ABSTRACT
Despite the global focus on ensuring that students develop knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for an interconnected world, much is unknown about how internationalisation gets leveraged in different contexts. This is particularly true for federal education systems, where power is decentralised away from the federal government, often leaving considerable autonomy for states and districts to take varied tactics in response to their different stakeholders and networks. Looking at examples from US public school systems, this chapter explores the diversity of internationalisation approaches in North Carolina, Illinois, and Washington, DC, which represent different combinations of formal recognition of individual student achievements, school- and district-wide global designations and supports, teacher professional development, and school-based and study abroad programs. Although approaches and pathways vary, a common motivating factor is the perceived need for schools to produce ‘global-ready’ graduates prepared to succeed in a globalized, competitive 21st century economy. This emphasis on individual achievement may help build the case for global education in the current ‘America first’ political climate; however, its approach may also limit internationalisation by framing world relationships as largely competitive. As such, it misses critical opportunities to build understanding across existing divisions within the United States and globally, as well as address the possibility of increased inequities resulting from uneven adoption of global education initiatives.
