international students in us...nais trendbook, resources from chapter on international students...
TRANSCRIPT
International Students in US Independent Schools: A Snapshot
Presenters Listed on Next Slide
Webinar presenters:
Melinda Bihn, Head of School, French American International School, San Francisco, CA ([email protected])
Caryn Pass, Chair, Education Practice, Venable, LLP, Washington, DC ([email protected])
Ioana Wheeler, Director of Global Initiatives and Board of Trustees Programs, NAIS, Washington, DC ([email protected])
Webinar description:
As independent schools in the US are experiencing an increase in
international student enrollment, schools must develop standards and
share best practices to ensure that international students at both boarding
and day schools are well taken care of from the moment they interview,
through the admissions and enrollment process and while attending
school.
This webinar will present findings from a recent NAIS study, information
from an NAIS member day school, as well as a legal snapshot from a law
firm working on cases related to international students. Join us as we
showcase trends and challenges for both day and boarding schools and
discuss topics on international students’ admissions,
acculturation/enculturation, homestays, and more.
Goals for webinar:
Examine NAIS data and research on international students (Ioana Wheeler)
Understand international students’ experiences and needs (Melinda Bihn)
Review legal advice and case studies (Caryn Pass)
Go over list of resources from NAIS and other organizations
We will explore questions that include:
What does the data and research say about international students in NAIS member schools?Who are international students in independent schools? Why do international students choose to study in independent schools?What do international students need from our schools?What opportunities and challenges do international students pose for our schools?What are some of the legal perspectives?
NAIS data and research on
international students:
NAIS DASL (Data and Analysis for School Leadership)
2015 NAIS Survey on International Students
Data from DASL:
Data from DASL:
DASL data includes numbers from boarding schools, day schools,
day-boarding, and boarding day. They also include small,
medium and large schools at any grade level, from every region
in the US and with single and coed genders.
Here is some data from all respondents (based on DASL statistical
tables):
2013-14: 575 schools; 16,760 international students; 5.6%
2014-15: 566 schools; 17, 313 international students; 5.8%
2015-16: 617 schools; 18,748 international students; 5.9%
2015 NAIS survey on international
students:
New survey on international students went out in August 2015
to 1,222 admission officers at NAIS member schools.
21.8% response rate (total responses: 268, which includes 226
completed surveys and 42 partially completed surveys).
67% indicated that their schools enroll F1 or J1 international
students.
Of those serving international students, 63% indicated that they
have third culture kids (TCKs).
44%
1%
2%
3%
3%
3%
4%
5%
5%
6%
6%
8%
11%
12%
13%
14%
14%
16%
18%
21%
21%
23%
25%
27%
28%
29%
30%
35%
48%
90%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
HONDURAS
COSTA RICA
PERU
CHILE
KENYA
GUATEMALA
PAKISTAN
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
ARGENTINA
SOUTH AFRICA
COLOMBIA
FRANCE
SAUDI ARABIA
INDIA
AUSTRALIA
TURKEY
ENGLAND
THAILAND
BRAZIL
TAIWAN
RUSSIA
SPAIN
CANADA
JAPAN
VIETNAM
MEXICO
GERMANY
SOUTH KOREA
CHINA
Nationality of international students:
China (90%)South Korea (48%)Germany (35%)…and more…
Other Category: Italy, Nigeria, Sweden, Bahamas, Jamaica and Hong Kong
Recruiting international students:
63% of schools work with agents37% do not
Commonly cited agencies include:
1. The Cambridge Institute of International Education
2. New Oasis International Education
Partner organizations:
What organizations does your school work with related to international students?
49% 47%
36%
28%
17%
34%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Travel, insurance Acculturation Resources Best practices College counseling Other
Challenges reported:
What are your biggest challenges working with international students?
26%
13%
17%
18%
18%
24%
26%
30%
57%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Other
Enrollment
Vacation travel
Acculturation
Visa process
Recruiting
Admissions
Agents
Home stays
Services for international students at
NAIS member schools:
What types of services does your school offer international students?
14%
15%
28%
33%
35%
49%
68%
92%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Other
Summer travel
Financial aid
Enculturation
Home stay
Acculturation
Counseling
College placement
Frequently cited organizations:
Travel Insurance:• BETiNS International Health and Travel Insurance
• ISO Insurance
• ISM Insurance
• HTH Worldwide
Acculturation and Other Types of Organizations:• The Cambridge Institute of International Education
• New Oasis International Education
• ASSIST
• GEBG (Global Education Benchmarking Group)
• SEVP: Student and Exchange Visitor Program (US Immigration and
Customs Enforcement; US Department of Homeland Security)
NAIS Principles of Good Practice for the Education of F1
International Students in Independent Schools
Stay tuned (launch in Spring 2016): NAIS Global Ambassadors
Advisory Working Group working on these PGPs.
These PGPs will serve as guidelines for the recruitment, housing,
education, and support of F1 international students in US
independent schools. These principles define high standards
and ethical conduct in order to guide independent schools in
being ethical and effective educational communities for
international students and those who work with them.
NAIS PGPs will be aligned with NAIS Commission on
Accreditation new standard for international students. (more
to come soon)
Resources to Consider:NAIS Resources:
1. NAIS Legal Webinar: International Students and Homestay Programs:
Identifying the Risks and Designing Your School’s Approach (March
2015)
2. Hear from Experts: NAIS Global Videos
3. NAIS Listing of Organizations as Global Education Resources
4. NAIS Research on International Students (December 2015)
5. Statistical tables and data currently collected through the NAIS DASL.
6. NAIS Principles of Good Practice on International Students (stay tuned
for Spring 2016)
7. NAIS Books:
International Students in Independent Schools: A Guide for Educators
(February 2013)
NAIS Trendbook, resources from chapter on international students
(2012-13)
Resources to Consider (continued):
Learn more from workshops presented at:
1. NAIS Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA (February 2016)
2. TABS-NAIS Global Symposium, Long Beach, CA (April 2016)
Other Resources:
1. Study in the States: Website created by the US Department of
Homeland Security
• TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools)
• CSIET (Standards for International Student Exchange)
Thank you and contact information:
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Ioana Suciu Wheeler
Director of Global Initiatives and Board of Trustees Programs
National Association of Independent Schools
1129 20th Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036-3425
Phone: (202) 973-9755; Fax: (202) 247-9694
Email: [email protected]
NAIS Website: http://www.nais.org
Next: Melinda Bihn, Head of School, French American International
School, San Francisco, CA
Understanding international students’
experiences and needs
Who are international students in independent schools? Why do international students choose to study in independent schools?What do international students need from our schools?What opportunities and challenges do international students pose for our schools?
Working with international students:
• Background: International schools abroad, US independent schools, US international school
• Doctoral research on how international students in a US independent school understand and experience their social identities
• Former Head of Upper School at a school with more than 40 international students, most from China and Korea; now Head of School in a US international school
• Experience with international students, both accompanied and unaccompanied, in both international and independent school settings
Who are international students in
independent schools?
• “Foreign nationals,” accompanied and unaccompanied
by parents
• Third Culture Kids (TCKs) returning “home”
• Bi-cultural students
• Often speakers of languages other than English
• Sometimes students of color
• Often from privileged socio-economic status
• Rooted in families and communities that are often
invisible to schools
• Part of a global, transnational phenomenon
• Creators of identities and campus communities as
international students
Why do international students choose
to study in independent schools?
• Educational experiences that differ from those of their home country, especially students from exam-driven educational systems
• Educational enrichment and access: English language, US universities
• Economic opportunity
• Opportunity beyond their identities at home: Expectations around career paths, gender, etc.
• Adventure
What do international students need
from our schools?Equity, access, and care:
• An honest, accurate admissions process that assesses fit
• Support for acculturation, language learning, and academic needs
• A supportive language policy and appreciative school culture
• Access to the full range of academic opportunities and social experiences
• A trained, supportive faculty and staff
• Support with relationships in the US and at home
Admissions and international students
• More than “heads in beds”
• Accurate assessment of fit: TOEFL, interviews by Skype or in person, an appreciation of the student’s understanding of the academic sojourn
• Accurate information about program: AP/IB, English-language support, extracurricular activities, # of international students, housing arrangements
• Accurate information about school setting and culture: many international students are city dwellers, for example
Support for acculturation, language
learning, and academic needs
• International student orientation program: extra time for jet lag, slower introduction to school and dorm life, transition to parents’ departure
• Appropriate housing options: dormitories with trained dorm parents; host families who have been trained
• Faculty and staff awareness of culture shock cycle and language learning process, as well as information on international students’ home cultures
• ESL lead teacher who advocates for international students and collaborates with colleagues to support them
• ESL programming and accommodations in classes
A supportive language policy and
appreciative school culture
• Language is identity, language is culture, language is home: A language policy that affirms this and acknowledges students’ rights to speak their languages
• English language support and faculty understanding of language learning process
• Mother tongue communication for families: Admissions info, school forms, website section on international students, mother tongue speakers on faculty when possible
• Structure and support, in class and out, for relationships with US peers: groupings in class, roommate pairings, education for host country students about the international student experience
Access to academic opportunities and
social experiences
• Access to IB/AP/honors courses, with English language support as needed: International students are here to learn, and they do not need “perfect” English in order to excel
• Grading policies and classroom practices that accommodate English-language learning: adapted instructions, word banks on tests, dictionary access, coaching in oral presentations and in participation in discussion
• Social support: explanation of traditions, invitations to auditions, elections and try-outs, buddies on retreats and trips, a role in planning dances and activities
Trained, supportive faculty and staff• Working with international students may not be familiar or
comfortable for all adults in the community
• Uncovering assumptions and surfacing stereotypes are both critical to faculty and staff support: Beware of erroneous beliefs about language, culture, motivation
• Professional development is critical – support teachers before there are problems
• Grading is especially problematic: there must be a policy about language for international students
• Value international students by evaluating teachers’ support of them in their classroom practice: address issues immediately
• Students’ narratives and presentations can be powerful: consider creating an international student advisory council
Support for relationships
• It can be difficult for international students to form relationships with host country peers: These relationships need support in class, in the dorms, on teams
• International students form communities of affiliation with other international students, especially from their home cultures: They need this support network, and schools need to value it
• The international sojourn changes students’ relationships with their families and friends at home: This can be unsettling to students, especially after holidays and vacations
• The international sojourn can change students’ relationships to their home cultures: International students often become part of a “third culture”
What opportunities and challenges do
international students present?
• More than enrollment support
• Window on a larger world
• Richer experience for students, faculty and staff
• Change in our schools’ culture, and a paradigm shift for some
• Need for additional school resources is significant –ignore this at your peril!
• Commitment to international students and global education of all community members
Thank you and contact information:
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Melinda Bihn, Ed. D.
Head of School | Proviseur
+1 415 558-2022
French American International School | International High School
Lycée International Franco-Américain
150 Oak Street | San Francisco, CA 94102 | USA
www.frenchamericansf.org
Next: Caryn Pass, Chair, Education Practice, Venable, LLP, Washington, DC
Student vetting
• School ultimately responsible for actions of student
• Duty to ensure safety of all students (domestic and other
international)
• If school had conducted thorough vetting
would have identified safety issue/would not have
admitted/my child would not have been hurt
• Vetting performed by agent -- does school rely upon info?
• Impact of beliefs and perspectives on other students: girls are
inferior/religious beliefs consistent with those of school?
• Options:
different application?
why leaving current school? allowed to return?
expelled or disciplined?
specific month/day/year of attendance?
criminal background check?
Agents and vendors
• Responsible for actions of agents and vendors;
Duty of care to avoid negligence
• Written documents establishing terms and services with school:
Identifying students, traveling, completion of application,
payment of tuition, housing, medical authority
Length of agreement, termination provisions, indemnification
of school
• Written documents establishing terms and services with
parent/student:
Representations made to students, services offered, fees
charged, documents executed such as medical authority
• Vetting procedures and practices?
Where do they find students, what help is given if completing
applications, how are homestay families vetted and
identified, process for hiring dorm parents
Permissions and authority
• Authority to authorize medical care and make medical decisions
School? Homestay parent? Agent?
In writing; School has copy onsite
Medical confirmation of ability to fully participate in program
• Authority to make decisions in behalf of student (legal guardian?)
• Enrollment contracts
Who executes? Parent, vender, guardian in states
Sufficient understanding of agreement (if in English)
Address issue of payment of tuition
Ability to collect abroad
One payment BEFORE COME TO STATES
Holding I-20 for failure to pay tuition
Include: waivers, permission to travel, photos, vacations
CLEAR EXPLANATION OF REASONS FOR
Removal of student
Reporting discipline to colleges/universities
Housing and homestays• Dorms
Vet dorm parents carefully
Address payment practices (overtime compensation)
If off campus: ensure safe location/neighbors and other adults
• “Parent” arranged housing
Confirm location; adult supervision/guardian; identify contact
Homestay, rented housing or apartment, parent moves to US
• Homestays
Obligation to select “safe” environment
Proof of careful vetting: created policy, consistently used
Establish policy for identifying, selection and training
Create “Homestay Handbook”
Consider
Using application, conducting site visits, vetting all people in
home (criminal background check), training family, obtaining
references
If compensating – tax implications
Thank you and contact information:
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Caryn Pass | Chair, Education Practice | Venable LLPt 202.344.8039 | t 212.370.6260 | c 202.222.8026575 7th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004
[email protected] | www.Venable.com/education | @schoollawyer
Questions?
THE END