A Programmatic Approach to Help Teacher Candidates View Themselves as Global Citizens

Overview & Synopsis

In the US, the process of educating elementary and secondary children is not fully federally funded. The US Department of Education (DOE) oversees a portion of educational funding through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the primary federal law governing public education of school-aged children. ESEA's focus has historically been around educational equity and requires schools' accountability for student success through assessments in reading, math, and science. ESEA only provides a small portion for children's education and the majority of educational funding and decision-making is given to the states. Each state has its own educational standards, and curriculum is most often handled at the local/regional level. In the wake of the new presidential administration's call to dismantle the DOE, the small portion of federal education funding has been called into question, with a push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusive (DEI) focused programs. Some of the more conservative states have required eliminating DEI language in their standards and prohibited curriculum and programming that address these ideals. This paper addresses the educational landscape in one of these conservative states, Utah, and discusses a programmatic approach which provides teacher candidates the skills required to become global citizens, and to provide quality education for their future students. This innovative program emphasizes evidence-based strategies benefiting K-12 students in the margins, including English Language Learners.