For any family relocating with children, the prospect of identifying a first-rate education can be daunting.  Relocating with a gifted child multiplies these difficulties.  All too often, in public as well as most mainstream private schools in the United States, gifted children face a disadvantage.  Children who are profoundly gifted have special learning and social needs.  If they are bored in school they can underachieve, develop behavior problems, or opt out of education altogether.  Social problems often accompany giftedness, as these children may have little in common with classmates and often miss social cues.  Nevertheless, gifted children are hampered by the overriding assumption that a child doing well in school does not need a different educational experience.  This assumption can trigger a chain of events where the most capable children lose interest in school, and society loses the contributions of potentially high achievers.

Educational Issues

In a typical classroom, where teachers focus on those who need the most help, few gifted children will be challenged.  A teacher may be far more likely to ignore a relocating gifted child’s individual learning needs, or even neglect to notice him/her altogether.  If the family is not on a permanent assignment, a school or teacher may not want to spend extra resources on only one child for a short amount of time.  Even when gifted children have a relatively positive experience at school, they can exit from high school poorly equipped for college. They rarely have to study to perform well on tests and can sail through high school without study skills, only to enter university ill-equipped to handle a major workload.

International schools often may be better equipped than local schools to meet the needs of the gifted because of the naturally rich multi-cultural environment and an internationally focused curriculum, as well as selective admissions.  While these make for a more hospitable environment for gifted children, few international schools utilize teaching methods expressly tailored to gifted children and teachers are not trained to work specifically with this population.

Social Issues

Socially, gifted children face many of the same stigmas as learning-disabled children. Lacking peers with common interests they may have few, if any, friends – or may even be mocked, scorned or bullied.  A gifted, foreign child is doubly stigmatized; he may have the additional burdens of a different accent or difficulties adjusting culturally.

Often, schools will simply advance a gifted child by a grade or two, which can be helpful.  But this approach may create social and emotional problems by exposing younger children to more mature issues, like dating, drinking, and driving at sensitive ages.

International Advances

In some countries local schools can, in fact, be a better option for educating a gifted child.  In the Netherlands, a private foundation devised a special curriculum for gifted students; the foundation has created Leonardoschools, where gifted children are educated according to this challenging curriculum.  South Korea’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology created the National Research Center for Gifted and Talented Education, a center that works to develop and implement education for gifted children.  However, gifted education is still largely ignored by public schools in many countries.

Psychological Risks

Research conducted in the Unites States shows that gifted children are more at-risk for psychological disability and emotional damage than non-gifted children (the 1972 Marland Report, the first national report on gifted education).  The social difficulties experienced by gifted children may decrease as they become adults, but a negative educational experience during a child’s formative years can have a severe impact for years to come.  According to these studies, many of these emotional difficulties can be prevented if children are placed in proper educational environments.  In 2002, additional research done by the National Association for Gifted Children corroborated the findings of the Marland Report.

Tips for Success

If you are considering relocating with a gifted child, it is critical to be aware of the myriad challenges involved.  International or private schools may be able to sufficiently challenge your child, but it is necessary to assess the individual institutions to determine whether they offer both academic and social support. If you are considering local schools, be prepared to advocate on your child’s behalf and to monitor your child’s daily experiences to make sure s/he is thriving after a brief transition period.  Here are some tips to ensure that your gifted child’s new school is the right environment for him or her:

-          DO NOT walk into a school saying, “My child is gifted, s/he needs special challenge.”  Instead, go in prepared with documentation and test scores and say, “These are his previous experiences, how can we work together to make school a success for him?”

-          Ask whether the school has worked with children in the past who are both in transition and gifted, and what programs/practices they have put in place to ensure a successful experience.

-          Are there other gifted children?  Are there other international children?

-          Ask whether there are peers at your child’s grade level with whom s/he can socialize even if s/he is doing accelerated or atypical coursework.

-          Understand the school’s views on acceleration vs. maintaining peer continuity and make sure their views echo your own.

-          Find out whether the school offers any social skills training in the event that the child has difficulty fitting in.

-          Ask about how unstructured times like lunch, play and transportation.  How are social interactions monitored?

Conclusion

For children, being “different” can be overwhelming and stressful, no matter what the cause.  Giftedness and relocation can both factor into making a child feel this way.  The complexity of navigating these issues simultaneously is daunting, but nurturing and supportive parents who ask the right questions can make all the difference to a gifted child in transition.

Source: School Choice International

When families are moved by their companies to a new country they generally have an expectation of living a normal life in their new home, be it a three year expatriate assignment or a permanent local move.  Of course we are aware that plans change – mergers and acquisitions take place, profit targets may not be reached, or an employee may be needed even more in a different location.  However, a sudden move home or to yet another country due to crisis – either political unrest as we have been seeing in Egypt in recent days, or events like the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong – leaves families packing and panicking at the same time. Utmost  among their concerns is the children and their education.

In recent weeks School Choice International has been working with a multitude of families forced to evacuate Egypt – virtually without notice.  Prior to their original move, disrupting their children’s schooling in an orderly and thoughtful manner worried these parents. But for children uprooted without warning and evacuated for reasons of safety, relocation can be a true trauma.  Children who are evacuated often don’t have the opportunity to say good-bye, and may not understand why they are leaving or where they are going.  Parents are overwhelmed by myriad issues that need instant resolution, and uncertainty about the immediate as well as distant future prevails.  Under these circumstances families are moved to new locations without choice – so schools may be full, a new language may present obstacles and curriculum is likely to be different – all of which is harder without notice.  Often this move precedes another one once the families are removed from harm’s way and time permits the company to make longer-lasting decisions.

Although evacuations are rare, there may be other reasons, i.e., natural disasters or health of a family member at home or abroad, that result in a rapid exit from expat assignments.  In today’s world it is worthwhile for families to be ready for a quick exit, and being positioned to move children rapidly to a new school in an unknown country is an important piece of this strategy.  With the internet and Google documents, even a family forced to leave everything behind can access key documents as soon as they are needed in their new home – as long as they are prepared.

A simple way to be prepared for any eventuality is for a parent to develop a Google documents file for each of their children.  This will simplify the transition in the event that they are forced to apply to schools in a new location without notice.  Files can be organized according to tabs, so each child can have their own virtual portfolio divided into categories that are easily retrievable.

For the next school search:

Scanning and saving official documents is a good idea.  Even though schools may not accept scanned copies during a normal application process, families that are hurriedly evacuated may find that schools in their new locations are sympathetic and more willing to be flexible.  Documents in each child’s portfolio should include:

• History of immunizations and vaccinations/health records
• School transcripts for the past three years, including those from the prior school as well as the child’s current school
• Report cards that include teacher comments above and beyond those included in transcripts
• Copies of diplomas, awards or any other significant accomplishments in school, in religious life or in extracurricular activities
• Copies of applications to schools children currently attend in expatriate destinations.  It will be easier to extract from these than to rewrite application essays from scratch.
• Recent work samples including writing samples, mathematics papers and any specialty work in areas of particular strengths and/or interests
• Copies of teacher recommendations used for admission to current school, as well as one or two requested from any current teacher with whom the child has an exceptional rapport.  Keeping email addresses or telephone numbers of these teachers may be useful if you need additional information later from afar.

These files should be updated semi-annually.  If kept current these materials should be sufficient to apply to a new school, no matter how hurried the exit.

For the child’s emotional well-being:

In addition to academic files, if parents have time we recommend that they maintain an up-to-date file that would give the child solace in the event that s/he is unable to say a proper good-bye.  Photos of friends, scanned copies of special valentines, birthday cards, notes from special people, notes from teachers, sports awards and an on-line journal, if a child is able to keep one, will all be cherished after departure.  Remember to maintaining contact details (email addresses and telephone numbers of friends, coaches and teachers so that the child can contact them after the fact.

Conclusion:

Nothing can prevent an evacuation from being stressful.  But a bit of preparation when life is stable will go a long way in helping families find new schools and gain admission to them even under the worst of circumstances.  And settling into in his/her new school will be the child’s most important step to recovering from the trauma of a forced evacuation.

Source: School Choice International

More families relocating today are considering sending their children to local schools rather than international ones.  Increased numbers of families are being relocated as locals rather than as expatriates, and relocation subsidies are reducing or eliminating international school tuition coverage as policies are rewritten.  According to the HSBC Expat Explorer Offshore Offspring report (2010), of families posted abroad by an employer, under one third receives support toward their children’s education within their employee benefits package.  Between economic factors and today’s emphasis on global competency, families utilizing local schools abroad are on the rise.

Although local schooling is much more of an unknown, and therefore more frightening, than an international school and concomitant expatriate environment, there are some things that parents can think about to determine whether it can be a positive choice for their children, and for those answering yes, there are things that a family can do to foster success.

Assessing whether your child will thrive in a local school:

When considering a local school in a new country, it is important to recognize that your child will encounter significant differences in terms of curriculum, educational customs, and culture.  To make a good decision on behalf of a child, the most important thing a parent can do is to understand those differences.  Sources of information may be teachers in both countries, on-line curriculum outlines, whether curriculum is determined nationally or at the state level, or Global Education Explorer (www.globaleducationexplorer.com).  Specifically comparing curriculum between home and host countries for the upcoming year will indicate where a child will be ahead or behind.  Once a parent understands that, s/he can put in place supplemental study (either tutors, distance learning or at school) to bring a child up to speed or can talk with the school and outside agencies about providing additional enrichment.  As a result of a careful curriculum comparison, parents can determine whether this is a year that it is possible to educate their child in a local school successfully or if it is a sensitive year in which it is necessary either to pay international school fees, send a child to boarding school at home, or find an alternative solution.

Tips for success:

Children always do best when they are prepared for a transition.  For example, a child should be told in advance that s/he may not have learned some of the things that his or her peers in the new school already have mastered, and that s/he is not inadequate because he or she does not know them.  Parents should reassure their child that they will provide whatever kind of support it takes to be successful academically in their new school.

Once parents and child understand educational differences, it is important for the family to read about the culture and to understand cultural differences as they pertain to schooling.  If a child is coming to the United States from China, for example, s/he should be aware that class participation can constitute a major part of a grade and that students are expected to work with their peers on projects – and that they share a grade with the rest of their group.  Coming from a very individualistic society with a high degree of respect for authority, this can be quite a shock.  But a student who understands the norms will have a far greater chance of success than one who is not prepared for school reports based on unexpected variables.

In the United States or in England, play dates or tea dates are opportunities for students to socialize with each other after school.  In Italy, children are far more likely to accompany their parents on errands in the afternoons.  Moving in either direction, children can thrive when exposed to new customs – if they understand local customs and have opportunities to plan for how they will spend their after school time.

When local school isn’t the answer:

Parents considering local schools should be aware that this may not be a solution for their  family or for their child at every age.  Children approaching the end of secondary school, for example, may not be able to prepare for English GCSE’s or A-levels without proper notice.  And children who are extraordinarily averse to change or have suffered a recent trauma may not be well equipped to make such a profound adjustment.  A child who has special needs may require continuity of educational approach in order to be successful.  Or parents may find the difference in customs makes local schooling a difficult choice for them.  In countries like Mexico, where nannies bring children to school routinely, expatriate parents may find it difficult to make friends or to integrate into a community and an international school may be a better alternative for the parents, if not for the children.

Conclusion:

Moving overseas with children is a rare opportunity.  As the new (2010) HSBC Expat Explorer Offshore Offspring report found, 84 percent of expats said that their children had adapted well to their new life abroad, and 85 percent agreed that children enjoyed life in their new country.  But ensuring that children do well means taking into account their personalities and educational needs, and providing adequate and appropriate preparation, both academically and emotionally.  When handled well, children attending local schools can learn far more from their overseas experience and grow up better prepared to live and work in a global economy.

Source: School Choice International

For most students, choosing a university is the first important decision they will make as adults, and it is one that shapes and influences that student’s life – both present and future.  But what if student preference or family circumstances dictate that going to school far away is the best choice – in fact, as far away as another country?

There are substantial benefits to attending university in another country.  This is true whether a student chooses to go abroad to university, a family wants their child educated in another country, or a family living abroad decides that their child should attend university in their home country.  A student from abroad is thrust into an environment that may be very different from one they already know, and if they are open to new experiences there is an extraordinary amount for them to learn.  If your child wants to attend a foreign university, as an international student they will become part of a minority.  They will, however, be given the opportunity to meet and make friends with other students from all over the world – both local students and other members of the university’s international population.  Your child will learn how to deal with obvious challenges, like language barriers, and being far from home (a weighty concern for any new university student).  But your child will, perhaps, learn most from the more nuanced aspects of cultural differences – including academic ones as well as social ones.  For example, what are the rules around dating?  Or does class participation count as part of a grade?

Why attend university abroad?

Picking one university to attend is a truly overwhelming choice for some.  With myriad schools all over the world, students and parents alike stress about choosing the right one.  You and your child need to ask yourselves why s/he wants to attend a foreign university.  Does your child like to travel?  Is s/he interested in being part of a diverse international community?  Does your child enjoy personal challenges (like living alone in a new country)? And what about the school itself – is your child interested in one specific university with a great international reputation, or is s/he just itching for a change?

Things to consider:

-          Complexities of the Application Process: Is your child prepared for the application process to a foreign university?  The first thing to consider is the difficulty of visiting schools far from home.  We recommend that no child attend a school they haven’t visited – preferably for an overnight stay.  Co-educational dormitories, even bathrooms, can come as a shock to students from many other parts of the world.

-          Once you have determined that visits are feasible, your child may need to prepare for this process far ahead of time.  Many countries rely on standardized testing for university admissions.  Is it easy to find a test site in the home country?  Are curriculum differences so large as to make studying for these exams a huge burden, particularly at the same time that they need to excel at their regular academic work?  Find out how much extra studying your child will need to do to prepare for this exam.

-          Academics: Fundamentally, choosing a university is about your child’s education.  Is the school your child wants to attend a good fit for your child?  Are the academics challenging, but not too challenging?  How compatible is your child’s current curriculum with that of the school they want to attend?  For example, the academic transition from a U.S. high school to a Canadian university is relatively simple because the countries’ high school curricula and teaching methods are similar, but a high school student going from China to Canada might encounter more obstacles in attending university than local students at first due to differences between the Chinese and Canadian education systems.

-          How motivated is your child?  Many universities provide extensive academic as well as social guidance for students, but universities in other parts of the world treat students as adults.  Will your child be able to achieve academically without the support system they had in high school?

-          Social Concerns: Is your child outgoing?  Does s/he make friends easily?  Will s/he be comfortable as part of a minority?  Will s/he cling to his or her own minority and forego all opportunities to integrate with other cultures? As an international student, your child may need to try a little bit harder to make friends so s/he can build a support system quickly in a place where s/he may not know anyone, and may feel very out of place.  If your child is adventurous and excited about meeting new and very different people, s/he may thrive in a new social environment like a foreign university.  Do you or does your child know anybody in this foreign country?  If you have a relative or family friend close by, that may ease your or your child’s mind about going far away and provide support during the transition.

-          Cultural Differences: Where does your child want to go to school?  A child who is eager to  experience a different way of life is likely to be more comfortable living in the midst of different cultures in terms of food, holidays, family values, and physical facilities.  There are enormous ways that cultural differences  play out in the world of education.  Have students been taught to answer the questions or to ask them?  What is the role of the teacher in the country where the child has been educated?  Is s/he the center of the educational experience or a facilitator?  What are the rules around cheating, plagiarism or any honor code that exists?  Are peers in school primarily to work or to have fun? Reading about the host culture will provide many cues to help your child decide whether the experience will be a positive one or traumatic.

Tips that may help your child have a smooth transition:

-          Visit! If you can, visit your child.  If your child is going far away, make the school visit into a family vacation for you and the rest of your family. If you are from Brazil and your child is going to school in England, take a little road trip around France together, or go skiing in the Swiss Alps.  That way you can all experience something new together, and spend valuable family time with each other.  Have your child show you his or her favorite spots around his/her new city. If you’ve been there before, show your child your favorite spots in that city.  If you and your child are both new to the city, do some sightseeing together.  This way you can still be a part of your child’s life in a new country even if you may not be there for parents’ weekend or s/he may not come home for local holidays.

-          Encourage your child to join groups. As an international student, your child may have trouble making friends right away.  An easy way to combat this is to encourage your child to meet people however s/he can.  Is the university having a gathering for accepted students in your home country?  Are there school groups on linked in or facebook?  Your child can start making friends before s/he even gets to school!  Is there an international students association at the school?  If your child joins, s/he can make friends with people in similar situations.  Your child should attend a school’s club night in order to meet people with like interests.   Extracurricular activities, whether they be sports or orchestra will put your child in the company of others that share his/her interests.

While parents have a say in where their child attends university – whether in a country you are living in as a family or abroad, this critical choice is ultimately about what will make your child happy – during the university years as well as successful and independent later in life.  Does your child actually want to go to school abroad, or is that something that you want for him or her? You can definitely guide your child in the right direction while they choose a university, but in the end all you can really do is make sure your child is well-informed and that they make the best decision for themselves.

Source: School Choice International

When you relocate an employee you may encounter push back about their children’s schooling.  But if you address their underlying concerns, education does have to be an obstacle to relocation.

Parents today DO want to move overseas and to exotic places with their children. The younger generation of parents has been exposed to the advantages of global competency enough that they would love to offer this to their children at an early age – but only under what they consider to be the right circumstances.  Most of today’s parents have studied abroad for at least a semester abroad during college. They have traveled extensively and are worldly-wise because of the internet.  They hire Mandarin speaking nannies and take their children to exotic places even before they are old enough to appreciate it.

However, these same parents are very child-centered and worried about taking risks when it comes to their children.  They worry about whether their child’s education abroad will be as good as (often these are other words for identical to) the one they are leaving behind.  They worry about their children fitting in socially when abroad and academically when they return home.  They worry about being prepared for entrance exams to re-enter schools back home and they worry about university acceptances.  This generation of parents has raised their kids in a bubble – remember, theirs are the first cohort of children sporting ubiquitous bicycle helmets, whose children attend daily organized after-school activities and who have nannies walking their kids back and forth to school until advanced ages.  They are terribly worried about their children being emotionally damaged because of difficult transitions.

So, it is not surprising that often HR finds that parents are reluctant to move.  But their concerns can be alleviated by providing an appropriate combination of the following.  Parents want:

1)      Information

• Through the internet and their peers overseas they have enough information to feed their anxiety.  Accurate information about age-grade relationships, how “good” schools are overseas, how the various available curricula compare to their child’s current curriculum – both on the way over and on repatriation, and how to navigate the social/emotional transitions can make them more comfortable.  They need answers to the questions that incomplete information have generated.

2)      Reassurance that everything will turn out alright in each of the categories  mentioned above

• They need to be able speak to someone who has gone through this personally with their own children and who understands the actual educational consequences of the decisions they are making.  Someone who is empathetic but not emotionally involved with them is preferable.

3)      Access to the schools that their colleagues are talking about – or ones that are equally suitable

• Most easily attained when facilitated by a professional who understands and is connected to the local education climate
• Curriculum that is comparable so that they feel knowledge and credits can easily be transferred to schools back home is key in helping parents understand that other alternatives can indeed be viable options

4)      Someone to accurately sort out answers to their questions

Families moving internationally need to know whether or not there are international schools nearby, to what extent they these are full, and to what degree they are filled with locals versus expats.  They also need to understand whether local schools may be an option at their child’s age and, if so, how to prepare their child for a local school experience, to supplement the education if necessary and how to ease reentry into schools when repatriating.

Discomfort when confronting the unknown is human nature.  But if HR is aware of parents’ concerns about schooling it is possible to remove uncertainty that may be an obstacle to relocation and to give parents comfort when choosing the opportunity to educate their children in another country.

Source: School Choice International

Moving With Children

Liz Perelstein, School Choice International

Relocating families often rely on friends, colleagues and the internet when they face the daunting task of finding the right school for their child in a new location.  In the frenzy of things they need to accomplish in order to actually move, numbers or statistics are a reasonable proxy for quality – or at least the easiest one that is available.  In some places, schools, both public and private, are ranked on a national level.  In others, only the public sector may be ranked and comparison may only be possible state-wide rather than at the national level. And then there are many locations where private, fee-paying, schools simply do not allow themselves to be evaluated.  So at best, relocating families using rankings to identify suitable schools will find only a percentage of those actually available.

Anyone who understands children or child development is aware that not every child thrives in the same academic environment. Despite this obvious point, even under stable circumstances, well intentioned but impressionable parents use every tool in their arsenal to “get their children in” to the schools that someone has identified as “top” or “best.”  The sad result has been revealed to me in countless conversations with private school admissions officers and psychologists: “getting in” isn’t enough. Children pushed beyond their capacity –either intellectual or emotional, are those who fail, get counseled out, or who inevitably suffer from low self-esteem.  Often they are subjected to daily tutoring rather than using the hours after school to play with friends, participate in sport, or learn music or ballet.

The debate around rankings centers on the tension between accountability, which most consumers of education agree is worthwhile, versus the ability of statistics to accurately capture what a school, is about – particularly as it is a “people” business.  When numbers refer to class size or teacher/student ratio, there is little doubt that small classes, individualized attention and ready access to faculty provide students with unparalleled opportunities.  But in some instances rankings rely on university admissions – a criterion which is imperfect, at best.  Are university admissions determined by high test scores or rigorous curriculum?  Are they a function of which schools the kids attend or how they perform?  Or are students admitted based on family connections, monetary donations or other measures that a new parent seeking a school for his/her child may not be aware of?

Unfortunately, parents and students take lists of “top” schools very literally; they reinforce the natural insecurity in human nature and encourage parents to focus exclusively on the name brand. For families in transition, there may be few other mechanisms to determine quality. Do facilities matter?  Do children need – or even benefit from – country club like campuses?  Should parents be looking at access to facilities rather than grounds and equipment per se?  Who gets to play on the 15 tennis courts or the eight lane competition swimming pool or the golf course?  Will their child have that opportunity?  Do these schools use their lavish facilities to teach sportsmanship or to win?  Is the risk-taking behavior and self-confidence encouraged by favorable teacher/student ratios undercut by the exclusivity and competitive spirit that characterize some of these schools?

Parents need to ask the right questions to assess whether a particular school is right for their children. And the right list of questions depends on the child, his or her background as well as personal qualities – not on factors intrinsic to the school alone.  For families on the move it may be desirable to get objective assistance to help make a school selection for their child that is right for today, as well as for tomorrow.

Source: School Choice International

International School or Local School

Now that the economy has begun recovery, families who selected local schools abroad because of financial constraints – either imposed by corporate policy or their own finances – may once again have the option to enroll their children in international schools.  However, interest in developing globally competent children has followed the practical shortage of funds available  for international schooling, so parents moving to another country today may experience greater confusion in choosing between local and international schools– unable to predict what is best for the child in the short run as well as ultimately.  This article is designed to shed some light on the decision.

Understand the Alternatives:

International Schools

International schools originally were founded to serve expatriate populations. Many of the early international schools were founded as a result of a foreign state department or military presence in a country. In today’s global economy, demand from multinational corporations has vastly increased the number of international schools in destinations where these companies have a significant presence.  In some cases groups of companies joined together to start a school.  Most commonly demand for international education led to founding an international school by a third party – sometimes a “not-for-profit” and other times a” for-profit” entity.

International school instruction may be offered in a language other than that of the host country. They also offer choices for families who prefer curriculum and/or school-leaving qualifications not available through the local school system. International schools were created in response to expatriate families’ desire to preserve their home culture as well as a concern for the ability of their children educated abroad to repatriate and resume entry into their home educational system. International schools also provide a built-in community for expatriates and therefore typically extracurricular activities and events are available  every day of the week.

International schools can be defined by their curriculum: they either offer a national curriculum other than that of the host nation, and/or they teach a specifically international curriculum such as the International Baccalaureate.  While they cater to international families for the most part, during the economic downturn many international schools survived by accepting local students.  Therefore schools that boasted an international demographic composition until recently may now have limited space for international students as the local population is more stable than the former mobile population.  In cases where demographics have changed substantially, the character of the school may have changed as well.  Therefore it is wise for parents to inquire about the relative mix between local and international students if they are deliberately choosing an international school for the diversity it offers.

Local Schools

Language is the obstacle most commonly thought of when a family evaluates local schools as an alternative for their children. But integrating families into a local educational system where culture, goals, philosophies and teaching methods are new suggests complexity beyond language and requires a different type of preparation on the part of the family.

Parents selecting local schools should be thinking about issues as mundane as the calendar of the school year (will they be able to coordinate their home leave), the length of school day (do they need childcare in the afternoons), lunch (is the local custom to expect children to eat everything on their plate), homework customs as well as parental involvement, which differ widely between cultures.  In addition, parents can be confident that an international school community can open up an entirely new life for them while living abroad.  Does the local school provide a network of welcoming parents?

While financial considerations and an interest in fostering global competency have stimulated a new level of interest in local schools among internationally mobile families, even these parents can be quite uneasy about relocating with children unless and until they understand the local educational system and curriculum differences in their new country.

Consider these facts:

1. Some local schools in India consider handwriting so important that teachers may not consider content if handwriting falls short of expectations.
2. A study by the University of New Hampshire indicates in many European countries, parental involvement is not permitted.
3. In some countries, schools “stream” students into tracks as early as 12 years old, and this could affect the ability to gain admission to universities in other countries. Admissions decisions based on an “entry examination” or prerequisites make this a clear challenge for those who do not have the language or curriculum background.
4. Religious education is a fundamental part of national curriculum in many countries, such as Ireland. This may meet an unenthusiastic response from families not accustomed to such arrangements or those that practice a different religion. And, even if considered acceptable, students may not have the religious background to fit in.
5. Special education is handled in varied ways throughout the world, from mainstream educational options in the United States, to China, where few schools have an open-minded approach, and few teachers are taught to teach children with learning or other disabilities.

Tips for Success:

Here is a short checklist that companies and their assignees with children may find helpful in examining educational options before any overseas assignment, as well as before their eventual return home:

1. Allow time and provide assistance for families to review the curriculum of schools in the host country, and discuss it with teachers back home. Identifying specific areas where a child may be ahead or behind enables parents and schools to put in place supplemental programs to assist children in entry as well as re-entry.
2. Provide opportunity for students to become proficient in reading and writing as well as speaking of the new language well before the move; in fact, as soon as the move is announced is best.
3. Recommend that families bring along books, course outlines and any other available materials so that they can, if desired, maintain academic skills that children are missing while abroad.
4. Suggest that families learn the exit requirements for schools in the home country well before leaving an overseas assignment.  These, in particular, will determine curriculum areas that a child may wish to continue to study while abroad.   Consider supplemental or alternative education to ease the transition for children, particularly at key grade levels.  These may include tutoring, on-line courses, summer school, home schooling or boarding schools.
5. If re-entry at a particular grade will be totally incompatible, is it possible for the employee or the family to repatriate either a year earlier or later, as appropriate to facilitate the transition?
6. Engage a professional who understands discrepancies in curriculum as well as culture to recommend individualized support so that students can be prepared before returning home.

There is no doubt that the experience of attending a local school and learning first-hand about a different culture can’t be surpassed. Families who have overcome these obstacles and successfully educated their children in local schools find the rewards to be significant.  Children truly learn new languages, cultures and curricular subjects and enjoy an unprecedented window into the customs of a different country.  As schools are a microcosm of the cultures they inhabit, children raised in local schools abroad can be our true ambassadors in the global world of the next generation.  However, children who have attended local schools in remote areas may be unprepared to attend school back home or even to know the process for enrolling in university in their home country.

Parents should understand that whether the child attends international or local school abroad, repatriation always is difficult. Even international schools of the child’s home nationality vary the  curriculum, offer courses in different sequences, offer different foreign languages and certainly promote different viewpoints when teaching history.

When considering local as well as international schools for a child during an overseas assignment, be sure to pay careful attention to home and host country requirements before the assignment begins.  The steps indicated above are offered to make for a softer landing.

Source: School Choice International

Parents concerns

When moving children internationally, parents have many concerns about their education.

Here are some questions we encounter frequently and tips for helping parents think about them:

What do we do if we aren’t accepted at our first choice school?

The competition for places at schools in some locations is intense and it is important to be realistic about your child’s chances of success. Admission depends on the number of spaces, time of year, as well as his or her personal qualifications compared with the pool of applicants.  It is wise to keep your options open by applying to a range of schools. If you feel it is essential that you enroll your child in an independent school, you may have to apply to as many as ten schools in some locations, and be patient as the process unfolds.

Getting In:

You should always make sure to have a safety school that you would be comfortable having your child attend. Often parents may feel negatively about a school that is both available and possible for their child to get into – and yearn for one that is unattainable. However, it is important to visit schools that do have places, speak with current and past parents, and learn as much as possible about them.  Above all, remember that what works for someone else’s child may not be what is right for your child. The only way to judge a school is based on personal experience.

Word on the Street:

School reputations can be very different from the education they offer – generally because educational practices and personnel change much more quickly than reputations.

Create Alternatives:

If you have explored all options carefully and your original top choice truly is the best fit, but no places are available, consider reapplying to the school the following year when your child is more settled.  In our experience, children generally end up at the schools which suit them best but it can take time.  It is important to keep a sense of perspective so that you do not transmit to your child your feelings of disappointment about his/her current school.  Although parents may feel anxious about moving children again, those who have moved once typically find it easier to assimilate the next year as they are familiar with the process of starting over.

What do we do if only one of our children is admitted?

It depends why.  Some schools only accept children based on merit, and the child who is not accepted may not have flourished at that particular school. In this case it is advantageous to find a school that suits her/his needs more closely where s/he will thrive. Although having your children together is convenient, no child benefits from constantly being in his or her sibling’s shadow.

If it is purely a question of space, however, your consultant and the admissions director will be able to determine whether a vacancy is likely to become available later in the year and whether being patient is the answer.

Even if one child is not clearly stronger academically than the other, there may be psychological advantages to placing each child has his/her own school.  Your consultant will always be available to help you consider your options and to decide whether or not to continue searching for a school that will accept both children and whether to search for an alternate school for the unplaced child.

What are the implications of signing a contract with a school?

Read the contract before signing it.

Recognize that you will be bound by its terms. In the UK, families commit to schools by the term, and one term’s notice must be given if a family wants to leave a school without financial penalty. In New York City, once a parent has signed a contract with an independent school, no other school will consider the child, even if they are on a waitlist and space becomes available. The family is committed to a full year’s fees even if they leave the area. International school contracts throughout the world offer varying degrees of leniency, some provide no tuition the variation between contract terms in different locations and schools, it is essential for companies and families to be familiar with the contracts signed in order to avoid major monetary losses in the event of a mid-year transfer or, simply, if a child is not happy.

In financial times where schools are not filled to capacity, however, it may be possible to negotiate more favorable terms before signing a contract.

Transitions

What do I do if my child hates the school?

It may help if you speak with the teacher and administrative staff before the child begins a new school.  You may want to explain the transition that your child has been through. Except in international schools, teachers may be unfamiliar with the effects of relocation and may not understand what relocating children are experiencing. With a little coaching, they can become supportive and assist the child’s progress through this process.

Once a child begins school and struggles with the transition, keep in mind that transitions take time. Don’t panic if your child doesn’t settle in instantly, although you may have to fight your parental instinct to jump in and do whatever you can to ameliorate the situation immediately.

If signs of stress persist, speak to the teacher to see if your child is struggling academically or socially. If there is a problem with learning, find out whether or not it is related to the move.  Ask the teacher what kind learning support is available – either at the school or through outside resources. If the issue is social, strategize with the teacher as to how your child can make friends or cope with unpleasantness. Many schools have a school psychologist who will be able to give you strategies for helping your child adjust. All schools should have an anti-bullying policy and be able to tell you what it is and how they implement it.

It is important to keep your perspective that this is a natural part of the process and, indeed, an inevitable part of growing up.  As painful as it is to watch, keep in mind that it is an experience that your child will learn from. Develop an alliance with the school rather than treating teachers or administrators as adversaries. Other parents are your best resource for learning how to approach the school effectively rather than alienating school personnel.

What do I do if my child is so homesick s/he refuses to make an effort in the new school?

Homesickness is common but paralyzing homesickness generally does not last long. Staying in touch with old friends is much easier today with inexpensive phone calls and the internet. Encourage continued contact but set limits to make sure your child also is making new friends. Elicit the help of the teacher to stimulate your child’s engagement in school and in extracurricular activities where s/he can meet children with common interests.

It is always helpful if a child understands that acclimating to a new culture is a process, and that there is nothing wrong with him or her if s/he experiences highs and lows.  First comes a honeymoon phase when everything and everyone is wonderful; this is followed by a period of disenchantment when everything about the new culture seems negative and hateful.  Finally, there is a slow emergence into a more balanced, accepting view of the new culture. Explain to your child that everyone adjusts at a different pace but it does happen eventually.

What do I do if my child is not at the popular table?

This is a tricky one. We all want our children to be happy but the unavoidable reality of relocating is that we do disrupt our children’s friendship groups and then introduce them to a new environment where friendships already have been established.

When you are visiting schools, ask what orientation procedures they have for new children. Some schools have a buddy system so the new child receives peer guidance for the first few weeks; others have a constant flow of international children so there will always be other children in the same situation. Arrange play or tea dates so your child has the chance to interact with a variety of children until they discover those with whom they share common interests and can become lasting friends.

Most importantly, be patient. It takes time to integrate into a new life but it does happen and children are often quicker to acclimatize than are adults.  When your child is struggling through the phase of being unknown in school, do not despair. Don’t relive your own painful childhood experiences and share your feelings with your child.  This will only exacerbate his or her sadness. These times may be difficult to go through and to observe, but they are opportunities during which children can learn important life skills about how to make transitions, how to assess and pick the right friends, how to be independent and to understand their own needs and personalities.

What do I do if my child is excluded for being foreign?

Go and see the school immediately and express your concern. Exclusion is a form of bullying and the school should have clear ways of dealing with it. Encourage the school to explore different cultures in their curriculum and daily lessons and offer to come in and talk about your culture with the other children.  Whether or not the school assists you, it is wise to provide your child with intensive instruction in the language of his or her peers, and to learn as much as possible about the educational culture in advance to help him/her feel comfortable and avoid embarrassment.  Global Education Explorer (www.globaleducationexplorer.com) is a wonderful tool to help parents and children understand the new curriculum and educational customs.

Academics

What do I do if my child doesn’t do as well academically as s/he would have if we’d stayed at home?

A child may not do as well academically in the short run but may improve in the long run. At the outset, children may not understand the teacher’s directions or expectations may be unfamiliar and unclear. It is important to keep communication frequent both with your child and the teacher to ensure that problems don’t escalate and become harder to resolve.

If a child’s academic performance continues to decline, it can be because the new teaching style may not match the student’s learning style, because of emotional difficulties with the adjustment, or simply because they are at a different age and developmental phase.  In the latter case your child’s performance may well have changed even if you had remained at home. It is important for parents to try to work with the child and school to identify the root of the problem and address it from the source.

There are times when performance is on par but the grading system may differ as a result of cultural differences. For a child moving from a country with “grade inflation” to one where teachers grade more realistically, the child may perform similarly but receive lower grades for the same work. If this is the case, parents need to recognize the superficial nature of the performance decline and explain it to the child.  It may become a problem when repatriating so it would be wise for the parent to ask the head of school to put together a document describing the grading system which can be sent along with applications to schools at home or on the next move.

What do we do if my child is out of step academically when we repatriate?

There are cultures to which it is extremely difficult to repatriate, and those where it is easier. If you are coming from a culture where repatriation is difficult and you are not very adventurous, it may be wise to try to keep your child in a national school when you move abroad so that s/he can study your home country curriculum.

An alternative is the international baccalaureate program, which can be found at the primary, middle and degree levels in every country worldwide. This degree is accepted and respected by universities globally and, if you know you are on an international career track, your child can continue on with the same curriculum independent of country.

If national schools are not available or are full in the area to which you are moving, you may have no choice but to enroll your child in a local school. It generally is possible to speak with the school your child is leaving and the school you anticipate s/he would attend on repatriation to obtain curriculum materials. These can be used to prepare him or her for repatriation either after school, or during summers, particularly during the last half year before returning home.

If you are parents who want your child to embrace the overseas experience without marring it by studying two curricula, it is alright to allow him or her to fully experience the time abroad without worrying about repatriation. When you return home it is possible to look for a school that has had experience with children who have moved from other countries whose teachers will help your child adapt academically and socially.

When a family makes a decision to move internationally parents need to begin to redefine education as something broader than schooling. There is no substitute for firsthand experience with people of different cultures, learning languages through total immersion, or the life skills brought about by the actual transition.  Once parents reflect on the true value they are giving their children through an overseas move, the different school experience is an acceptable tradeoff.

Provided by School Choice International

School Placement Interviews

The expatriate family life means constantly finding new schools, and often these are private schools with intense application processes, lots of paperwork and the all-important interview. Preparing for a school placement interview can be daunting, especially if you are a new parent, entering a new system (in a foreign country for instance), or applying for that “A list” school in your neighborhood. Besides being on time and dressing appropriately, there are a few things you can do to prepare for the interview. First, here are some potential questions you may be asked:

1. How long is your placement for?
2. Specifically why you have chosen this school to apply to?
3. What are your child’s interests?
4. What are your child’s strengths?
5. What are your child’s weaknesses?
6. If offered places, would you send all of your children here?

Be prepared for these questions with well developed answers, even if your experience differs from the typical student the school serves. It behooves you to be as honest as possible, so school administrators can effectively decide if the school is a good match for your child. Be candid about your child’s academic and extra curricular interests, strengths and weaknesses. These factors will help lead discussion on how to best integrate your child into the specific school system; for instance an elementary school child might have a learning style that would be best served by a specific teacher.

If you can, be prepared to describe the last school system your child was in, and how it differs from that of the culture you may be entering (you can find this information in Global Education Explorer^TM). This information can help admissions personnel understand your circumstances and your child’s body of prior knowledge.

Schools want families that will fit in their ethos, so make sure to do your homework and come with a few good reasons for wanting your child to attend the school. You may also come up with a few questions of your own to show interest and engagement.

Finally, if you have middle or high school students, you may want to discuss these questions with him or her before the interview. Also discuss long term academic plans to ensure the school will adequately prepare your child for life beyond high school. Remember that extracurricular activities may be very important for older students to fit in, for instance, debate might be especially important for some, while others might be passionate about athletics. These groups will give your child a way to fit in to the school community.

Above all, be confident and try to have fun.

Source: School Choice International

When an Expat Marriage Fails: What About the Children?

Sadly, I have been asked to provide expert testimony on several legal cases that involve educating expatriate children of divorced or divorcing couples.  As these situations can quickly escalate, getting off to a clear start is crucial to maintaining the best possible experience for the children affected by this difficult circumstance.

Typically the issues around a child’s schooling when an expatriate marriage breaks up are related to custody.  In the case of a local divorce custody issues may be complex, but they are simple compared with those that surface when a family lives outside their home country.  This article presents families, HR, and legal counselors with some guidelines for addressing schooling decisions when parents divorce while abroad.

The complications families encounter typically revolve around some or all of these issues:

• Visitation or dual custody is impractical;
• The child has already (perhaps recently) experienced a change of schools – is it fair to put her through more disruption  from friends as well as a forced change in academic program at a particularly vulnerable time?
• Did the child perform better – and was he happier – at the school back home or the school abroad?
• Which school is “better?” —  often a code word for more exclusive reputation and/or better chances of university admission?

Divorce frequently is messy and this reality can’t be changed.  But the goal of professionals advising the family is to bring parents to an early consensus that minimizing the disturbance to the children is a key and joint goal.  Some of these questions can be addressed most effectively by careful preparation as well as instituting a structure for decision making before emotions get out of hand.

In the next section I will discuss the major issues I have seen end up in the legal system and will present some suggestions for addressing them before they become insurmountable.

Custody:

A parent divorcing but living close to the ex-spouse may be willing to accept either joint custody or a frequent visitation arrangement.  But when divorce precipitates a distant move, the parent relinquishing custody may be less willing to give up his time with the child.  Accusations that either the current or former school is superior become common because they more effectively bolster a case than simply demanding custody.

Tip:

Anticipate that this issue will arise, and before emotions begin to color the conversation prepare a straightforward comparison between the two schools on objective measures to focus the discussion.  Measures may include teacher/student ratio, per pupil expenditures, availability of advanced courses or those appropriate to the child’s particular interests as well as availability of extracurricular activities can easily be compared. Agreeing upon criteria before the analysis is conducted is essential if it is to be an effective tool.

Transition:

Children transition differently.  Some take to a school in a new country like a duck to water while others go through a prolonged period of sadness and academic difficulties.  The ability to adapt reflects the child’s personality and self-confidence, the degree of their attachment at home, thier age as well as the security they feel in other aspects of his or her life.

Tips:

• As an integral part of considering whether or not to move the child again, look back on the previous transition for evidence that may be relevant to another change of school – this time during a more emotionally difficult phase of the child’s life.
• If the child is old enough, talk to him about his feelings on this matter in a genuinely concerned and even-handed way, keeping in mind the purpose of making the right choice for the child.

Goodness of Fit:

Whether in a local school or on an international assignment, during a stable period or a stressful one, some children fit better in certain school environments and others fare better in others.  Unfortunately school decisions frequently are made for practical reasons without taking into account the child’s learning style, social preferences, or school size or compatibility between school offerings and individual interests.  However, often when a child changes schools it is apparent that one school (current or former) provides an environment more favorable to the child’s educational needs.

Tip:

Discuss the child’s personal and academic strengths and weaknesses in an effort to identify which school is likely to bring out the best in her, put her on a better path in the next stage of her education, and be a more comfortable environment during the inevitable stress of the divorce.  Although this category is fairly subjective it can be discussed within a straightforward context before conflict envelopes the child.

School Quality:

In my experience this is the point that receives the greatest focus when parents are vying for custody in cases of expatriate divorce.  Typically parents and lawyers seek statistics including test scores, rankings and college placement results to justify either moving the child or keeping him with the expatriate parent.  In reality this is the least important element in the choice of schools when an expatriate couple divorces.

Tip:

No child will perform in accordance with statistics if she is unnecessarily uncomfortable – either because she is forced to make yet another difficult transition, is in the wrong educational setting, or of course if she is placed at the center of the battlefield between parents.  If expat parents cite a school’s report card to prove that the child should either stay or go they need to be advised that the child cannot be expected to attain those scores or be admitted to those universities unless child believes the school is a safe and compatible environment.

Conclusion:

When expats divorce the clear goal is to keep parental conflict far away from the child’s education.  Unfortunately, schooling frequently becomes a battle ground on which a different war is being fought.  These tips have been provided in the hopes that a structured way of addressing the underlying issues can preempt some of the inevitable emotion.   If the school decision becomes one that requires outside intervention, objective advisors including those who know the child as well as those who understand education can either take the place of or assist legal counsel to pursue an outcome in the genuine best interests of the child.

Author: Elizabeth Perelstein

School Choice International