Educating Our Mobile Children
One of the greatest concerns parents have when facing an international move is "What schooling will be available to my child? Will my child be disadvantaged academically as a result of this move?" Although this fear is certainly strongest in families moving overseas for the first time, even those who may be more experienced often have concerns about their children's education.
Dr. Ernest Mannino, Director of the State Department's Office of Overseas Schools, and Dr. Keith Miller, Deputy Director of the office, spoke candidly about some of the common concerns parents have regarding the education of their children. Dr. Mannino and Dr. Miller caution parents against making assumptions about their children's education. To make an educated choice, parents need to think through schooling issues and to research post schools as far in advance of a move as possible.
Children who are internationally mobile have many choices of schools to attend. In most major cities, there are schools based on the U.S., French, German, and British systems. Some parents also choose to become their children's teachers through home education. Which school is appropriate for your child is an individual decision based on many factors.
One of the primary factors that should be considered is what type of college or university your child will attend after high school. Some parents want an international education instead of just an education within an American system school and fortunately, they have the opportunity to go to these types of schools. But what parents must keep in mind is whether this school will best prepare your child for education beyond high school.
Parents may be tempted to alternate their children's school system in order to enhance cross-cultural understanding, but many experts suggest just the opposite. Mannino and Miller warn that differences in the sequencing of curriculum exist in the high school grades; moving your child from one academic system to another during this time can handicap a child academically. At the very least, the parents should learn what the differences in curriculum are and try to keep the child in one system (although this may be in more than one location) for all of the high school years. It is clear that whatever continuity you can provide these children is important. The nice thing about the American school system or the French, German or whichever, is that it is the same school system throughout their lives.
Many parents are hoping their children will enter a college or university in their home country. Especially in the high school years, it is important to select the school system that will best prepare your child for the college of choice and stick with that system throughout the high school years.
Other factors that affect school choice include your child's grade, language skills and personality. Despite some parents' desires to have their children learn other languages through their schooling option, most children will want to go to school that has other children from their passport culture.
The international school systems offer considerable benefits to the mobile child. Unlike some students in domestic schools, students in international schools have a stronger sense of empathy for new kids since almost everyone has been new at one time or another. Many of the international schools also have excellent academic standards. The Office of Overseas Schools reports that graduates of the approximately 190 schools it assists achieve SAT scores well above the national average. These children also often make it into excellent universities, in part because of their international schooling.