An increasing number of international English-medium K-12 schools would rather embrace the opportunities and challenges of inclusion. That is one of the conclusions drawn from a recent survey, conducted by ISC Research and Next Frontier Inclusion (NFI), which compiled responses from 584 international schools of varying sizes from around the world.
Growing expectations
International schools today need to meet the expectations of expatriate families coming from countries where, increasingly, legislation supports inclusion in schools. But they are also catering for local families who are unable to access specialist support in state schools.
Skilled staff lacking
Although most international schools are uncomfortable with an exclusionary attitude towards children with special learning needs, skilled staff are often lacking. Only 33% of the schools in the study said that staff working with students with learning differences are entirely qualified special educators.
Proposing standards
Also noteworthy, 84% of the international schools that responded said they enrol children with special gifts and talents, but only 35% of the schools said they are satisfied with their provision for this group of students. In response to this misalignment, NFI is putting together a task force to propose standards for meeting the needs of highly capable students in international schools. Other conclusions from the survey suggest an attitudinal shift away from elitist and non-inclusionary language and policies, although many schools indicate they are insecure about how to change.
A boost for mobility
Kristel Bohte, an educational consultant at Edufax, welcomes this growing shift toward inclusiveness in international education. The chance that a child will be able to fulfil his or her potential will increase, which is positive news for outbound families and a welcome boost for mobility.
More information: iscresearch.com and edufax.nl
Photo: woodleywonderworks – Flickr
