Let the Adventure Begin! A Week-by-Week Guide to Moving Abroad
31 Weeks Until Overseas Move: International School Selection - Choosing the Right School and Other Education Topics
Researching International Schools
To research available schools in your destination, there are many avenues. The Internet has helpful resources, particularly when it comes to identifying International Schools. See the links below for two helpful guides. ExpatExchange has also been collecting reviews of international schools from parents and educators for many years. Visit our International School Reviews, but please keep in mind that these reports are only one person's view of a school. Sometimes a bad report card or dispute with a teacher can lead to a flaming review that may not be fairly reflective of the school.
Use our Country Forums to talk with expats in your future location about schools and admission policies.
From their article entitled, Factors to Consider in Selecting a School, Bennett Educational Resources explains, "The objective in school selection is to find the best possible match between the needs of the child and the education provided by the school. Each child has a unique set of social needs, interest and learning abilities, and each school offers a unique combination of teaching philosophy, size, curriculum, tuition, and student body composition. Because of the number of factors to be considered, and the difficulty in measuring these factors, the selection process can be a demanding exercise."
Bennett Educational Resources has developed the following checklist which many parents have found to be helpful in evaluating schools:
School Community
Is there a sense of school community?
Are there opportunities for students to participate in and contribute to that community?
Do students feel a sense of loyalty and enthusiasm about their school?
What is the social climate in the school?
Is the student body homogeneous or diverse in terms of social, ethnic, religious, or national status?
Do parents play an active role in school affairs?
Administration and Faculty
What is the background of the head of the school?
How long has the head served at this school?
Has the head set a positive and consistent tone for the school community?
Is the head accessible and responsive to the school community?
Who are the teachers and what are their credentials?
Do teachers challenge their students?
Philosophy of education
Is there an identifiable philosophy of education?
What are the educational goals of the school?
Do faculty and students feel that these goals are being met?
Quality and Assurance and Performance
How is the school accredited?
How frequently is the school inspected and by what agencies, to insure that proper academic standards are maintained?
Does the school undergo periodic peer review?
Are the standardized test scores or college admission records to gauge academic performance?
What are the student retention and attrition rates?
Other Characteristics
What is the enrollment of the school?
When was the school founded?
What is the state of the school's physical plant?
Is the school in a convenient location?
Does the school offer the curriculum/activities that are desired/needed by the student?
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This is an excerpt of our free e-newsletter, Let the Adventure Begin!. For full access, please subscribe to the e-version of Let the Adventure Begin! (free). You'll receive (free) weekly e-newsletters starting 8 months before your approximate move date and running through your first four months abroad.
