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Additional Resources
Each source is leveled by how accessible they are to the reader on a scale of 1 (being the most accessible) to 3 (being the most difficult to digest).
Level 1
Dig Deeper: The Next Frontier Inclusion
The Next Frontier Inclusion (NFI) organization has been a powerful force in the development of inclusive education in international schools. Since its foundation in the spring of 2010, this organization has sought to fulfill its mission: “We promote and protect the interests of children who learn in different ways or at different rates. We do this by supporting schools in all aspects of their journey towards inclusion”. Currently, NFI offers schools assistance by providing them with a working framework for inclusive education. Schools can use this framework to assess how far they have progressed towards becoming an inclusive school, as well as look at the potential next steps they can take in order to reach these set goals. As such, any school that decides to use the guidelines provided by NFI should be on a good path to becoming a future inclusive educational institution.
This is a blog post about why the next frontier began. It is super fun, informative, and a short read (2020).
This is the website for the organization The Next Frontier. The Next Frontier initiative came out of a casual conversation between what was to become the NFI Design Team in the Spring of 2010.
The Next Frontier: Inclusion in International Schools – A Practical Guide for School Leaders This is the practical, detailed, and intensive guide created by The Next Frontier in 2014 for teachers.
Blog from international educator and SENIA’s executive director, Lori Boll, who travels for work with her children, two of which have severe special needs in school (Level 1)
SENIA This is the website for the organization Special Education Network and Inclusion Association (SENIA). Look at “Who We Are” and “A Significant History” to get an idea of what they are about (organization started in China in 2002).
Reflect:
.“ISC Research surveyed international schools about their current inclusion practices just before COVID-19 impacted education around the world. The results, therefore, do not show the effect of distance learning and the pandemic on children with special educational needs.”
How could distance learning impact students with disabilities? Consider various conditions: ADHD, High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder, dyslexia, dysgraphia, auditory disabilities and any others you may think of.
Level 2
Level 3
- Inclusion in International Schools: Theoretical Principles, Ethical Practices, and Consequentialist Theories. This is a PDF about an experiment conducted to see the inclusivity of international schools regarding students . with disabilities (2016).
- International Schools: Growth and Influence: This book discusses a multitude of aspects related to inclusion in international schools and is most definitely worth the read (if not the skim). There is an abundance of relevant information and it is extremely thorough although written in 2008 so not extremely recent.
The Future of Inclusion in International Schools
With the recent leap in the popularity of learning support systems and inclusion, international schools have proven just how willing they are to change their systems to match the needs of their audience. In the years to come, this trend is bound to continue. One massive development which is already occurring in the international school environment is the general shift in the mindset of educators, making them more willing to challenge themselves to understand and address the specific needs of each student in the classroom (Powell, 2013) . However, in order to truly reach this new goal, the teachers and other professionals will need to have access to the additional training which will prepare them for this increased responsibility. Completing this mindset shift may be quite a difficult and long process, but where better for it to be attempted than in international schools? Thanks to the way these institutions are viewed by the greater educational community, they are the perfect place for pushing the current boundaries of inclusion and serving as a shining example of what education can look like, once the teachers have the training they need in order to give every student a chance to realize their full potential.
Unfortunately, before international schools can become the bastion of inclusion they are meant to be, much progress must still be made. Many international schools are still entrenched in their beliefs of rejecting students with special needs. They either refuse or are simply unable to change, due to the perceived loss in prestige accompanied by accepting a more academically diverse student body, or the admittedly large amount of costs associated with the professional training and additional equipment required to successfully run an inclusive school. However, more and more schools are beginning to realize the benefits of becoming an inclusive institution. For example, international schools which accept students with disabilities are able to accommodate entire families of expats, rather than splitting their children amongst multiple schools. Not only would this add to the public perception of the school, but it would also make the institution more attractive to families of diplomats and other global nomads. Being able to attend to the needs of this ever expanding audience will certainly propel schools to work on their inclusivity in the future.
The final argument for a growth in inclusion in future international schools is how this factors affects the competitive standing of the school. With the number of international schools growing from year to year, competition for prestige and superiority will grow between the schools. The institutions will need to be able to find a way to stand out from the rest, and inclusion could be one of these deciding factors. A school which is able to accomodate a more diverse student base and better address the specific strengths and weaknesses of any child will seem like a significantly better fit for any family than one which can only handle a specific type of child.
The international schools of the future are bound to develop their inclusive education policies, not only for the competitive edge, but also because of the global academic shift in the perception of international education and due to their willingness to accommodate all members of the tightly knit international community. Achieving this goal lies in the near future for some schools, while for others it is still far beyond reach. However, no matter the school, inclusion is a must in the future of education.
