Forcing the World to fit Pre-Existing Prejudices: Why and How Global Education has Failed in the State of Georgia

Forcing the World to fit Pre-Existing Prejudices: Why and How Global Education has Failed in the State of Georgia

This article examines the place of global citizenship education in schools by critically analyzing the official curriculum in one US state, Georgia. Data in the study includes Georgia Department of Education documentation about the implementation of the K-8 Georgia Performance Standards for Social Studies, particularly the 6th and 7th grade “world studies standards”. An interpretive document analysis is used to identify patterns of inclusion and exclusion which are then examined to assess alignment with basic tenets of global citizenship education. Our analysis reveals that the Georgia’s official curriculum is not aligned with principles fundamental to global citizenship education: multiple perspectives, appreciation and understanding of other cultures, knowledge of global issues and knowledge of the world as interrelated system.