Many educators and leaders in international schools around the globe recognize the value and urgency of global citizenship education (GCE) and the need to empower PreK-12 students to engage in authentic community engagement and active local and global citizenship. To this end, many educators use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals…

In an era of increasing division and conflict, education innovations that focus on building compassion and understanding hold a promise for true transformative power. Using a new tool called Empatico, these educators paired up with a partner classroom somewhere else in the world to begin their journey as "Kindness Champions" who made…

The phrase "soft skills" has been around for decades. It was coined by the U.S. military in the 1960s to refer to any skill that did not involve use of machinery. Since then, it has been used to describe the emotional aspects of human endeavors--empathy, creativity, resilience, and collaboration--in contrast to the intellectual work and…

Eco-Schools is the largest global sustainability school program, with over 59,000 schools that engage 20 million students and 1.4 million teachers across 93 countries. The program was developed in response to the needs identified at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (also known as the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro in…

Today's children must navigate unprecedented change. Technological advancement, pandemics, wars, and the climate emergency all contribute to rapidly evolving social and financial landscapes. This changing world needs children and youth who possess socioemotional and financial skills and resilience, who dare to think critically, and who act as…

The Designathon Works Foundation teaches children (8 to 12 years old) the skills that help them develop ideas and solutions for a better world. By going through the Designathon method, many children discover that their possibilities are unlimited and they think beyond their borders, both literally and figuratively. The method focuses on building…

Up to 250 children of different ages can be seen when entering Sekolahku-MySchool (SMS) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, integrated and happily engaged, indoors or outdoors, in sustainable activities as part of their everyday learning. With ages ranging from 16 months to 13 years, the children engage in learning typical academic skills and techniques…

"If a child is not learning the way you teach, teach the way the child learns." This simple education philosophy is at the heart and soul of Educon International School (EIS), a Global Schools First Champion in Maharashtra, India. Educon International School has been in the forefront of adapting and integrating 21st-century best…

The Gratitude Network, a nonprofit based in Pleasanton, California, has a unique and interesting approach to strengthening education for children globally. The organization accelerates the growth of high-impact social enterprises, both for-profit and nonprofit, working to improve the lives of children and youth around the world, primarily through…

As COVID-19 spread across the globe, schools shuttered their doors and millions of students and teachers shifted to remote learning. This situation created significant challenges with regard to maintaining continuity, quality, and equity in education. At the same time, the very nature of the pandemic itself underscores the critical need to engage…

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, education systems must prepare students with the skills and knowledge to be able to thrive in a global economy and society. Toward this end, teachers play a key role in supporting students to develop as global citizens who bridge cultural divides, understand sustainable development issues, and act…

Content education is becoming less important than teaching children to understand and empathize with diverse individuals, thus supporting their ability to fully understand the context of challenges affecting the world and collaborate on solutions.

When Emily Crosette, joined H2O for Life as a high school student, she never dreamed that it would be the impetus for her future educational and career goals. Crossette majored in civil and environmental engineering and minored in environmental science at Lafayette College and is now completing her PhD in environmental engineering at the…

Learning approaches that support students' awareness of real-world issues and provide opportunities for taking action will lead to true transformation of education.

In this article, the authors propose a problem-based approach to education that enables learners to build critical consciousness to drive "active citizenship"; develops their abilities to frame their identities; and empowers them to critically question any systemic, cultural, and physical manifestations of exclusion and marginalization.…