Office of Overseas Schools and International Schools Services

Office of Overseas Schools and International Schools Services American Overseas Schools NAESP – April 11, 2010

American International Schools Ø Locations: Africa, Central/South America, Europe, Near/Middle East, Asia/Pacific Rim, Southeast Asia Ø Student body: multi-national Ø Governance: independent community based, company sponsored, church related, proprietary Ø Language of instruction: English / bilingual Ø Curriculum: International, US based, IB, AP

Schools Assisted by the Office of Overseas Schools 196 Schools Receive Grant Assistance American Republics – 40 Europe - 66 East Asia – 26 Near East/South Asia – 23 Africa – 41

International School of Islamabad Lincoln Community School, Accra American-Sponsored Schools Around the World Jakarta International School Am. Int. School of Mozambique

The Mission of the Office of Overseas Schools Leveraging Human, Financial and Information Resources to Create Quality American Education Overseas • support a strong education • developing model American program for dependents of schools to promote mutual, U. S. Government employees. education and cultural understanding for all.

Student Population at Schools Assisted by the Office of Overseas Schools • 121, 970 Students Enrolled • 27 % US Citizens • 28% Host Country Nationals • 45% Third Country Nationals

School Support Activities • Accreditation • School-to-School Partnerships • Regional Education Associations • New Schools • Security Measures in Overseas Schools • Grant Assistance

Comparison of 2008 Mean SAT Scores All US Citizens in Overseas Schools All Students in OS Schools Reading Math Writing 545 584 545 574 585 567 National Average in US Schools 502 515 494

International School of Dakar St. Stephens School, Rome International School of Addis Ababa American Embassy School, Reykjavik American International School of Vienna American School of Asuncion

Kiev International School Suva International School of Beijing Overseas School of Colombo International School of Ulaanbaatar Copenhagen International School

Selection Criteria for Administrators Ø Ø Ø Master’s degree required At least two years current admin experience Desired career progression is previous successful experience as a teacher, principal, superintendent Certification preferred by most schools Doctorate preferred for school heads in some of the larger schools

Yangon International School - Myanmar

Qualities of Successful Overseas Administrators Ø Flexibility/Adaptability Ø High energy level Ø Sense of humor/adventure Ø Counseling skills Ø Good communication skills – both written and verbal Ø Collaborative leadership style

Establish a Professional File Ø Ø Ø Application data / narratives Official transcripts and certification documents Written references from supervisors and their current contact information Resume and other supporting documents Tandem couples often have an advantage, especially in smaller schools

Administrative Recruiting Ø Begins earlier than in US – Schools are beginning now to list positions for 2011 -12 Ø Active September through April Ø Often involves site visit of the top 2 -3 candidates (with spouse) for on-site interviews lasting for 23 days Ø Directors/Superintendents hired by Board; Principals hired by school head

International Administration Personal Advantages ü Comfortable lifestyle ü Excellent saving potential ü Travel Opportunities ü Educational value for children ü Opportunity to learn and grow ü Opportunity to work with wonderful staff and motivated students

Professional Advantages ü Small organization – most are <800 students ü Initiatives can be implemented quickly ü Flexibility in staffing/high quality teachers ü Few legal issues ü Administrators are focused on education with few mandated requirements ü Supportive parent community

Challenges ü Few support staff – school & community ü High board turnover – most are elected ü High teacher turnover (challenge/opportunity) ü Demands of a diverse community ü Isolation ü Language/cultural differences ü Resource/counselor: “You are the rock”

Characteristics of Overseas Schools ü Focal point of the international community ü High expectations of parent community ü Well educated two-parent families ü Highly motivated, capable, success oriented students ü Well funded academic programs ü Small expatriate community – Fish Bowl

For Information: Office of Overseas Schools - A/OS, Washington, D. C. William H. Scotti – Regional Education Officer E-mail: scottiwh 2@state. gov Web: www. state. gov/m/a/os International Schools Services – Princeton, NJ Ralph Jahr, VP Head Search & Administration E-Mail: rjahr@iss. edu Web: www. iss. edu Council of Int’l Schools – Petersfield, Hampshire UK Richard Tangye, Executive Director Web: www. cois. org

Educators’ Collaborative, LLC – San Francisco, CA Judith R. Glickman Web: www. educatorscollaborative. com E-mail – jglickman@educatorscollaborative. com Search Associates – Dallas, PA John Magagna, Search Consultant Web: www. search-associates. com Carney, Sandoe & Associates – Boston, MA Ralph Davison, Jr. - Senior Search Consultant Web: www. carneysandoe. com

The International School Experience