Some safeguarding and well-being risks have increased for many children as a consequence of moving to remote learning. At the same time, the sudden shift to home-based learning and concerns about students’ academic progress has meant that key elements of some schools’ safeguarding and well-being education were paused or weakened. We look at different approaches to terminology, explore challenges, and offer eight steps/solutions that schools can take as we draw on examples from CIS Accredited schools and on the work of experts in this field.

As schools and universities have had to move their teaching online in response to the Coronavirus, their reliance on IT systems has increased and a series of data protection and cybersecurity risks have emerged. Following a recent increase in cyberattacks on educational insitutions, here's an outline of steps you can take to mitigate threats.

Leo Thompson starts his post with the bold claim: High-quality learning and teaching (HQLT) is both context and culture dependent and cannot be defined and measured in absolute, universal terms. He unpacks his claim in this post and offers guidance to help school leaders and educators to approach the challenge it presents. 

Anyone anywhere can open a school and call it international. Some schools are financed by companies, others by individuals, and some by groups of parents, but there is no apparent guarantee of quality in any of these schools. Or is there? 

A series of conversations with students since 2018 about different forms of peer-on-peer abuse provides the first-hand context and a strong foundation for the guidance in this post. We’ve been careful to reflect on the Coronavirus, anti-racism and diversity and how these may also have an impact on peer-on-peer abuse. 

The pandemic has brought uncertainty, loss and hardship to many students graduating from high school this year. We share five ‘big ideas’ emerging in transition programming in the context of the Coronavirus. Plus key findings from a recent survey of 134 high school counsellors across 52 countries, links to research, resources and more.

Reputation management is crucial for international schools, whether they're thriving, beginning or developing. Right now, benchmarking and managing a school’s reputation has become even more critical for some as they face a myriad of risks, some associated with COVID-19 and others that were already building. Stephen Holmes outlines risks, responses, benchmarking processes and recent examples.

Nunana's personal story provides us with a powerful starting point for what we can and will do at CIS for ourselves, the communities we serve, and the world at large. The Black Lives Matter movement is a significant catalyst for change and one that we will highlight. We can do better at CIS.

In the middle of the pandemic, a dedicated group of 102 educators from 71 schools in 39 countries across every continent found the energy, time and commitment to complete an online training course in April to develop the skills and attributes of a CIS accreditation team evaluator. School improvement and learning from each other, right now, is more critical than ever.

In the midst of a global pandemic, we’re learning and adapting to a whole new set of circumstances and a wide set of factors at play—cultural, personal, professional, and otherwise. We can begin to recognize the powerful role culture plays in our responses during times of stress and uncertainty.

Members of the International Taskforce on Child Protection are dedicated volunteers who maintain focus on their fundamental responsibility to keep children as safe as possible in education. Read their latest report and resources.

It's been a strange start for Nico Evers in his new role as CIS Director of Higher Education Services. He has established himself by bonding with his new team via video and quickly identifying where to focus his efforts and contribute to our community of schools and universities. Hear more from Nico.

Guiding an organization through a global pandemic whilst also attending to personal suffering requires extraordinary effort. Key amongst these are the efforts that leaders are making to protect the mental health and well-being of their communities. Read key considerations and accompanying in-depth article.

What does this new reality mean in terms of school reputation and what lies ahead for international schools? Marketing and reputation management consultant, Dr Stephen Holmes, reflects on the situation and offers some advice.  

What can we do to keep ourselves mentally resilient despite these unusual pressures? Here are some ideas for you to consider.

Are you confident Zoom is configured correctly and provides a safe and suitable remote learning experience for your staff and students? Here are some effective practices and things to consider when using Zoom for your virtual classrooms.

This is the second article in our series on how schools and universities can adapt to new learning environments, prepared in response to the many questions we have received from our members in recent weeks. 

'Campus closed' vs 'school closed'. The language we use as international leaders influences this conversation and should give assurance to the community that the mission and vision of the school guide the decisions we make as a Board.