{"id":8958,"date":"2022-11-27T09:35:12","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T09:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=8958"},"modified":"2022-11-27T09:35:15","modified_gmt":"2022-11-27T09:35:15","slug":"selecting-an-international-school-tip-3-is-the-school-vision-consistent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/selecting-an-international-school-tip-3-is-the-school-vision-consistent\/","title":{"rendered":"Selecting an International School: Tip #3: Is the School Vision Consistent?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What reasons do parents think about when selecting a school for their children when they move abroad? Are they similar reasons why teachers choose to work at a school abroad as well?\u00a0 Many international school teachers are in teaching couples that have children.\u00a0 There are also international school teachers that are married to a local and have children too.\u00a0 So, how do you choose the right international school for your children to attend?\u00a0 This blog series will discuss the\u00a0Tips for Selecting an International School<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tip #3 – Vision: What is the vision of the school? Is it consistent with the actual operation of the school?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the vision that is expressed by the school head or officials? Can anyone attest to whether it is consistent with the actual operation of the school?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you are a potential parent or teacher at an international school, it is important for you to inquire about the Vision of the school.\u00a0 You might ask yourself \u201cwhat is this notion called Vision\u201d all about and why would it be a concern?\u00a0 As long as the school is safe and orderly, isn\u2019t that enough?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vision is the core of the functionality of the school.\u00a0 Many international schools are privately owned and operated as a business with a mission and vision, often that of the owners.\u00a0 Other schools might be government entities or faith-based, both of which will likely have specific purposes for existence.\u00a0 Nonetheless, the vision for a school should be clearly articulated and a driving force for all decisions within the school.\u00a0 Furthermore, the vision should be one that is shared with a wide array of stakeholders from teachers and students to parents and community members.\u00a0 It also should be revisited each year or two for refining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Strong, effective vision statements are often succinct and able to be implanted throughout the decision-making process.\u00a0 A common current vision theme might include the concept of \u201cpreparing global learners for the 21st<\/sup> century\u201d which can sound appealing to teachers and parents assessing international schools.\u00a0 \u00a0Don\u2019t we want our students\/children to be prepared for the workforce and the competitive market?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look inside the school\u2019s operation as we examine the concept of 21st-century global readiness.\u00a0 Some easy-to-identify indicators of the use of the Vision for the school might include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.     Clearly stated on the school website
2.     Visible at the school
3.     Included in school marketing materials
4.     Articulated by school leaders in interviews and meetings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the true power of the Vision is embedded in decision-making and is generally harder for a parent or new hire to identify.  The following questions (and many more) can reveal if the Vision indeed drives the inner workings of the school:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do enrollment and hiring practices support diversity?
2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How has the curriculum expanded to prepare students for a global future?
3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How is technology financed and integrated into the curriculum and daily operations of the school?
4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do the instructional strategies reflect on teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving for students and faculty?
5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Are multiple languages spoken at the school?
6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Are teachers trained to use best practices in their instruction?
7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Are there global partnerships for teachers and students to engage in international discussions, projects, and exchanges?
8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is there a sense of shared leadership that enables teachers and students to have leadership roles and develop leadership skills?
9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How does the school\u2019s budget reflect a commitment to preparing 21st-century global learners?
10.\u00a0 What achievement expectations do the leaders have for learners?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From that limited list of thoughts, one can recognize that future parents and teachers need to be creative in their inquiry process.  Otherwise, the Vision might be more of \u201cthe blind leading the blind.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was submitted by guest author: Mary Anne Hipp (contact her here – mahipp@suddenlink.net<\/a> or visit her Blogspot – http:\/\/mahipp.blogspot.com\/<\/a>)
<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the unique ISC Comment Search feature on International School Community<\/strong><\/a> we found 469 comments<\/a> that have the keyword Vision in them. Here are just a few of them: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you are an international school teacher currently working abroad, log in to ISC today<\/a> and submit your comment regarding your school’s realization of its vision!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, make sure to join www.internationalschoolcommunity.com<\/a> as you are able to check out our over 950 members.  Many of our current members have listed they work at over 200 international schools around the world. Feel free to send these members a message with your questions about an international school’s vision statement and whether it is consistent with the actual operation of the school.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What reasons do parents think about when selecting a school for their children when they move abroad? Are they similar reasons why teachers choose to work at a school abroad as well?\u00a0 Many international school teachers are in teaching couples that have children.\u00a0 There are also international school teachers that are married to a local […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1319],"tags":[29,43,1355,185,186,1315,32,64,1422,1423,1424,1360,278],"class_list":["post-8958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-12-tips-for-selecting-an-intl-school","tag-international-school","tag-international-school-educators","tag-international-school-location","tag-international-school-parents","tag-international-school-teacher","tag-international-school-teachers-with-dependents","tag-international-schools","tag-interviewing","tag-mission-statement","tag-vision","tag-vision-statement","tag-working-at-an-international-school","tag-working-at-international-schools"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/vision-g2c98b3a46_1280.jpg?fit=1280%2C512&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-2ku","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9624,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/selecting-an-international-school-tip-6-how-well-is-the-school-linked-to-other-international-schools-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":8958,"position":0},"title":"Selecting an international school: Tip #6 \u2013 How well is the school linked to other international schools?","author":"ISCommunity","date":"October 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"What reasons do parents think about when selecting a school for their children when they move abroad? 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