SCH Educator Awarded Fulbright for Global Classroom Exchange 

Spend a day in Julie Knutson’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) classroom at SCH and you will get to know her innovative teaching style. Students take center stage, excitedly sharing their well-researched ideas on an issue with their attentive peers. This CEL teacher regularly encourages her students to broaden their perspectives by thinking globally, a practice she doesn’t just preach.

“Listen. Empower. Connect. These tenets guide my approach to education,” says Knutson, who recently received a Fulbright Teacher Exchange award from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for study during the 2024-2025 cycle. 

“This Fulbright award is a testament to Julie’s innovative approach to education and her global perspective, which is a true gift to our students,” says Ed Glassman, director of the CEL.

The Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, according to the U.S. Department of State, “equips K-12 educators to bring an international perspective to their schools through targeted training, experience abroad, and global collaboration.” This year’s awardees, which included 81 educators from 33 states, not only complete a semester-long online course, they also take part in a professional development workshop in Washington, D.C., and travel abroad for several weeks to “immerse themselves in another country’s culture and education system.” Each applicant is personally approved by the 12-person Fulbright Scholarship Board. Knutson has requested several top choices for her travel abroad this spring and will be hosted by a fellow educator, likely a Fulbright alumnus, in her approved country. Five cohorts of travelers will be intentionally designed to represent the regional, cultural and professional diversity of the U.S.

The Fulbright is Knutson’s latest award focused on global education; just about a year ago, she was named an Advocate of the Global Schools Program, an initiative led by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Knutson joined the CEL team in 2022 and has since focused on equipping students with the tools and mindset they'll need to succeed in the future. She infuses the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into courses that include 6th grade “Social Entrepreneurship,” 8th grade “Digital Publishing,” and 10th grade “Social Impact,” and also co-facilitates SCH Middle School’s vibrant Eco Club. 

“I want to help students recognize commonalities that they share with peers worldwide,” says Knutson, “and to embrace the countless opportunities that the 21st century offers for dialogue and partnership.”

A practitioner-partner with Drexel University’s McNichol Early Learning Lab and a UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Global Schools Advocate, Knutson also writes nonfiction books for children. Her title Global Citizenship: Engage in the Politics of a Changing World (Nomad Press) was a 2021 Skipping Stones Multi-cultural book of the year; her The Science and Technology of Marie Curie (Nomad Press) was a finalist for the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Hands-on Science Book category. Knutson, who became interested in SCH while researching Global Citizenship, hopes to leverage her role in the Teacher for Global Schools Program to build alliances with similarly inclined education professionals around the world. 

“Our school community is celebrating Julie’s remarkable achievement. This prestigious recognition is a testament to her passion and innovative spirit. We are proud to have such a talented educator as part of our school family, and we know that her experiences abroad will enrich our students and community in countless ways,” says SCH Head of School Delvin Dinkins. “This award highlights the caliber of our faculty and their dedication to effecting positive change.” 

Knutson is among over 800 U.S. citizens who will teach, study, and/or conduct research abroad for the 2024-2025 academic year through the Fulbright Program. Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. 

As Fulbright alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Notable Fulbright alumni include 62 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, 78 MacArthur Fellows, and 41 who have served as a head of state or government. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries - chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential - with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to challenges facing our communities and our world.