A Sunnyvale educator has been named Fulbright leader. 

Christina Ballantyne, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at the Sunnyvale School District, has been honored by the Fulbright Program. She was one of only 20 administrators from 12 states and the District of Columbia selected to receive a prestigious Fulbright Teacher Exchange Award, with an acceptance into the Fulbright Leader for Global Schools Program.

Fulbright teachers engage in cultural exchange, working to address today’s global challenges through education.

Through this experience, as well as through her work as part of this year’s Fulbright Teacher Exchange, Ballantyne will share her expertise while learning from, and collaborating with, fellow global professional educators.

In January, Ballantyne will spend a couple weeks in Finland. Since Finland is often lauded for its educational rigor, she said she is excited to see how they approach teaching. Through a series of school tours, workshops, seminars and panel discussions, Ballantyne will learn about Finland’s education system. 

“I am really interested to see how they bring in immigrant communities and how the immigrant communities see the Finland system,” she said. “I am curious to see how educators see education connected to their broader social system.”

Since Finland is so different from America — a largely ethnically homogenous population, more social welfare, a population roughly 3/4 the size of the Bay Area — Ballantyne said she looks forward to seeing how Finns approach life.

She said she is eager to understand how they deal with external forces such as labor unions, their stance on geopolitical issues related to America as well their communication norms.

“Maybe those are things we haven’t thought about because we are swimming in the water that we live in,” she said.

The Fulbright program has produced 62 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows and 44 heads of state or government. 

Sunnyvale School District Superintendent Gudiel Crosthwaite called the selection an “extraordinary honor,” adding that it is “a reflection of Ballantyne’s commitment to fostering curiosity, collaboration, and a global perspective.”

“We are so fortunate to have her on our team, sharing her knowledge to benefit our students every day, and we are proud that she will represent our district and community on an international stage,” he said.

Connecting with other Fulbright leaders is also exciting, Ballantyne said.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, and professionals opportunities to teach, study and research abroad. 

Exchanging educational tactics and seeing which are a good fit locally interests her greatly, Ballantyne said. Broadening her horizons, she added, will also be invaluable.

“I am really looking forward to finding out more about who I am, not just as an educator but as a person,” Ballantyne said. “I do believe in being of service. Making things better is what I am here to do. Learning from other systems makes me a better servant leader.”

For more information about the Fulbright program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org.

Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com