Fernando M. Reimers et a].

impression on students learning about other cultures than a history text—
book describing the culture because the arts engage emotions, the body,
and the senses, in addition to the mind.

In addition to individual development, we focused on the students’ devel—
opment as team members who would be able to work productively in and
effectively lead intercultural teams. We built in curricular opportunities for
student to develop skills in negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution.

AGENTS OF CHANGE

We focused on introducing choice, developing capacity to solve problems
and make a difference, and motivating students to contribute to the world
around them in small and large ways. We sought to cultivate in the stu—
dents a focus on being innovative and creative in formulating solutions to
real global challenges and seizing global opportunities. To that end, the
curriculum is largely project based, with a cumulative sequencing of units
within and across grades. We include discussions of how geographic, disa
ciplinary, and professional contexts matter in devising effective solutions
to global challenges. In particular, we sought to ground students in the
reality of the world but also infused into the curriculum the notions of
agency and possibility, along with concrete skills and projects that would
teach them to be agents of change.

In addition to placing curricular emphases on fairness and global citizen—
ship, we also wanted to make sure that the students felt that they had the
freedom to choose how to engage with these issues, and not that the em‘
phases were heavy—handed. For example, at the high school level, the final
projects are broadly conceived and open to the students’ own conceptions
of how they want to apply these skills and knowledge, whether they want
to be a scientist, an artist, or a politician. We wanted to develop a strong
core body of knowledge and skills that could be ably used by learners who
have developed an attitude of compassion, responsibility, and efficacy about

changing the world around them. While the students will be thoughtfully

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