Globalizing America’s Schools: Principles and Theory for Administrators

Happy belated 2012!  My hiatus since October, due to a job change and relocation to the Washington D.C. area, is now officially over.  I plan to be in top form, posting weekly, and taking The Global, History Educator to new levels.

The catalyst for my return was last week’s Global Symposium hosted by The International Research & Exchanges Board  (IREX), “an international nonprofit organization providing thought leadership and innovative programs to promote positive lasting change globally” in Washington D.C.’s L’Enfant Plaza Hotel.  This event celebrated the Teachers for Global Classrooms program; applications for next year are due March 12th! The Symposium brought together IREX’s cohort of global high school educators (over 60!), their administrators, organizations dedicated to global education (like Primary Source, iEARN,  and the Asia Society).  I found the symposium to be filled with positive energy and possibilities- two hallmarks of a successful educational program.

Click here for Tony Jackson's 15 minute speech "Global Competence and its Significance to American Schools"

It is interesting to note that “global education” does carry a range of interpretations and definitions.  What comes to mind when you think of or speak about  Global Education? Is it a flexible concept or set idea?

 

There are some core theoretical  tenets, however, which drive practice, application and policies around global education.  I had the opportunity to present my understanding of these core ideas to roughly 40 school administrators at the IREX symposium.  My segment was followed by an interactive session facilitated by Ms. Julia de la Torre of Primary Source. Together, our session “Principles for Globalizing Schools: From Mission to Practice” was designed to give school administrators  an overview of key principles in global and to enhance their school’s level of global education.

You can view my Global Symposium presentation Power Point with audio on each slide at the link below:

Lessons and Reflections in Global EducationEDUBLOG

If you have any questions or comments  about my presentation, please let me know. I look forward to them and find discussions around this topic to be, well, fun.

After my introduction, administrators were asked to draw what a student engaged in global education would look like. Three of their collaborative pieces are below. They can be a inroad for broader discussions. Some questions that came to mind around these images were: What do they have in common? What are they missing? What do they value? How do the creators understand global education? What would you change, add? Can you list values, skills, or literacies from these images; are they valuable to contemporary education?

“The conclusion:” IREX reported,  “global education spans disciplines, demonstrates 21st century student competence, and is a necessary aspect of U.S. core curricula. “I used to think about global education in a passive way,” an administrator noted following the Symposium, “but now I realize that we need to actively engage our students in international thought.”

Well it is good to be back.  Until next time, see you around the globe.

Global Student 1

Global Student 2

 

Global Student 3

One thought on “Globalizing America’s Schools: Principles and Theory for Administrators

  1. Craig,
    I would be interested in learning what you think are the best resources for globalizing or internationalizing the the US history curriculum (Re: for an article I am writing for a website)

    Please get back to me @ worldhistoryteacher at hotmail.com

    Best,
    Jeremy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *