International Journal of Academic Research in Education and Review
 

International Journal of Academic Research in Education and Review

Vol. 2(9), pp. 194-205. November, 2014.

ISSN: 2360-7866

DOI: 10.14662/IJARER2014.031

Full Length Research

The Power of Globalizing Education: Why It Matters for Black American High School Learners

Dr. Liz A. Reynolds Thomas

Education researcher, and President of Harbinger Strategies International, LLC based in the United States, Seattle, Washington, which specializes in research and policy-related initiatives, education and economic development innovations, and global health education program design. Author’s emails:lthomas@isomedia.com or University of Washington, thomae3@uw.edu.

Office phone, 206.322.7132 or Mobile phone, 206.902.0963; Fax: 206.860.9007

Accepted 21 November 2014

In the wake of accelerated globalization countries are experiencing an intensified movement of ideas and practices across national borders, and between continents. While not always comfortable, the impact of such dynamic forces means that ideas from other countries could offer opportunities for looking at things in different ways, or even reassessing local practices. Within a context of globalization, this article made use of data from a qualitative case study conducted in Ghana, West Africa that was grounded in the concept of “borrowing and adapting.” Research was located in Ghana because it has a shared history with the United States (U.S.) in varied ways.  Additionally, secondary school certificates (or high school diplomas) are historically valued in Ghanaian society. The research study examined global education in contemporary Africa, and how three Ghanaian high schools seek to educate their future generations. The findings offer viewpoints from an African nation that educators, thought leaders, policymakers, teachers and parents in the U.S. could utilize. In particular, some practices derived from the data could reframe national and local conversations to influence the quality of U.S. high school learning experiences, particularly for Black American youth whose dropout rates continue to soar. Two key findings from the study: (1) Significance of Senior High Schools and (2) Globalizing High School Education have implications for addressing these persistent dropout rates of Black American high school learners.

Key words: Borrowed and Adapted, Co-curricular or Extra-curricular Programs, Globalized Education, Secondary Schools, Senior Secondary Schools, High Schools, and Worldview

Cite This Article As: Reynolds Thomas LA (2014). The Power of Globalizing Education: Why It Matters for Black American High School Learners. Inter. J. Acad. Res. Educ. Rev. 2(9): 194-205.

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