By Sally Schwartz
One of my beloved mentors, CLR James, the great Trinidadian historian and activist, used to regularly advise me to be patient whenever I became frustrated with all the many things wrong in the world. He would tell me to look for conditions to ripen, when the chances for making successful change are optimal. I’ve thought about his words often over the decades since, and very much so in recent years. Now, doesn’t it feel like we are living through one of those times ripe for change? These moments don’t come often and they don’t last very long. We’re ready to make some moves, and we are inviting all those who believe in our work to join with us.
Some background
We created Globalize DC to increase access for DC public school students, particularly those most disadvantaged, to global education, language learning, and study abroad opportunities. We work towards the day when ALL our young people understand their connections to the wider world and embrace their identities as global citizens. We’ve created our own programs and initiatives; collaborated with scores of partners on others; taken students abroad; nurtured new critical language programs; and enjoyed all the warm feelings associated with seeing former students pursue their global interests in college and careers built on their first-time global experiences with us. We’ve advocated, with some tangible successes. We’ve shared opportunities and facilitated connections. We’ve consistently brought global perspectives to local PK-12 education conversations and helped DC-based national organizations with global expertise and resources find ways to support our own local youth, too often overlooked. And in the process, we’ve worked with the most extraordinary and generous collection of educators, partners, parents, and community members who share our vision. We know that together we as a global education community have made a real difference in the lives of children.
But on the underlying, animating idea for our work, I don’t believe we have made much progress at all. We remain a tale of two cities. Some of us inhabit an international capital, with a unique and exciting concentration of global experts, resources, institutions, and residents from all over the world. For others, we’re hometown DC, where most children grow up far removed from this “global city” and the huge opportunities it represents. I often say, they might as well be growing up in Peoria. Such a missed opportunity!
Globalize DC was created to bridge that gap between the local and global, to think strategically and systemically about how we can all work more collaboratively and intentionally to more equitably connect our PK-12 students and schools with the city’s global assets, and to build real pathways to globally connected careers, especially for students traditionally left out. DC is uniquely positioned to do this; our efforts so far have been fragmentary at best. There is so much more we could do. And that we need to do. Together.
So here’s the good news! This is our moment to take on this next level of work.
- As disruptive as the pandemic has been, it has pushed all of us, including the PK-12 public education sector, to adapt and innovate. We are thrilled that for the first time since the creation of Globalize DC, we are seeing real openness to our work from DC Public Schools (DCPS) and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), as well as our long-time friends at the elected State Board of Education.
- DCPS is currently embarking on a major 5-year plan to “reimagine high schools.” Globalize DC has developed strategies and policy recommendations that align well with this work, including a proposed policy for competency-based credit for world languages and more robust use of out-of-school time to expand access for students to global education and language learning opportunities not available to students within the four walls of their individual schools. Most importantly, those leading these changes within DCPS “see many points of potential synergy as we both embark on this process of reimagining.
- DC social studies standards, which guide what will be taught in all DC PK-12 public social studies classrooms, are currently being revised – for the first time since 2006. Soon the draft standards will be released for public review. These new standards create a unique opportunity to shape what and how DC students will learn about the world for years to come, as well as the curriculum, professional development, and enrichment activities that will need to be developed to support this new instruction.
Based on our recent conversations with his office, the Deputy Mayor, Paul Kihn, recently wrote these (to our ears) beautiful words: “The development of a global learning ecosystem framework and needs assessment, identification of new out-of-school global education and world language courses for which students can earn high school credit, and the growth of a strong partner network, would all be valuable to the District.” We take this as an invitation.
This is our moment to move forward, building on the collective efforts of so many over so many years. Right now, and through the summer, we are making a concerted effort to identify and connect with the extensive community of globally minded individuals and organizations to begin to build that local “global learning ecosystem” that will be able to engage and support DC PK-12 students and educators in a more intentional, coordinated, collaborative, equitable, and sustainable way. This is a critical next step and will make a big difference!
OUR CALL TO ACTION. Please join us!
If you are currently or in the past have been involved in some way in bringing global, language, or intercultural learning or exposure to DC’s young people . . .
If you represent a non-profit organization, cultural institution, government agency, think tank, business, university, embassy, international organization, professional network, or other entity not yet involved, but interested in playing a part or just wishing to learn more . . .
If you are someone who has personally benefited from global education, language learning, and study abroad experiences and want a new generation of students to reap some of those same benefits . . .
If you are a DC educator in a school or in a youth-serving organization who wants to amplify global education or language opportunities for your students . . .
Please take 2-3 minutes to fill out this brief form above so we will be sure to include you as we begin to map out the current global education terrain of this city and organize for taking this work to the next level. We really need everyone at the table!
This will be a collaborative effort whose time has come. I’m so looking forward to our work together.
Sally
[If you want to know more about the remarkable CLR James, and his time in DC, I highly recommend the recently published CLR James: A Life Beyond the Boundaries, by John L. Williams, Hachette, 2022. He was a true global thinker and doer.]