For families with children, education is the first priority and getting it right is a challenge even in the family’s home country. The schooling situation becomes even more complex for those families who are asked to relocate. Mellors and Perelstein demonstrate that when moving children with special needs and, in fact, all children, a well thought-out process and high standards are necessary to ensure assignment success.
We intended to write an article on what constitutes an appropriate school search when moving a child with special needs. Statistically, 12 percent to 17 percent of the overall population of children in a country is identified to have special needs that relate to their learning styles or physical capabilities. But as we reflected on this article, we also considered the target population of internationally mobile youth—as well as the fact that 92 percent of respondents to a recent survey by Brookfield Global Relocation Services, Woodridge, Illinois, titled “Global Relocation Trends 2009 Survey Report,” said that family concerns remain the most overwhelming reason for assignment refusal or failure—and concluded that every child moving to another country, leaving friends, family, his or her comfort zone in curriculum, interests, and perhaps even language of instruction, inherently has special needs.
Indeed, when repatriating to the United States from the United Kingdom, my own son, Dan Perelstein, returned to his former school and found himself to be completely adrift. It was not “cool to be smart,” as it had been abroad. Music and theater, his areas of interest, were not practiced by the boys who, instead, favored sports, which were not an area of strength for him. He clearly had a special need in adapting to the local climate and building a social environment in which he could thrive, or even survive. Absent this support system, we had no choice but to move him to a different school that better met his unique needs.
Only international schools are specifically established to serve a transitional population. Schools in any country are a microcosm of the culture in which they exist. Those that do well at teaching succeed with local children according to the standards and practices valued by their society, making education as culturally contingent as a country’s way of doing business.
Coming from a country where math is taught by memorization, learning to produce answers that include why you have arrived at a conclusion requires the same sort of learning support that a child with a learning disability may require. If science is taught in a different sequence in a new country, a child lacking the prerequisites certainly will need extra help to get on track. If handwriting is valued, students whose work habitually has been produced on the computer may get failing grades. And children who have been taught to learn in silence need help to be successful in a school system where they will be graded on classroom participation.
Although international schools, accustomed to receiving children with varied backgrounds, make transition easier than do local schools filled primarily with children who never have been away from home, they, too, have to teach courses in a predetermined sequence, limit the number of languages offered, and adopt an educational philosophy. These educational decisions mean that children inevitably will have curriculum gaps—areas where they are behind and need extra help, or areas where they are advanced and require extra challenge. Even in the least complicated international school scenario, a child moving to another country has individual educational needs.
Not yet mentioned are students who have special gifts—academic, artistic, or athletic—that have been nurtured at home. Can these children keep up their skills and/or competitive standing in another country where their talents are not recognized and the necessary competencies not taught? If not through the identical activity, are there substitutes that keep them from losing ground if they are unable to make progress? Finding an appropriate school for a child who is gifted or talented requires similar research and creativity to a school search for a child with classified special educational needs.
So we return to our original intent—relocating children with special needs. How do you conduct a school search to ensure that their needs are satisfied in a new country? But rather than confine our tips exclusively to children officially classified with special needs, we suggest that methods that suit these children are appropriate for any child moving to a new location.
Standards for Choosing Schools for Relocating Children
Thorough preparation before a school is chosen will ensure that parents and children know what to expect in their new school, have time to make appropriate arrangements, and make school decisions understanding what these mean for the next school choice. Following these steps will ensure students are prepared, the most important considerations are prioritized, and that both relocating parents and children are satisfied, allowing the employee to concentrate on the work at hand.
How to find a school that meets a child’s unique needs:
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Start with the child, not the school. Conduct a comprehensive educational assessment of the child including parental feedback, school transcripts, educational psychologists’ report if available, as well as standardized testing results. Remember that it may be necessary to have a child with special needs re-evaluated by an educational psychologist in the destination country to ensure the diagnosis is up to date and easily understood by the people who will be providing support.
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Conduct an in-depth analysis of the values of the family and the practical logistics of importance to the family. It is important to manage expectations concerning the reality of available schooling in the destination country, as well as taking the time to re-evaluate earlier educational choices and explore how the move can lead to a good—maybe even better—fit between the child and the school.
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Be aware of the curriculum differences relevant to the move and how these will affect schooling in the new country and on repatriation. Be clear on the potential gaps and overlaps in the curriculum. If traditional “special needs” are defined and treated differently in the new country, make sure this language and these customs are understood thoroughly.
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Obtain accurate, reliable, and up-to-date information about the schools available—mainstream, special needs, public, and private. Information should be both qualitative and quantitative, including metrics, professional experience, and insight presented in a digestible and accessible and uniform manner. Metrics are meaningful only when presented in the context of appropriate interpretation, namely what these do and do not demonstrate. The search should be thorough and include obvious as well as off-the-beaten path choices.
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Based on this research, draw up a comprehensive list of schools supporting the needs of the individual child. It is preferable to postpone the decision on where to live until the school is settled.
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Phone schools to inquire about availability, obtain application forms, and schedule tours and interviews. Apply to a diverse list of schools, recognizing that moving to a new culture is an opportunity to fine-tune what has and has not worked at previous schools.
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Request advice on completion of application forms, particularly taking into account cultural differences that may affect application essays and recommendations.
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Children and parents should prepare for interviews, concentrating on asking all pertinent questions about the academic program, extracurricular activities, and the school’s formal and informal ability to assist a child coming from a different background to transition into the school. Schools welcome parents who are keen to find the right fit for their child—not just get into the school at any cost.
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For a placement to be successful, there must be ongoing dialogue between the administration and parents on the current and future needs of the child. Schools should be assessed on the basis of whether or not they are open and responsive to this type of discussion.
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Seek objective advice on the placement decision to enable the family to make thoughtful, long-lasting choices for the children.
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Both parents of children with classified special needs and de facto ones need advice on advocating for a child in school within the cultural system of the destination country to ensure the child has the best experience and support possible.
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Request a complaints procedure before one is needed to monitor the school’s ability to address a child’s special needs, as well as the program quality during and after placement.
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Develop a long-term education plan for the family for ongoing school changes based on a child’s specific issues, age, or the need to wait out the wait list or repatriation.
As these tips make apparent, a successful school search is not simply about “getting in” to a school in a new location. Recognizing that all children moving to another country are vulnerable and must be handled with care suggests that the school search involves some logistics but, more important, involves safeguards to ensure that the child’s most basic requirements, whether in the areas of learning, physical, emotional, or curricular support, are met when a school is selected for the duration of an overseas move.
If parents are selecting a school on their own, following this process will protect the child every step of the way. If a company is using an educational provider, external assistance that encompasses these steps will make a difficult move for any child into a positive educational experience.
Lucy Mellors is director of program initiatives at School Choice International, New York, NY. Recently, she worked as director of admissions for the British International School of New York. She can be reached at +1 914 328 3000 or e-mail lucy@schoolchoice.com.
Liz Perelstein, president of School Choice International, founded School Choice as an expatriate in London more than a decade ago. In 2006, she co-founded the British International School of New York, the first British curriculum school in the New York metropolitan area. She can be reached at+1 914 328 3000 or e-mail liz@schoolchoice.com.