Global Citizenship for All? Advancing Cultural Capital Among Urban Youth in the United States

• In Event: Global Citizenship Education and Sustainability Theories, Practices, and Policies

Abstract

Frequent calls have been made for enhancing global citizenship education in U.S. secondary schools. The U.S. Department of Education (2012) released an international strategy, the first of its kind in U.S. history, with a vision for enriching global competencies of U.S. students and in 2017, launched a new framework for cultural and global competencies from early childhood through postsecondary education (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). States, including Wisconsin and North Carolina, have pursued statewide initiatives in global competence education. At the local level, districts, from Washington, DC to Seattle, WA, have advanced global learning through various programs, including those focused on world languages, Model United Nations, and group study abroad (Author and other authors). Despite this growing attention to global citizenship education, a persistent concern is the extent to which both policies and practices of global citizenship education reach all students, particularly those from traditionally marginalized backgrounds.

This paper examines practices of global citizenship education that target urban youth of traditionally marginalized backgrounds, examining the links between global citizenship education and cultural capital development. The paper focuses specifically on a case study of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Study Abroad initiative, an innovative global education program launched in 2016 that annually offers fully-funded summer travel to 400 8th and 11th graders. To date, DCPS has sent over 800 students and 100 educators on free global experiences to over 15 countries; nearly 600 students received their first passport. The initiative is unique not only in its scale, but also its focus on enhancing equity by targeting all students to study abroad regardless of socio-economic status, gender, or ethnic background. In a district where 76% of students receive free and reduced meals, and over 82% of students are of color, this initiative has the capacity the change the narrative about access to global experiences.

Despite the frequently made claims about the transformative potential of global citizenship education and in particular, study abroad, little is known about the impact, both short and long term, of study abroad experiences on students in secondary education. The paper draws on data generated from a pre-departure and post-travel survey of all participating 8th and 11th students (n=422); interviews with 30 students and 10 educators; and analysis of student reflective journals, blogs, and final projects. The paper will focus primarily on the cohort of students engaged in the program in 2017, exploring findings related to the development of global competence and social emotional skills among students. Findings from the research are therefore instrumental in building an understanding of outcomes of global education experiences, as well as advancing practical knowledge about fostering equity through global citizenship education.

Authors

• Laura Christine Engel, The George Washington University

• Jessica Fundalinski

• Heidi Gibson, The George Washington University

• Russel Clark Boothby, The George Washington University