Guam

by Paul Bacsich

For entities in Guam see Category:Guam

Partners situated in Guam

None.

Guam in a nutshell

Guam (Chamorro: Guåhån) is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States.

The population is around 178,000.

The island's capital is Hagåtña (formerly Agana) but the largest settlement is Dededo. The Chamorros, Guam's indigenous people, first populated the island approximately 4,000 years ago. The island has a long history of European colonialism beginning in 1521 with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan and again in 1668, when the first Spanish colony was established following the arrival of settlers. The island was controlled by Spain until 1898, when it was surrendered to the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris following Spanish-American War.

Guam had a troubled history during the second World War when it was occupied for over two years.

Today, Guam's economy is supported by its principal industry, tourism, which is primarily composed of visitors from Japan. Guam’s second-largest source of income is the United States military.

Geographically, Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands.

Politically, Guam is one of the five major overseas territories of the United States: Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; and American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific. Those born in the territories (except for American Samoa) possess US citizenship. Guam is one of five such territories with an established civilian government.

Guam is also one of the eight states/territories comprising Micronesia.

Guam education policy

Guam's educational system has always faced unique challenges as a small community located 6,000 miles (9,700 km) from the US mainland with a very diverse student body including many students who come from backgrounds without traditional American education. Guam Public Schools have struggled with problems such as high dropout rates and poor test scores. An economic downturn in Guam since the mid-1990s has compounded the problems in schools.

Schools in Guam

The Guam Public School System serves the entire island of Guam. In 2000, 32,000 students attended Guam's public schools.

Prior to September 1997, the U.S. Department of Defense partnered with Guam Board of Education. In September 1997 the DoDEA opened its own schools for children of military personnel. DoDEA schools, which also serve children of some federal civilian employees, had an attendance of 2,500 in 2000. DoDEA Guam operates three elementary/middle schools and one high school.

Higher education

There are three accredited institutions according to the US Department of Education (see http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=GU)

Universities in Guam

Public

The University of Guam is fully-accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Private

Pacific Islands University (formerly Pacific Islands Bible College) is a small Christian liberal arts institution nationally accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, offering courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Polytechnics in Guam

Guam Community College is also fully-accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Education reform

No information is known to us.

The Bologna Process

This is not directly relevant to Guam as it follows the US approach in such matters.

Administration and finance

No information.

Quality assurance

This appears to follow the US pattern - note that the two main institutions are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Virtual initiatives

Interesting Virtual Campus Initiatives

There are none mentioned in the Handbook.

Interesting Programmes

There are none mentioned in the Handbook.

However, the University of Guam seems to be starting activity:

• On the more vocational side, a suite of e-learning programmes is offered by the University of Guam in conjunction with Gatlin Educational Services.
• In Distance Learning, there is also a recent story on the use of Elluminate for distance learning in conjunction with a commercial organisation, PREL - see http://www.guamnewsfactor.com/200909161122/Top-Stories/University-Of-Guam-s-New-Distance-Teaching-Software-Will-Reach-Out-To-Remote-Students.html.

Re.ViCa Case-study

None.

Lessons learnt

Guam is a liminal region and one should be alert for lessons to learn.

References

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For OER policies and projects in Guam see Guam/OER

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