International schools: growth and influence

by Mary Hayden and Jeff Thompson

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Recent years have seen an unprecedented growth in the number of international schools worldwide. Although these schools were initially set up to educate the children of globally-mobile expatriate professionals, ‘host country’ families now increasingly consider international school education as an alternative to the national system in which they lack confidence and/or as a means of providing a competitive edge for their children in education and labour market terms. In an increasingly globalized world, ‘international-mindedness’, concern for world peace, and the need for intercultural understanding have led to the inclusion of an ‘ideological’ dimension in the mission statements of many such schools.

The booklet provides an insight on the origins and characteristics of international schools, on curriculum and assessment, student and teaching staff, and on the management, leadership and governance of these schools. The booklet also discusses how international schools (usually private and fee-paying) might develop in the future against a backdrop of the growing forces of globalization and other international influences. In all cases, attention is drawn to the implications of the issues discussed for both policy-makers and planners in national and international contexts.

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