How global education can benefit your students and staff.
By Stephanie Downey, Jason Van Heukelum, and Michael Thier
Principal, May/June 2018. Volume 97, Number 5.

Few U.S. classrooms—let alone schools and districts—display the commitment necessary for global education. In elementary or second­ary schools, opportunities to partic­ipate in global education programs such as International Baccalaureate or the Cambridge Advanced Inter­national Certificate of Education are bleak: Fewer than 2 percent of U.S. public schools offer such programs. Among the rare schools where such opportunities exist, a study from the journal Educational Policy shows par­ticipation to favor students who are wealthy and white.

Global education infuses world culture, foreign language, history, and current events into the core curriculum. When it is done well, teachers layer global education into students’ experience throughout the day, as they learn traditional aca­demic subjects.

From the 3 Rs to the 5 Cs

At Frederick Douglass Elementary School in Winchester, Virginia, where co-author Stephanie Downey is prin­cipal, approximately 60 percent of the students receive a free or reduced-price lunch; it is a high-poverty district. At Frederick Douglass, teach­ing students to think globally evolved from the dual-language program started more than a year ago. As the school cultivated bilingual students, the administration and teachers saw students thinking in broader terms about the world around them.

A transformation was happening in which teachers’ primary respon­sibility went from teaching the 3 Rs to the 5 Cs, which are Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, and Citizens who think globally.

Before committing to a global edu­cation program, Frederick Douglass, like many schools around the coun­try, taught students about empathy and character. But there was a gap: Teachers can instruct students to be kind to one another, but that doesn’t necessarily instill a broader respect for culture and diversity. Global education has been a way to incul­cate empathy at Frederick Douglass, while recognizing differences. For example, empathy is one of Frederick Douglass’ global competencies this school year. A Frederick Douglass teacher from Puerto Rico recently asked her class to adopt a Caribbean school impacted by Hurricane Maria. Her students gathered and sent sup­plies the Caribbean students would need, and the island school sent back pictures and shared stories via Skype about their school day and life out­side of school. The relationship born of empathy broadened each school’s experience and perspective.

Global education also includes inviting international teachers into the classroom. Doing so can be challenging, especially for disad­vantaged districts. So, Frederick Douglass Elementary and its district rely on a third party called Participate, which has not only helped find certified foreign-language teachers but also put in place online professional development that all teachers can access. The PD modules provide teachers access to lesson plans and resources, and teachers earn digital badges to show they’ve become skilled at applying global concepts in their classes.

Hurdling the Barriers to Global Education

There are two barriers to implement­ing a global program:

• Preparing enough teachers as global educators.
• Generating sufficient commu­nity buy-in to launch a program.

To address the first barrier, schools should alter their typical blueprints, which treat reading, ’riting, and ‘rithmetic as essential, and global education as a nice add-on. A school system should design its curriculum with skills and attributes that promote global experi­ences for students and teachers.

Teacher and virtual exchange programs are available through organizations such as the Flat Classroom Project, iEarn, Participate, TakingITGlobal, or World View at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Competitions from the World Affairs Council or World Savvy can introduce students and teachers to myriad concepts and cultures. Resources such as these help schools certify their teachers as global edu­cators through the Teachers College Global Competence Certificate, George Mason University’s degrees in international education, or the Global Education Conference.

Making the shift to global edu­cation means convincing parents that global competencies yield student success in the three Rs. At Frederick Douglass, staff and teachers have seen students’ level of interest rise, and this increased engagement translates into better comprehension and results. But some parents may still ask, “Isn’t global education happening in social studies?”

In response, leaders should develop a committee of teachers, administrators, and staff to mit­igate these concerns with a plan that maps global competencies onto an established curriculum. This approach makes it easier for stu­dents, teachers, and parents to see the 21st century’s five Cs coexisting with the traditional three Rs.

Based on our experience and the application of these con­cepts by colleagues in other districts and states, implementing global education enables students— regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, or language—to find success in the areas celebrated most by educators.

Stephanie Downey is principal of Frederick Douglass Elementary School in Winchester, Virginia.

Jason Van Heukelum is superintendent of Winchester, Virginia, Public Schools.

Michael Thier is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oregon, where he studies global citizenship education after a decade as a global educator.

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