capacities of teacher, high school assistant principal, high school principal, assistant superintendent, and four superintendent positions in Ohio, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York. In 2010, he was a visiting fellow in education at Oxford University. From 2011-2015, he was a consultant to the University of Cambridge (UK) International Education as well as a consultant in Bhutan, China, the U.A.E., Nicaragua, and India.