as some of the district leaders have already envisioned, I believe that the GSI could be
brought up to scale and embraced district-wise. I believe that this would be possible since Olympus
already has in place most of the ingredients that can be identified in the literature as essential for
the successful integration of global education: a supportive community, technology resources,
motivated students, and a district culture and leaders that support and value teaching about the
world and are future-oriented (Asia Society, 2008; Gaudelli, 2003; Kist, 2013; Stewart, 2012;
Wishnietsky, 2001). The integration of global education is, indeed, a challenging undertaking for
schools that tend to find themselves with little support or guidance and responding to quite a few
demands, restrictions, and pressures coming from the state and federal government. In these
circumstances, it is easy for schools and districts to become overwhelmed, to forget their original
mission and to surrender to a survival mode that rests on the “good enough,” instead of striving to
achieve the “great.” State and federal government support is crucial for initiatives such as the GSI
to be successful and to become sustainable. This is why it is to the state and federal government
that I turn direct my attention next.