They require action. Students should leave school reasonably informed and concerned about one or more of the major global issues, problems, or challenges facing the human race. No one can claim to know with certainty what students in over 15,000 diverse school districts should study, know, and understand about their world now and in coming years. Nevertheless, those responsible for determining curriculum at the district and state levels need to address the following knowledge objectives as best they can. Students will know and understand that global issues and challenges exist and affect their lives.
Awareness is a necessary prerequisite to understanding.
Global literacy does not require in-depth expertise. Rather, it entails reasonable familiarity with a number of global issues that dominate the news, coupled with a working knowledge of the basic terminology and fundamental concepts of these issues. It means knowing enough about some global issues to intelligently analyze others. Students will study at least one global issue in-depth and over time. Students may be left with the false impression that they have somehow become experts without expending the time and labor that genuine expertise necessitates.