Mission & History

Our Mission

The MISSION of iEARN-USA is to enable young people worldwide, working in collaboration and dialogue, to make a meaningful contribution to the health and welfare of the planet and its people.
 
The VISION of iEARN-USA is that people engage in respectful dialogue and collaborative action to meet challenges of our world.

Our STRATEGY is to teach and support educators in using technologies to promote student interaction in global projects.

Our History

iEARN has been linking schools internationally since 1988.

In that year, the Copen Family Foundation, under the leadership of Peter Copen, linked 12 schools in Moscow with 12 schools in New York State in a pioneering demonstration that education can be enhanced and the quality of life on the planet improved if young people are given the opportunity to use telecommunications technologies to collaborate on projects.

Based on the successful project work completed between 1990 and 1994, and through the leadership of iEARN's first Executive Director, Ed Gragert, iEARN opened its network worldwide and built a collaborative management structure and global network that is now active in more than 40,000 schools and youth organizations in over 130 countries. Over 2,000,000 students each day are engaged in collaborative project work through iEARN.

2008 Anniversary Video celebrating iEARN's 20th year!