Leading International Schools, Module 2: Leading and Managing International Schools

Candidates will develop an understanding of the characteristics of students in international schools. In particular, candidates will be able to classify the kinds of students they may encounter as, for example, host country nationals, returnees from abroad, or so-called “global nomads.” The diverse needs of these types of students, including accommodating their aspirations, will be examined…

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1. Candidates will develop an understanding of the characteristics of students in international schools. In particular, candidates will be able to classify the kinds of students they may encounter as, for example, host country nationals, returnees from abroad, or so-called “global nomads.” The diverse needs of these types of students, including accommodating their aspirations, will be examined.

2. Candidates will develop an understanding of the unique issues faced by teachers and administrators in international schools. Questions like “Where do teachers come from?”, “How long are they likely to stay, and why? , “What kind of performance indicators are applied to teachers?”, “Where do administrators come from and what factors influence their hiring and career path?” will be explored.

3. Candidates will develop an understanding of the variety of management and governance schemes that exit in international schools. The implications for school leaders of some of those schemes will be explored, including:

• The place of commercial success in school life
• The influence of parents on school management
• The accountability of school administrators for academic (or other) success
• The influence of local culture in school life and school management

4. Candidates will examine case studies of International schools to develop an understanding of practical matters associated with leading an international school. These scenarios will be drawn from real world examples, and will be chosen to reflect the wide variety of potential experiences administrators face in managing an international school.

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Course Format

• Using Canvas, a learning management system that provides for synchronous and a synchronous learning;
• 12 hours of instruction over 2 weeks;
• Weekly webinars that will be recorded;
• Readings, presentations, discussions, quizzes, group activities, videos, audios, and instructor video clips;
• Candidate evaluation

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Joe Atherton

Joe is an International School Principal who is currently working at The American School of Brasilia.  Previously, he served as Principal at The American School of Bombay and at The American International School of Budapest.  Prior to his international school experiences, he was a Principal with the Upper Grand District School Board and with the Dufferin County Board of Education in Ontario, Canada.

Joe has been committed to professional development throughout his administrative career.  While in Canada, he developed and delivered workshops for the Ontario Principals’ Council, as well as instructed Part II of the OPC Principal’s Qualification Program.  Since going overseas, he has delivered workshops on leadership in Nepal, Thailand, India, Egypt, Hungary, Greece and, most recently, in Brazil. Joe has served on Accreditation Teams for the Middle States Association, Council of International Schools, and Advanced Ed. in Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Guyana.

Joe brings 10 years of international school leadership experience and 15 years of school leadership in Ontario, Canada. He is looking forward to the opportunity to assist others in developing the skills and competencies needed to be effective leaders in international education.

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