What will characterize international education in US public schools?

The concept and theory of ‘international-mindedness’ has been much discussed and debated in recent years. The conceptualising of the character of ‘international-mindedness’ as practised by schools has begun to attract some scholarly attention, but one especially under-theorised aspect involves the often-derided ‘Several Fs’, or sometimes ‘Five Fs’ (flags, festivals, food etc.). This paper aims to give credibility and importance to the day-to-day aspects of the ‘Several Fs’, and draws attention to the broader range of activity, identifying upwards of 15 ‘Fs’ in practice. The broader framework of these ‘Numerous Fs’ is then placed at the centre of identifying the nature and form of the school, as a deliverer of ‘international mindedness’. In a ‘low-culture context’, where collective identity is undermined by transient and relatively distanced stakeholders, the ‘Numerous Fs’ can be viewed as acting as significant ‘purveyors of organisational identity’. At another level, the ‘Numerous Fs’ give considerable legitimacy to a school’s claim to be ‘internationally-minded’, acting as ‘carriers of institutionalisation’. Put simply, they give the school a distinct set of norms, activities, artefacts and routines, characterising it as a specific type of educational institution. As well as acting as practical everyday tools for developing the ‘internationally-minded school’, they arguably help to give the school a considerable degree of legitimacy both as an organisation, and as an institution.

Section: The Concept Of ‘International Mindedness’mentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing and institutionalising the ‘Internationally-Minded School’: The role of the ‘Numerous Fs’

Bunnell

2019

“…Focusing on schools, a broad corpus of research exists on IB (for example, Bunnell, 2010), while only mild efforts have been devoted to assessing internationalization in public local schools (represented by the fifth research category presented above) (Carber, 2009). Indeed, inadequate attention (in terms both of research and practical focus within schools) has been paid to the topic of this article -evaluating the intensity of internationalization in schools.…”

Section: Current State Of Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main parameters of internationalization in the higher education environment, such as student and staff mobility, do not seem applicable to most local schools (Carber, 2009). Apart from in international schools, serving mostly expatriates and diplomatic staff, mobility is not a widespread phenomenon within schools.…”

Section: Rationale For Internationalization In Schoolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internationalization assessment in schools: Theoretical contributions and practical implications

Yemini

2012

Cosmopolitan, international capital has become an integral ingredient in the set of competencies considered to provide a competitive edge and to be required for affective citizenship in the 21st century. Recently, internationalization of education has become a more common phenomenon in local schools around the world, serving as a tool to provide youth with cosmopolitan capital and relevant capabilities for the future. Although the academic debate on international schools and internationalization is flourishing, few attempts have been made to characterize and measure the intensity of the internationalization process at the school level outside the International Baccalaureate (IB) context. This article focuses on the need for internationalization assessment in schools, and presents a theoretical framework and an initial set of indicators for such assessment. The purpose of this study is to propose a new direction in educational policy research, which reflects the increased political and economic salience of internationalization in schools.

“…International education was born and raised in international schools and its current development remains strongly associated with these institutions but there are many examples, not least but not only in the USA, of international education flourishing in a national environment (Carber, 2009). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…I think we need no further persuasion that the historic connection between international education and international schools has been untied (Hayden and Thompson, 1995). International education was born and raised in international schools and its current development remains strongly associated with these institutions but there are many examples, not least but not only in the USA, of international education flourishing in a national environment (Carber, 2009). 467407J RI11310.1177/1475240912467407Journal of Research in International EducationWalker If international education is deemed to be a 'good thing', an appropriate experience for the 21stcentury citizen, then access to it should not be restricted to the privileged few who are able to attend international schools (often quite briefly) or expensive independent schools.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Postscript

Walker

2012

We do not see the initials R&D very often these days, and in the past they were more associated with industrial output than with educational reform. But what is the purpose of R if it is not linked to D? The aim of research is to improve our understanding of the existing situation so that we can shape its future development more effectively, make it better fit for purpose. In practice, however, most educational R is carried out long after the D is over, much too late to influence deeply embedded decisions.International education has been around long enough to have acquired a well documented history (see for example, Sylvester, 2005). We are fully aware of the key events, institutions, and people that have shaped its remarkable progress from a niche activity to something approaching a worldwide movement. The research challenge of the 20th century was to bridge the unusually large epistemological gap between 'doing' international education and 'knowing' what international education actually was. Therefore many of the research questions (often posed and pondered by practitioners) were designed to knit together theory and practice.