Professor Laura EngelLab lead
2016–2026 · Ten years of DCPS Study Abroad research
Bridging Global Policy, Educational Diplomacy, and
Local Community-Driven Action
How do global experiences shape what it means to be human? How are education systems around the world changing with globalization?
- Research strands
- 2
- Current projects
- 3
- Lab members
- 16
- Publications listed
- 19
About the lab
GW Global Education Lab
The GW Global Education Lab (GEL) advances collaborative and interdisciplinary research on how global education policy trends unfold across different contexts, and the diverse ways that youth, schools, and communities experience and advance grassroots global initiatives. From global reforms aimed at improving education, to global citizenship education initiatives, to mapping global engagement opportunities and their impacts in Washington, DC, GEL explores the intersection of global education initiatives with local community-driven action.
Anniversary · 2016–2026
DCPS Study Abroad: ten years of research
Over the past decade, GEL has conducted annual studies of the District of Columbia Public Schools Global Education Initiatives. The research follows students and educators in the DCPS study abroad program and its effects on students' global civic engagement, activism, identity development, and cosmopolitan capital.
Open the 10-year results2,366Travelers, students and educators, across 9 travel summers
23Destination countries, including domestic trips
67%Of student travelers had never traveled before (1,350 of 2,020)
13% → 44%Share of student travelers from Wards 7 and 8, 2016 to 2026
Participation data: DCPS Global Education records, corrected October 2026. Research partner since 2016: GW Global Education Lab.
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