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Did you get a chance to watch the first Presidential debate on foreign policy Friday night? If you didn’t, get up to speed with these recommended resources:

1. Quotes on key foreign policy issues, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia/Georgia, and energy independence (BBC News)
2. Watch the debate in full (BBC News)
3. Written transcript of the debate (LA Times Blog)

What did you think of the focus on foreign policy relative to other issues, like domestic economic policy (Of course, as new developments in the European and Asian stock markets following last week’s bailout of leading U.S. financial and insurance institutions reveal, U.S. economic dynamics have great influence on the global economy and can hardly be approached from a purely “domestic” perspective.)? Is there any specific topic or world region you wished the candidates had addressed that they did not?          

I, for one, was most excited to see one particular domestic issue make a brief, but memorable, cameo in the discussion: education. Barak Obama’s closing remarks included the following statement:

“And part of what we need to do, what the next president has to do -- and this is part of our judgment, this is part of how we're going to keep America safe -- is to -- to send a message to the world that we are going to invest in issues like education, we are going to invest in issues that -- that relate to how ordinary people are able to live out their dreams.”

I’d like to personally thank all the teachers and others out there—like YOU!-- who are working to “help ordinary people live out their dreams” through education.

And I’d like to make my closing statement in the form of some previews of related events coming later in the week:

1) Tomorrow, we’ll feature a guest blog post from PTA National President Jan Harp Domene, who cites the current election season as a time to highlight the urgency for expanding geographic education.

2) Wednesday, we bring you the latest education report from the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills. Spoiler alert:  Geography is listed as one of the “new skills seen as essential for global competition.”

3) This Sunday October 5 is World Teachers' Day. Kids and parents: Start planning now how you’ll honor your favorite teachers!

Sarah Jane for My Wonderful World

Image courtesy Top News.

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