January 2024 Newsletter
Save the date for our upcoming Diversity Collaborative Members’ Meeting with our ignite team of speakers from the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA).
Invitation to Collaborate on Diversity Collaborative Projects
from the Diversity Collaborative Team of Facilitators
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who participated in the DC Projects Meeting on November 21, 2023. Your contributions and commitment to our mission are invaluable. In summary, the meeting highlighted our focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity in education, with a strong focus on diversity in leadership. The meeting prioritized three key projects, each vital in advancing our shared goals.
- Objective: Developing a guide for school-based mentoring projects aimed at educators in early or middle management stages of their careers. This complements existing programs and addresses challenges like stereotypes hindering certain individuals’ leadership roles.
- Project Lead: Madeleine Maceda-Heide
2. BIPOC Voices
- Objective: Documenting stories of BIPOC leaders to amplify their experiences, successes, and challenges. The goal is to raise awareness about challenges faced by BIPOC leaders while avoiding reinforcing false narratives.
- Project Lead: Adrienne Waller
3. Bank of DEIJ Survey Questions
- Objective: Compiling a repository of questions for schools to assess their DEIJ efforts. Drawing inspiration from existing frameworks, the goal is to provide a resource that enhances equity evaluation in educational settings.
- Project Lead: Dr. Kimberley Daly
If any of these projects is of your interest, we encourage you to reach out directly to the project leads mentioned above. The project leads, along with members who signed up, will have the autonomy and agency to organize their planning meetings in support of their project goals. Your contributions and fresh perspectives are invaluable in driving our projects forward.
Upcoming Events & Member News
Book Club co-hosted by the Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color (AIELOC) and International Schools Services (ISS)
January 19 • February 16 • March 14, 2024
Join the book club, facilitated by Margaret Park. Lily Zheng, author of DEI deconstructed, will join us on the last session.
To purchase the book, click here and use the code ISSAIELOC during checkout to receive 40% off your copy.
CIS Blog Articles
Check out a range of articles on inclusion, diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism from the CIS Blogs written by many of our community members. These articles contain some high-level information about ethnicity gaps in Head of School salaries at international schools.
Multilingual Learning Research Center (MLRC) Research Symposium
January 27-28, 2024 at American School of Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Multilingual learners continue to be an underserved population in many international schools. At the same time, an increasing awareness of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) has brought students’ and teachers’ diverse and complex identities to the forefront in many international schools. However, educators may fail to consider critical issues of power and language, further marginalizing multilingual students, teachers and families.
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The mission of the Multilingual Learning Research Center (MLRC) is to “advance educational outcomes for multilingual learners through innovative and socially just research and research–practice partnerships.” The MLRC School Network collaborates with international schools to engage in research at the intersection of language and DEIJ through shared dialogue and collaborative research to explore common problems of practice in teaching multilingual learners.
On January 27-28, 2024, the MLRC Research Symposium will take place at the American School of Guatemala. The MLRC Research Symposium is a unique two-day opportunity for international educators to engage deeply in critical research about multilingual learners and to design action research projects to examine pressing concerns within their particular school contexts. For more information about the MLRC Research Symposium, please check out our website.
WISE Conference 2024
February 2-4, 2024
Diversity doesn't just make for strong decision-making with multiple perspectives, it also ensures that our young people grow up with what we model at our School as the ‘norm’. With this in mind, a strong representation of women in leadership roles is essential to every young person's learning and experience. According to 2023 CIS data...only 27% of CIS member schools are headed by women. WISE was founded by British School Manila in September 2022. It began as a Mentorship initiative but has since been shaped by the needs of the community and network which it has generated. There are now 136 women registered with WISE Mentorship from over 19 countries around the world. The majority of participants are from South East Asia although we now have participants in Poland, Germany, Gabon, Australia and the UK. Recognising the broader needs of the community in understanding the challenges women face when moving towards and through leadership, WISE will host a unique face to face Conference. We have secured World class speakers and will offer a full programme of keynotes, workshops, panel sessions and social network building opportunities. Join us on 2, 3, 4 February in Manila to grow understanding in how to navigate and improve the current gender landscape that is.
AAIE 2024 Global Leadership Conversation
February 5 -7, 2024
AAIE is so pleased to welcome our community to our upcoming AAIE 2024 Global Leadership CONVERSATION: Collective Care and Action – in February 2024. Reconnect with friends and colleagues as well as participate in engaging Keynotes, and interactive breakout sessions to help you grapple with leadership challenges. We will also hear from voices within our own community sharing their leadership stories and wisdom. As has been our custom, through CONVERSATION, we work together to generate collaborative ideas, explore innovations, and discuss what keeps us up at night.
Diversity Equity Inclusion Exchange 2024
February 24, 2024
Save the date for the upcoming DEI Exchange To sign up, fill out this registration link. We look forward to learning with you all at Vientiane International School in Laos.
SENIA: Designing for Inclusion Conference
March 1-3, 2024
SENIA International’s upcoming conference, Designing for Inclusion, will be held March 1 - 3, 2024 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The conference aims to bring together school community members from all over the world, provide opportunities to engage in meaningful discussions, and share practical knowledge and skills to help create authentically inclusive and equitable learning environments for all students.
ISCA Conference 2024
March 7 - 9, 2024
The Annual Conference in Athens will focus on "Keeping Our Students Safe" through Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging (DEIJB). This theme will shape the in-person 2 1/2 day event, offering workshops, keynote talks and workshops by Jacinta Williams, panel discussions and workshops from counselors and leaders in the field centered around DEIJB principles.
CEESA Conference 2024
March 14 - 16, 2024
The 34th Annual CEESA Conference is making history by being hosted on the Mediterranean island of Malta for the first time, in partnership with Quality Schools International.
Expanding Horizons: Fostering Inclusive Education through Universal Design for Learning, and Technology
AMISA - Educators' Conference (#EdCon)
March 20 - 22, 2024
Engage in learning and networking with AMISA educators from around our region!
EARCOS Special Events - DEIJB Webinar Series
Yearlong
Hosted by Margaret Park, join us at EARCOS for a range of DEIJB webinars throughout the year.
