Global Education Policy Leadership Program (EPLP)

Partners

Typically, the MSU Global EPLP works in collaboration with a distinguished host country university, government agency, or respected national education partner to plan and organize a series of orientation briefings designed to provide policy context and help prepare the Senior Fellows in advance of their international travel. In addition, our host country partners also assist us in arranging focused in-country briefings during the field study with expert academic, policy and community leaders, and strategic school and university site visits.  

Our distinguished international academic partners are highlighted below.

Recruitment

Each year applicants are recruited from across the United States. Candidates include academics, researchers, school and policy leaders. Since 2011 over 2/3 of program participants have been female. See map for the states where past Senior Fellows were based.

Application

Applications for the 2026 Global EPLP have now reached capacity and have been closed.

Each GEPLP Senior Fellow or the Fellow’s employing agency (the sponsor) is responsible for the participation fee of $5,200 (double occupancy lodging) or $6,395 (single room lodging). This fee includes program costs, hotel accommodations, land transportation with guides, tips and gratuities, daily breakfast, several lunches, admission to all sites included in the itinerary, and airport transfers. Round-trip international airfare, as well as any in-country airfare, is the responsibility of the individual participant.

Copenhagen, Denmark and Trondheim, Norway 2026 Field Study

In this period of shifting international priorities, realignment of strategic partners, and growing concern over the impact on children and youth of social media and artificial intelligence (AI), the 2026 MSU Global EPLP will examine innovative policy initiatives, school practices, and cultural traditions in Denmark and Norway designed to promote student and adult well-being and healthy lifestyles. In Denmark, Norway, and numerous other countries, government leaders, parents, and educators are grappling with growing concerns about social media’s influence on mental health, brain development, and the need to protect children from potential abuse. The worldwide trend of childhood obesity and related health concerns can be linked to the growth of “screen time” and the preference of today’s youth to conduct much of their social activity online.  Growing up in the digital world combined with a lack of physical activity can influence lifestyle choices at an early age. Policy initiatives to restrict screen time, promote age-appropriate experiences for teens, limit social media for younger age groups, increase outdoor activities, and adopt healthier lifestyle practices are potential solutions that will be explored as part of the program. To learn more about the 2026 Global EPLP in Denmark and Norway, see the Program Description.

Program Leaders

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.

For questions, please contact one of the program co-coordinators.