Understanding the Philosophy of International Schools

 Understanding the Philosophy of International Schools

by

Preethi Joseph 



What Is An International School? 

As easy as this question might be to answer, educational researchers have spent decades trying to compose the perfect definition of a ‘true’ international school - one that brings together all the elements of its philosophy.

Bob Leach, Michael Knight in 1964, were the first to attempt coining the definition. According to them, international schools were:

  • Elite private schools that educate their local students with an international perspective.

  • Overseas schools that offer their country specific national curriculum to their citizens expatriated abroad.

  • Schools that have been formed as a result of bilateral or multilateral agreements between 2 or more countries. For example, European Common Market schools that offer the European Baccalaureate.

  • ‘Genuine international schools’ that are or could be ISA members (Hill 2015).


The key elements of the ‘Genuine international schools’ according to Leach besides diversity in nationality, government representation, religion, social group and ideology within the student body and Board, was that schools had to be not-for-profit, should have affiliation with the International Schools Association (ISA) and International Baccalaureate Diploma as the curriculum. The curriculum should promote intercultural understanding and educational reform. 


Hayden & Thompson (2013) characterised international schools as:

Type A: ‘traditional’, market-driven for the children of expatriates and predominantly not-for-profit.

Type B: ‘ideological’, mission-driven to promote international understanding and peace such as United World Colleges and Aga Khan Academies.

Type C: ‘non-traditional’, market-driven for the local elite, predominantly for-profit.


Bunnell(2014) explains that ISA eventually relaxed its membership criteria to include for-profit schools,  ‘more national’ in their student body and schools promoting other curricula rather than the IB program.


With the attenuation of benchmarks for international schools, there has been a flurry of activity globally, with the meaning of international education blurring across its new manifestations.


I believe that to accurately define International schools we need to first define the meaning of international education. Hayden & Thompson agree that “not all international schools offer an international education but many do; and both state and private (independent) national schools can offer an international education.” The striking difference between the international schools from those that are not is their international mindedness which is infused through the curriculum and guides the teachers and the administration in all aspects of student learning. It is this commonality that binds international schools around the world to strive towards cultural diversity and global awareness. ‘Indeed, daily confrontation of persistent world problems tends to erase barriers of class and caste’ (Hill 2015).


Hill uses a continuum to gauge the nationality- internationality of schools. The continuum is drawn with national and international curriculum seen as ‘pure’ or ‘ideal’ schools, on either side of the continuum. The framework with its set of criteria (national students or internationally mobile students, national curriculum or international curriculum, culturally diverse staff, etc) helps to graph any school within this framework. All schools will fall within this continuum and the results show where the school falls within the varying degrees of the national - international-mindedness. I think this is a great tool to instantaneously learn about the school’s profile. It helps parents make sound decisions while choosing schools while helping schools reinvent themselves by moving along this continuum. 


ISC Research defines  an international school as :

  • If the school delivers a curriculum to any combination of pre-school, primary or secondary students, wholly or partly in English outside an English-speaking country, 

  • If a school is in a country where English is one of the official languages, it offers an English-medium curriculum other than the country’s national curriculum and the school is international in its orientation.


I don’t agree with this simple and incomplete definition of an international school. As seen in the literature above, the process of defining has been a laborious task with decades of research and discussions. To simply characterize an international school as English speaking school serving a non-national curriculum does not do justice to the work that has been put in nor does it represent an international school with all its exclusive elements.


Ideology of Kurt Hahn

The first international school was founded in 1866 in Middlesex, London under the patronage of free trade radicals whose endeavours for international understanding and global free trade formed the ideology of international education. 


Established in 1924 to serve the needs of the employees of the League of Nations, the International School of Geneva was seen as an ambitious experiment in internationalism and the promotion of international understanding. It has since been breaking ground for the development of various international philosophies in education (Cambridge and Thompson 2004).


Though I believe many educators have contributed to the development of international school ideologies, the most prominent and noteworthy are the contributions of Kurt Hahn. His life and experiences in the early years were crucial to the development of his ideologies. He revolutionised education with his theory of five decays which he believed plagued the youth leading them to being lawless and listless (physical and spiritual death). 


“the decay of fitness due to our modern methods of locomotion, the decay of self discipline helped by stimulants and tranquilisers, the decay of enterprise due to the widespread disease of spectatoritis, the decay of skill and care helped by the decline in craftsmanship and above all the decay of compassion which William Temple called spiritual death”. (Hahn1958)


Hahn’s schools in Salem and Gordonstoun were established on his basic ideas of school and educational reform, that he had developed as a student in the “torment box” of the Königliche Wilhelms-Gymnasium. His schools were experiential as he believed that children needed to be given possibilities to discover themselves.


“Assign them tasks which are important enough to lead to the breakdown of the school state if carried out carelessly... Let them experience triumph and defeat ... Provide periods of silence ... Train the imagination”(Knoll 2011)


His innovation in education with “experiential therapy” and of social services, was undoubtedly one of the most significant contributions to educational theory giving him the title  “Father of modern and experiential education”.


As Hahn’s theory got stronger, he created the “international educational republic” which now spans 5 continents with institutions, awards and programs like Outward Bound Schools (since 1941); International award for young people since 1956 which is a certificate for physical fitness, intellectual and social performance, the oldest and most well-known is the Duke of Edinburgh Award; and the prestigious United World Colleges (since 1962) (James 1990).


Hahn’s educational theory strongly influenced the development of the IB in its early years, and the four pillars of “Outward Bound” inspired the architecture of the IB DP.

1. Physical fitness accounted to the discipline of training and preserving ones’ body from drugs such as caffeine, alcohol and tobacco which in IB stands for 
2. Expedition of challenge and adventure was an exercise in will power. It develops endurance to go past ones’ comfort zone to greater achievements.
3. Project to develop self reliance and self-discipline through intellectual strength. The conception, planning, execution and monitoring of one's own project develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
4. Sense of compassion through service emphasised the social element and commitment to society.
Each of these elements related to different functions in a student’s growth and development which were later integrated into CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) within IBDP.
Though formed in 1968, the Kurt Hahn principles still resound in the philosophy and content of every IB school.


Hahn believed in the power of education, that strength is developed from failures just as much as successes, self-discovery through experiences both physically and mentally challenging and most of all overcome self-indulgence through the power of self-discipline. He believed that educating a whole person can only be achieved by a harmonious world that strives for education and peace.


  International Organizations Are Important For International Educators

International schools have for long been the domain of the expatriate communities but there has been a recent shift in that dynamic with the local population of students in international schools drastically increasing. With globalisation and the rise of the middle class in large economies like India and China, international schools serve as a passport to higher education and global mobility. 


According to ISC Research’s latest Global Report, which includes data up to January 2020, there are now 11,451 international schools around the world delivering learning to over 5.82 million children from Kindergarten to Grade 12 with the enrollment of students mainly being of the local population. While in 2000, the global market for international schools was five billion dollars in revenue, has now risen eleven times in 2020 to $54.8 billion.


According to the ISC Global report from Jan 2020, the expansion in the Western Asia market with growth mainly derived from UAE which has almost double the student enrolment than China. 


The proliferation of international schools worldwide stipulates the need for international organisations like Alliance for International Education and similar organisations. Members of international educational organisations belong to a dynamic global community which provides a forum for the exchange of ideas in the field of international education. Member schools are exposed to new and up-to-date research  in the development of new pedagogical principles which gives direction to curriculum innovation and instruction in their school. This fraternity of member schools provide dynamic partnerships that enrich and enhance professional development to teachers and Heads of school which leads to good governance in schools globally. These organisations also serve as a quality guide to keep the standards of academic excellence which further helps students in their educational outcomes. It also serves as a distinguishing feature between world class international schools and schools that claim to be ‘international’ only by name. 

Conclusion

As the world is rapidly changing, the need for education needs to evolve from acquisition of knowledge to nurturing inherent human skills and deep understanding of world communities, to advance the world’s interconnectedness and ensure the youth understand that “there is more that unites us than divides us (Mauricio Macri).


References


AIE - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.intedalliance.org/


Cambridge *, J., & Thompson, J. (2004). Internationalism and globalization as contexts for international education. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 34(2), 161-175. 


Data and intelligence. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.iscresearch.com/data


Hahn, K. (1936, March 24). Education and Peace:The Foundations of Modern Society. Retrieved from http://www.kurthahn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ed_peace.pdf


Hahn, K. (1959). Dr. Kurt Hahn at the Forty-Eighth Annual Dinner of Old Centralians. The Central: The Journal of Old Centralians, London, 119, 3-8.


Hahn, K. (1965, May 9). Harrogate Address on Outward Bound.


Hayden, M. C., & Thompson, J. J. (1995). International Schools and International Education: A Relationship Reviewed. Oxford Review of Education, 21


Hill, I. (2016). What is an International School? Part Two a Way Forward. International Schools Journal, 35(2), 9-21


Hill, I What is an international school? Part one International Schools Journal 35(1), 60-70


Investment Migration Insider. (2020, June 15). International school market has grown 10x since 2000: What does that herald for investment migration? Retrieved from https://www.imidaily.com/industry-trends/international-school-market-has-grown-10x-since-2000-what-does-that-herald-for-investment-migration/


James, T. (1990). Kurt Hahn and the Aims of Education. Journal of Experiential Education, 13(1), 6–13. 


Keeling, A. (2018, February). Investment in international schools: an expanding market. Education Investor Global. XXXV no.1 November 2015 pp 60-70


Knoll, M. (2011). Schulreform through" Experiential Therapy": Kurt Hahn--An Efficacious Educator. Online Submission.


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