Is there an independent school that exposes children to non-European cultures and religions?

[Anonymous]

There is no such school, OP. Maybe you should start one!

Anonymous wrote:We're touring schools now, and are looking for this since DH and I come from different countries. Perhaps its too much to ask, but it appears so far that the emphasis is very American or definitely European, rather than global in all the schools we've looked at. We've looked at Maret, GDS, Beauvoir so far. All these do try to be diverse but focus is still centered on the Judeo-Christian world. WIS has a very European feel to it, and obviously the languages focused upon are European. We'll be visiting Sidwell soon, and I hear they are trying to be more global. In both of our countries, the best schools try to be global in their approach to literature, social studies, religion. I am starting to suspect it is because our countries of origin are not the economic superpower of the world but wondering why is not the main point here. If anyone has experienced a school that truly tries to raise a global citizen, please do write back here. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Going by the links to schools in Bangkok and Bali, the interest is in IB programs. The IB program is centrally managed from Switzerland, it is highly structured without a lot of room for non-IB classes each year, and it is not intended to vary significantly from place to place. So presumably a local IB program would answer the need.

There are IB programs in Rockville (Richard Montgomery) and Chevy Chase (BCC) that consistently rank at the very top of the US News and World Report rankings of high schools. However, they're in Maryland and OP is not (lots of posters on DCUM talk about moving for schools, but OP doesn't seem flexible on this). Also, these schools are public.

What OP seems to want is an IB program in a private school. No, I don't know of any either.

[Anonymous]

I think homeschooling is the best option for OP. That way her kid will learn everything she wants them to learn and they won't be polluted by interacting with Americans.

[Anonymous]

The IB program is very focused on the west. It's run out of Europe, for one thing. But in the quote excerpted above OP says she wants to get away from a focus that is "centered on the Judeo-Christian world."

OP isn't going to find the school she wants. It's one thing to wonder why no elite private school in the area offers the IB program.

It's a very different thing to expect that an elite private school would offer a program that deliberately doesn't teach kids about the surrounding (US & western) culture. For this sort of school, you'd need a strong base of non-americans who would support such a school - yet, as others have pointed out, lots of foreign kids are trying to get into TJ and Blair. The only school I can think of that meets this criteria is the muslim school in Virginia.

[Anonymous]

No, you'd need a base of people who didn't want to divide the world into center and periphery. It's not a question of choosing a different center. That's why OP said global and why she didn't specify which country/area she came from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, you'd need a base of people who didn't want to divide the world into center and periphery. It's not a question of choosing a different center. That's why OP said global and why she didn't specify which country/area she came from.

Center and periphery! It does bring back memories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, you'd need a base of people who didn't want to divide the world into center and periphery. It's not a question of choosing a different center. That's why OP said global and why she didn't specify which country/area she came from.

Whoever you are: thank you for understanding so perfectly!

[Anonymous]

OK, can anybody point to any "global" schools? Some have pointed to IB schools in the US, Bali and Bangkok. Tell us what a "global" education looks like!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, can anybody point to any "global" schools? Some have pointed to IB schools in the US, Bali and Bangkok. Tell us what a "global" education looks like!

IB isn't "global", it still has that western focus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Tell us what a "global" education looks like!

To me, a school with a good global social studies curriculum would:

1) teach students to think about perspective
2) give them some basic knowledge about different regions/nations/people/cultures in the world today
3) teach history in comparative terms and with a cross-national timeline

In terms of language instruction, the goal of a global education would be to help children become multilingual and to learn at least one language that is quite different from their native tongue.

Lit courses would draw on works from different countries/regions, even if those works will be read in translation. The goal here is cultural understanding/establishing a broader range of eyes to view the world through, seeing different ways of framing what's a mystery or a drama or a problem.

I don't know of any school that does all of this (then again, I don't know lots of school in the US, much less elsewhere). Lots of schools do pieces of it (suggesting that it is, in fact, do-able). The biggest barriers to "global education" in the US are the kinds of attitudes you see on display here and the fact that heading in this direction would require is sea change in how we train teachers. But, in many contexts, globalization is seen as the next big thing and I think that a number of local privates are looking for ways to move toward that ideal, as are the affluent publics that have adopted IB. IB just established an American (I think it's meant to be American rather than just US, but I could be wrong) HQ in Bethesda and it will have a curriculum development office on-site. So this is work already in progress on some level.

[Anonymous]

PP: Again, whoever you are, I am grateful that you get it and are more articulate than I am. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

You're very welcome! I was delighted to see this thread (until it got so nasty) both because this is something I've thought about for a long time (as an American historian) and because, just last week, it was a topic we were discussing at DC's school.

[Anonymous]

Would you be willing to share the name of your child's school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Tell us what a "global" education looks like!

To me, a school with a good global social studies curriculum would:

1) teach students to think about perspective
2) give them some basic knowledge about different regions/nations/people/cultures in the world today
3) teach history in comparative terms and with a cross-national timeline

In terms of language instruction, the goal of a global education would be to help children become multilingual and to learn at least one language that is quite different from their native tongue.

Lit courses would draw on works from different countries/regions, even if those works will be read in translation. The goal here is cultural understanding/establishing a broader range of eyes to view the world through, seeing different ways of framing what's a mystery or a drama or a problem.

I don't know of any school that does all of this (then again, I don't know lots of school in the US, much less elsewhere). Lots of schools do pieces of it (suggesting that it is, in fact, do-able). The biggest barriers to "global education" in the US are the kinds of attitudes you see on display here and the fact that heading in this direction would require is sea change in how we train teachers. But, in many contexts, globalization is seen as the next big thing and I think that a number of local privates are looking for ways to move toward that ideal, as are the affluent publics that have adopted IB. IB just established an American (I think it's meant to be American rather than just US, but I could be wrong) HQ in Bethesda and it will have a curriculum development office on-site. So this is work already in progress on some level.

You just descirbied IB! There is a strong non-western focus in literature and social studies. I used to teach IB history in ischools in the US and another country. Teachers must teach comparatively and cover non-western regions. There is an in-depth focus on critical thinking and strong research skills.

And yes, there is a private school that has IB from PreK - Diploma: WIS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Tell us what a "global" education looks like!

To me, a school with a good global social studies curriculum would:

1) teach students to think about perspective
2) give them some basic knowledge about different regions/nations/people/cultures in the world today
3) teach history in comparative terms and with a cross-national timeline

In terms of language instruction, the goal of a global education would be to help children become multilingual and to learn at least one language that is quite different from their native tongue.

Lit courses would draw on works from different countries/regions, even if those works will be read in translation. The goal here is cultural understanding/establishing a broader range of eyes to view the world through, seeing different ways of framing what's a mystery or a drama or a problem.

I don't know of any school that does all of this (then again, I don't know lots of school in the US, much less elsewhere). Lots of schools do pieces of it (suggesting that it is, in fact, do-able). The biggest barriers to "global education" in the US are the kinds of attitudes you see on display here and the fact that heading in this direction would require is sea change in how we train teachers. But, in many contexts, globalization is seen as the next big thing and I think that a number of local privates are looking for ways to move toward that ideal, as are the affluent publics that have adopted IB. IB just established an American (I think it's meant to be American rather than just US, but I could be wrong) HQ in Bethesda and it will have a curriculum development office on-site. So this is work already in progress on some level.

You just descirbied IB! There is a strong non-western focus in literature and social studies. I used to teach IB history in ischools in the US and another country. Teachers must teach comparatively and cover non-western regions. There is an in-depth focus on critical thinking and strong research skills.

And yes, there is a private school that has IB from PreK - Diploma: WIS![/quote]

apparently you haven't read the thread carefully -- WIS fails to cut the mustard in OP's estimation because it has too much of a "Eurpean feel."
Imagine that!