What kinds of support do international school leaders need?

At CIS, we’ve devoted time to assess the skills that elevate effectiveness in leading a diverse international community. We’re applying what we’ve learned and changing the way we do things to provide targeted learning experiences for school leaders. This October in Bangkok, we’ll launch a “first of its kind” event focused on the career development and recruitment of school leaders…all in one go!

What will be different? Whether you are a school leader looking to hire new leaders or seeking a new leadership position yourself, you will engage together as peers as you learn from experts and discuss critical aspects of international school leadership. Consider the insights you’ll gain, not only on yourself, but also on the qualities of people you may be considering as new colleagues, as you explore new concepts and learn together.

Topics include…

·       Effective Recruitment and Selection practices (How many of you were ever trained to recruit?) We’ll focus on the skills school leaders need to select staff more effectively. Pauline O’Brien will share her insights on the selection process from years working with business and industry leaders and international school boards. She will tackle tough subjects such as: unconscious bias during the selection process and how to avoid it; the gender pay gap in international schools and what you can do to encourage and support more diversity in school leadership; and share the latest trends in recruitment.  

·       Katie Rigg, our new International Advisor for Student Well-being, will outline safer recruitment practices, sharing her expertise as an attorney specializing in employment, education, child protection and safeguarding law.

·       School Reputation Management (What does it mean and how is it different from marketing?) Learn from Dr Stephen Holmes, the only full-time practicing consultant in the world with a PhD in the specific field of school marketing and reputation. He will talk about how to position your school as a place where innovative, culturally competent leaders want to work.

·       Leading Schools Interculturally (What are the hidden but critical aspects of leadership in diverse communities?) Ann Straub and Carole Denny will explore the skills necessary to develop a school environment that is conducive to intercultural learning if your purpose is to educate for global citizenship.

We’re pleased to lead the way at CIS as we focus on the development of knowledge and skills related to these topics. If you are a school leader interested in developing these skills and in meeting new leaders with the same focus, we hope you will join us this October in Bangkok at our first-ever Leadership Career & Recruitment Conference! 

Researchers report regularly on the lack of high quality training in cross-cultural competence for school leaders and on the general limited awareness of the necessity of this skill. This year we’ll help school leaders develop their capabilities even further via the CIS Learning Community as we release a new online course: Leading Schools Interculturally. Our objective is to support individual leaders and groups within a school community to recognize, manage, and navigate the intricacies and outcomes of intercultural relationships, connections and processes. Three modules have been designed by leading experts in the field of intercultural studies, Dr Eeqbal Hassim, Ann Straub, and the faculty of The Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, to help CIS school leaders view intercultural relationships, connections and processes in their schools as a given, not just an aspirational end goal. 

This blog was first published on the Council of International Schools'website: CIS Perspectives.