Journal of Transnational American Studies

This essay outlines a number of daunting obstructions to a transnational historical approach in the Kindergarten to Grade Twelve Social Studies curriculum including a hyperlocal focus during elementary school, an inflexible national approach in middle and high school, and political pressure on national testing organizations to emphasize “American exceptionalism.” Yet it argues that there are countervailing currents, including the rise of public schools that use the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, pressure on elite schools to prepare students for global futures, and the opportunities for high school teachers to experiment with crosscurricular themes.