Fernando M. Reimers et al.

of action of these programs, which assumes that bringing people together
alone contributes to international understanding.

3. New Calls for Global Education in the

United States Today

The mediocre performance of American students in international compara—
tive assessments of students’ knowledge and skills, such as the Trends in
International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme
for International Student Assessment (PISA), and the acceleration of global—
ization have resulted in the evolution of a global education discourse that seeks
to make American children and classrooms more globally oriented, aware,
and prepared for the challenges of twenty—first—century citizenship and work—
places (Council of Foreign Relations, 2012; Di Giacomo, Fishbein, Monthey,
86 Pack, 2013). Much of this discourse has translated into internationalizing
state standards and the Common Core and ensuring that American graduates
are as well, if not more, prepared than their peers in other countries in the core
subjects of language, mathematics, and science (Reimers 85 Villegas-Reimers,
2014). This has also resulted in growing interests in supporting students with
greater knowledge about the world and about globalization and teaching them
relevant skills, as reflected in an unprecedented move by the US Department
of Education, which adopted an international education strategy. This strat—
egy defines a “globally competent student” as one who can investigate the
world, weigh perspectives, communicate effectively with diverse audiences,
and take action (US Department of Education, 2012).

Echoing similar themes, a recent report of the College Board calls attention to

what may be the biggest challenge facing the United States in the
coming decades. As other countries become increasingly competi—
tive through rising levels of interaction in the globalized economy,
the US is faced with the challenge of retaining the competitive
advantage it has built through decades of economic growth. If the

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