Most of us have a generalized understanding that something called globalization has been happening for several decades (or centuries, depending on your historical yardstick), and that it involves the acceleration of the movement of people, capital, goods and ideas around the world.

So what does it mean for a college of education to think and act globally? For Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, it means operating on three broad fronts.

Third-plus generation students — those born in the U.S. to U.S.-born parents — attend better-resourced schools compared to first- and second-generation students from immigrant families. But analysis reveals that these students who attend schools that do not serve immigrants are more likely to demonstrate lower academic achievement than their peers who do. In other words, attending school with immigrant student peers may actually improve the academic performance of third-plus generation learners.

Over 70 years ago, James A. Banks was on an Arkansas farm, picking cotton. In a segregated community, he walked five miles to school while a bus took the “white kids.” Early on, Banks was aware of the inequality and inequitable opportunities available to him and developed a strong commitment to social justice issues. 

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