International school

An international school is an institution that promotes education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterized by a multinational student body and staff, multilingual instruction, curricula oriented towards global perspectives and subjects, and the promotion of concepts such as world citizenship, pluralism, and intercultural understanding. Many international schools adopt a curriculum from programs and organizations such as International Baccalaureate, Edexcel, Cambridge Assessment International Education, International Primary Curriculum, or Advanced Placement. International schools often follow a curriculum different from the host country, catering mainly to foreign students, such as members of expatriate communities, international businesses or organizations, diplomatic missions, or missionary programs. Admission is sometimes open to local students to provide qualifications for employment or higher education in a foreign country, offer high level language instruction, and/or foster cultural and global awareness. The first international school can be traced back to the International School of Geneva founded in 1924 by Arthur Sweetser and Ludwik Rajchman with an emphasis on bilingual education (English and French). Later that year the Yokohama International School was also established in Yamate, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. These schools catered to children of expatriate families. These could include American diplomats, missionaries, military members, business workers transferred to foreign office locations, etc. An example would be children of American military personnel attending Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS). At a conference in Italy in 2009, the International Association of School Librarianship came up with a list of criteria for describing an international school, including: Transferability of the student's education across international schools A moving population (higher than in state schools or public schools) Multinational and multilingual student body An international curriculum International accreditation (e.