CIS Perspectives Blog

As 2025 draws to a close, we recognize the CIS global community’s legacy of bold ambition, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to guide and support the young people we educate. Read the highlights.

Inclusion is no longer a secondary aspiration; it is a central pillar of international education. With the launch of the new CIS International Accreditation Framework and the protocol for developing socially responsible learning communities, CIS schools now have a powerful tool to deepen their commitment to inclusive learning

If you’re interested in what drives meaningful school growth and the heart of our accreditation process, read our latest blog by Dulat Irzhanov, CIS Accreditation Evaluation Team Leader and deputy director at Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools.

It’s been a remarkable year for the CIS community, filled with new initiatives and significant changes. Read our reflections as we celebrate the great strides we're taking forward together.

It’s been a year of innovation here at CIS as we reviewed a fundamental part of our work: CIS International Accreditation. We’ve taken a bold step, and we’re proud of the approach that schools will experience when they pursue our new accreditation framework and process. 

As we reflect on the past year, it's with a sense of pride that we share the milestones and innovations that have marked our journey. 

'I’ve learned there’s an art to asking a good question that elicits authentic responses in the spirit of openness and collaboration.' Scott Huyler reflects on visiting a school as part of his school support and evaluation work.

Tala Qudah highlights her experience of CIS International Accreditation and being a CIS Evaluator and the impact on her school, their community, and for her personally.

As a new year dawns, here's a round-up of our most popular blogs in 2022, in case you missed them.

As a membership organization offering school accreditation internationally, we have a significant role to play as we guide and support schools to foster inclusion across diverse communities. 

Young children’s voices matter. By extension, the voice of those who work closely with young learners matters too. Their pedagogical insights are rich in considerations for what constitutes the foundation for lifelong learning. Hear these voices from the field.

We previously asked 'What is well-being in education?' and looked at the associated challenges for schools as they align with CIS International Accreditation standards. Now, we reflect on what is driving change and consider how to react.

What does well-being in education really mean? How can we give it a mandate and support it in our school communities? The purpose of this post, the first in a series, is to move the well-being conversation forward and share some practical resources and stimuli. Let’s start at cloud level by looking at concepts and theory.

The cyclical nature of school accreditation and curriculum evaluations can be challenging for schools to coordinate when working with multiple organizations. That’s where our partnerships with the IB and other accreditation agencies help schools to manage that their evaluation cycles more efficiently and effectively. Here’s how it works.

From guiding statements to student learning, what’s your school’s ‘golden thread’? Is it linear or complex and messy? How does it guide your school? Simon Camby presents key questions for you to reflect on as you think about your school.

Peer evaluation is at the core of the CIS International Accreditation experience—educators lead, strengthen and shape international education together. Our new Director of School Evaluation & Development Services, Simon Camby, explored how peer evaluation training works from the inside.

Six months ago, educators from different parts of the world signed and made their voices heard through a petition. They strongly recommended all accreditation agencies and organizations that accredit and evaluate international school quality worldwide to ensure the explicit inclusion of anti-racism and anti-discrimination principles against all forms discrimination in their accreditation standards.

CIS International Accreditation standards are continually reviewed to ensure their relevance to our school community’s needs. In recent years, we worked to embed new protocol requirements on inclusion, diversity, and equity and have now strengthened them further around anti-racism. Learn more from Chris Durbin, Direction of International Accreditation at CIS.

There’s a lot to reflect upon from the past extraordinary year. Carole Denny takes a moment to acknowledge the accomplishments of our community, some lessons we've learned from virtual school visits, and inspiring moments that have motivated us through it all.

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.