A Global Perspective on Education
Education doctoral students experience Peru’s school system and tackle global issues on an immersive trip abroad.
Students and faculty gather with community members at the Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya.
This summer, a group of Saint Joseph’s University students got an up-close and personal look at Peru’s education system through an immersive study abroad trip with the Interdisciplinary Doctor of Education Leadership (IDEPEL) program.
The week-long trip exposed students to problems such as teacher shortages and a lack of access to resources that pervade the educational system on an international level, not just in the United States.
“When we go on a trip like this, we’re meeting with local leaders to determine what these problems are, and more importantly, how they are solving those problems with the resources they have,” says Chris L. Heasley, EdD, director of the IDEPEL program. “Hopefully, this helps us formulate strategies to solve similar problems domestically and helps students understand how interconnected we all are globally.”
The trip, which has run since 2020, partners with Jesuit institutions across the world. This is the second time the group has gone to Peru, where they planned their itinerary through the study abroad office at the Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya (UARM), a Jesuit university in Pueblo Libre, Peru.
Throughout the week, the group toured a wide range of schools, including K-12 institutions and universities, in addition to after-school care centers; adult education centers; and nonprofit organizations like Lombriz Feliz, or “The Happy Earthworm,” a woman-run composting group in San Juan de Lurigancho.
“The students kept returning to how wonderful the experience was and how many more resources they were able to use back in the United States,” Heasley says. “We saw poverty at a level that’s difficult to comprehend here, but we also saw smiles and hope and excitement for life, no matter the circumstances. That’s a refreshing perspective.”
Nadirah McCauley, EdD ’27, who works as an assistant principal at a charter school in Philadelphia, hopes to apply lessons from the trip in her own work.
“I want to be able to advocate for my students to learn outside of the classroom so that they can break down barriers in the way I was able to on this trip,” she says. “The places we visited in Peru allowed me to think about if I’m considering all voices and all perspectives in my decision-making and if I can bring any new voices to the table.”