“An International school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national curriculum different from that of the country the school is located in.” - Wikipedia

Some of the characteristics are:

• Transferability of the student’s education across international schools.
• A moving population (higher than in state schools or public schools).
• Multinational and multilingual student body
• An international curriculum.( e.g. IB - DP, MYP, PYP)
• International accreditation (e.g. CIS, IBO, North Eastern ASC, Weston Ass. of Schools and colleges were mentioned by the group).
• A transient and multinational teacher population.
• Non-selective student enrollment.
• Usually English or bilingual as the language of instruction

These schools cater mainly to students who are not nationals of the host country - but not exclusively - such as the children of the staff of international businesses, international organizations, foreign embassies, missions, or missionary programs. Many local students attend these schools to learn the language of the international school and to obtain qualifications for employment or higher education in a foreign country.

International schools come in many different shapes and sizes and the term itself, includes a variety of school systems encompassing a wide variety of formats and curricula, with some being more international than others.
In order to be considered an actual international school, it is widely agreed that a school generally follows a national or international curriculum different from that of the host country. Additionally, an emphasis is placed on international education (with such programs as the IB) and global citizenship.

Rapid Growth
The international school market has experienced explosive growth over the past 10 years with the number of international schools more than doubling across the globe. This past year alone, 345 new schools were added to the network of thousands of international schools worldwide. ISC Research, a UK-based organization dedicated to analyzing, researching and tracking developments in the international school market, calculates that there are currently over 2.8 million students enrolled in international schools around the world.

More than two-thirds of the annual increase for 2012 came from Asia where ISC reports 238 new schools were added this year alone. This is largely fueled by China where the growth in foreign businesses, the expatriate community, and the export market mirrors the expansion of the international schools market. With 46 new schools, China accounts for one in five of the new Asian schools started this past year.

Who are the Students?
Students are the children or dependents of employees of international businesses, international organizations, foreign embassies, NGO’s, missions, or missionary programs. In addition to the children of expatriates, many schools have local students from the host country attending. International schools are growing in popularity for host country students and their parents are willing to pay the high tuition so their children can learn the language of the international school (mostly English) and obtain qualifications for higher education in a foreign country.

Some international schools have restrictions on the number or percentage of host country students the school can admit, while others are unable to admit host country students at all. For example, the American Embassy School in New Delhi does not admit students of Indian nationality, except in specific circumstances as mandated by the Government of India’s Ministry of External Affairs.*

The first International schools were founded in the latter half of the 19th century in countries such as Japan, Switzerland and Turkey. Early International schools were set up for those who are constantly on the move, like children of personnel of international companies, international organizations, NGOs, embassy staff with the help of nations having large interests in the hosting nation: for instance, American diplomats and missionaries often set up schools to educate their children; children of American military and army families often attended Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS); French diplomats and business families founded similar schools based on the French curriculum. Over time globalization has proven that education no longer can exist solely on a national level. “In a global economy, it is no longer improvement by national standards alone. The best performing education systems internationally provide the benchmark for success,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría launching the annual ‘education at a glance’ report in Paris. Increased movement of people around the globe has created a generation of children growing up and residing in foreign countries, creating and expanding this market for international schools that can cater for their educational needs.

More than two-thirds of the annual increase for 2012 came from Asia where ISC reports 238 new schools were added this year alone. This is largely fueled by China where the growth in foreign businesses, the expatriate community, and the export market mirrors the expansion of the international schools market. With 46 new schools, China accounts for one in five of the new Asian schools started this past year.

Next month: “THIRD CULTURE KIDS”