Global education in Massachusetts: a study of the role of administrators.

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20003361

Recent international political, economic, social, and cultural shifts make it imperative for schools to provide students with a global education (Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, 2008). This phenomenological study aimed to find out how administrators in Massachusetts define global education, advocate for it, and see challenges associated with their efforts. Twelve administrators, ranging from superintendents and assistant superintendents to social studies directors, building administrators, and high school chairs, were interviewed and shared their experiences supporting global education. Although interviewees used some common language in defining global education, with references to terms like 'global awareness', 'global citizenship', and '21st century skills', nothing close to a universal definition emerged from the data. There was more commonality in terms of the ways administrators were advocating for global education, as many cited international travel opportunities and global certificate programs. Most of these initiatives, however, were only reaching a fraction of students.