Advancing Global Citizenship among K-12 Youth: A National Imperative

Advancing Global Citizenship among K-12 Youth: A National Imperative
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A keyboard view of 21st century learning
A keyboard view of 21st century learning
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What is the link between global citizenship and public education? A statement shared by the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI), the U.N. Secretary-General’s Global Initiative on Education cuts to the chase quickly: “We must rethink the purpose of education and prepare students for life, not exams alone.”

As the U.N. Initiative explains, education stops short when it “provide[s] individuals who can read, write and count” – today we must “give people the understanding, skills and values they need to cooperate in resolving the interconnected challenges of the 21st century.” Doing so will require bold action, “changing the way education is organized — making content more relevant to contemporary life and global challenges.”

It is precisely this need for bold action that inspired me to develop the American Public Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that promotes a world-class U.S. public education system for all students, regardless of zip code. Our emphasis on global citizenship – along with civic engagement and character development – aims to echo and amplify in-class teaching and learning.

The Foundation is guided by a simple premise: For America to be a “shining city upon a hill,” a home that, in President Reagan’s words, “hums with commerce and creativity,” we must have the best public education system in the world. And that system must be relevant and responsive to today’s complex global environment.

A strong public education system is key to empowering youth to become able and successful global citizens.

“We have to keep the pressure on ― because investing in education is the single best way to beat poverty, to drive growth, and to promote more inclusive and peaceful societies. There’s no better way….” UNESCO Director-General and Executive Secretary of the GEFI High-Level Steering Committee, Irina Bokova

No longer is an emphasis on global citizenship a “nice to have” – in today’s multicultural society, it is mission essential. Today’s K-12 youth must learn to think critically and engage in lifelong learning to keep pace with a society immersed in rapid, exponential change.

Empowering America’s 50 million public schoolchildren to become fully informed global citizens ensures that students from Boston, Boise, or Birmingham are able to compete with those educated in Beijing, Bangalore, and Berlin. America’s students must prepare to function as global citizens able to thrive in today’s fast-moving global economy.

And that’s not all – experts are turning to global citizenship as a way to deter the violent extremism that seems part of a tragic “new normal” revealed in near-daily acts of worldwide terrorism. In a U.N.-sponsored roundtable on the “Prevention of Violent Extremism through Education” held in early June, policymakers, researchers, educators, and activists convened In New York to debate and discuss meaningful ideas. At the meeting, U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director Soo Hyang Choi stated the need for schools to serve as “safe spaces” open to debate and discussion of sensitive political and religious issues – despite the acknowledged political sensitivities in doing so. Hyang Choi also spoke of the need for “inclusive learning environments” where disaffected youth “do not feel marginalized in school settings.”

Another roundtable participant addressed a Quebec (Canadian) model that aims to provide comprehensive psycho-social support to parents, educators, community leaders and youth. Highlights of the Quebec initiative include training programs to teachers and community leaders, efforts to build teachers’ digital literacy, and youth initiatives that “build leadership for peer-to-peer support.”

A key argument the U.N. makes is that “the values of peace, human rights, respect, cultural diversity and justice are often not embodied in the ethos of schools.” Yet when we reflect on values, these necessarily reside within and outside of the school house door, because the formation of values takes place everywhere – at home, at school, at work, and in the community. Leadership around global citizenship has become, of necessity, a shared obligation, one that schools, scholars, lawmakers, thought leaders, community leaders, and parents must openly acknowledge and proactively pursue.

President John F. Kennedy once said, “This is no time for complacency. This is no time to abandon the drive and the optimism and the imaginative creativity,” that can advance a nation. America is dependent on an educated citizenry. For our youth and for our nation, let’s heed the “real world” call-to-action for bold action around global citizenship, inside and outside of our nation’s schools.

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