The ISSN School Design

D esign Principles
Graduate Profile
ISSN School Design Matrix

Design Principles

The mission of each ISSN school is to create an environment for learning and development in which every student is prepared to succeed in college or other post secondary education and to compete, connect, and cooperate within an interconnected global community. To achieve this mission, each of these schools faces a common challenge: to understand what the new knowledge and skills are that students need in a global era and how these can be thoughtfully integrated within the core curriculum in ways that ultimately contribute to students’ overall school performance.

The ISSN school design enables schools to develop:

An intellectual mission focused on international studies that targets educational excellence for every student
A curriculum that meets state standards and integrates international content throughout all subject areas
Engaging, inquiry-based instruction and multiple forms of assessment that promote learning with understanding
The opportunity for students to study one or more world languages, including an Asian language
Innovative uses of technology that support instruction and linkages to schools around the world
A school culture that promotes a sense of belonging for every student and supports students’ personal growth
Opportunities for student and teacher international travel and exchanges
Internships and community service opportunities at internationally oriented businesses, cultural institutions, and universities
Engagement of faculty in continuous high-quality professional development including international travel and exchange

Please click here for a powerpoint presentation by the ISSN Executive Director, Anthony Jackson, summarizing the rationale and design principles behind the International Studies Schools Network.

ISSN Graduate Profile

The ISSN School Design begins with a definition of “what success looks like” in the form of a Graduate Profile that that delineates the knowledge, skills and habits of mind needed to be college ready and globally competent. In turn, the ISSN school design provides a comprehensive approach to school organization and culture, curriculum and instruction, teachers’ professional development and parent and community involvement that guides the implementation of practices needed to achieve the tenets of the Graduate Profile.

The following is a profile of the attributes we strive to produce in each ISSN graduate:

ISSN graduates are Ready for College. They have successfully:

Completed a globally-focused course of study, including classes, extra-curricular activities, and international travel, that has enabled them to develop interest and demonstrate expertise in a specific world culture or an important international issue.
Earned a high school diploma with high school (and college) credits sufficient to pursue a college education in the United States or abroad or to pursue other rigorous post-secondary education.
Learned how to identify options, evaluate opportunities, and organize educational experiences in college to enable them to pursue a career within the global economy.

ISSN graduates are Prepared for Success in a Global Environment. They:

Are “literate for the 21st century” and are proficient in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English and in one or more other world languages.
Analyze and evaluate global issues from multiple perspectives, gather and synthesize relevant information from around the world, and draw conclusions that consider the impact from various viewpoints.
Understand how the world’s people and institutions are interconnected and know how critical international economic, political, technological, environmental, and social systems operate interdependently across nations and regions.
Are proficient in the use of a digital media, can evaluate the validity and integrity of information, and can identify sources of bias.

ISSN graduates are Connected to the World. They:

Understand and value the opportunity to work collaboratively with individuals from cultural backgrounds different from their own and can see the world from the perspective of others.
Are comfortable and competent in different cultural settings and know how to shift behavior and language to respectfully interact with people from different backgrounds.
Understand that decisions and actions taken in the United States may have international consequences and that events worldwide may have national and local implications.
Understand their responsibility to make ethical decisions and responsible choices, to weigh the consequences of their actions for themselves and others across the globe, and to act toward the development of a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.

ISSN School Design Matrix

Documented in the ISSN School Design Matrix, the school design provides a well articulated journey-map, from beginning to proficient across core school components. The design provides clear guidance on how to accelerate achievement within any state’s framework of standards and accountability, while thoughtfully infusing global perspectives. It also offers a framework for inquiry on the following topics:

Vision, Mission and Culture:

Shared Vision How do we ensure that everyone in the school community understands and agrees that the school’s mission is to provide every student a rigorous college preparatory education that consistently and thoughtfully integrates international knowledge and skills? How can we ensure that all important decisions consistently reflect the school’s globally focused vision and mission?
High Expectations What is our shared vision of a successful high school student in the global era; our profile of a college ready, globally competent graduate? How based on our graduate profile can we consistently articulate high, demonstrable expectations for academic achievement and global competencies and make them clear to every student throughout their school experience?
Core Values Does our school consistently act in alignment with its core values as an international studies school? How can we ensure that core values such as academic rigor, cultural inclusion, service in support of humanity worldwide, and global leadership and responsibility are evident in our traditions, rituals, practices and policies?

Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction:

Global Focus In planning and delivering standards-based course content, how can teachers consistently integrate knowledge about the world and international perspectives in each subject area within the curriculum? How do we ensure that the curriculum provides every student a coherent sequence of coursework and experiential learning that prepares them for college and provides a pathway for developing expertise on specific world regions or international issues? What steps are needed to provide every student the opportunity to develop proficiency in a world language or English as a second language?
Comprehensive Assessment How do we identify, develop and align assessment strategies to accurately and authentically measure students’ academic performance and their development of global competencies? How do we systematically use data from student assessment to continuously improve the academic rigor and international focus of the curriculum?
Engaging Instruction How can we ensure that every student is consistently engaged in effective, relevant learning experiences tailored to their strengths and challenges that support mastery of an internationally-focused curriculum? What must be done to see that every student’s learning experience consistently provides opportunities to develop skills required to compete and collaborate in a global era, including complex thinking considerate of global perspectives, teamwork across cultures, and the use of technologies to access and critically evaluate knowledge from throughout the world? How do we ensure that every student has an opportunity for international travel and exchange?

School Organization and Governance:

Students and Staffing What policies and practices must be in place so that every student and every faculty member makes an informed choice to be at the school based on knowledge of the school’s globally focused mission and culture? How can we ensure that the make-up and configuration of the school staff provides sufficient expertise and cultural diversity to successfully develop and sustain the school’s international focus?
Personalization How can we ensure that every student is known well as an individual by adults within the school and that the school’s interpersonal environment supports students’ intellectual and personal development in alignment with the school’s internationally focused mission?
Opportunity to Learn and Lead What policies and practices must exit to prevent “tracking” so that every student has access to the entire internationally focused curriculum and the full spectrum of globally focused learning activities? How can we foster democratic, inclusive decision making in the school where staff, students and families are appropriately empowered to provide leadership in shaping the school’s global culture?

Professional Learning Community:

Collaborative Development How can we develop ongoing opportunities and resources for teachers’ collaborative work to plan, implement and assess the school’s globally focused curriculum and instructional strategies? How can we assist staff members in understanding and shifting their own cultural biases as a foundation for advancing the school’s globally focused mission and culture?
Professional Education How can we identify, access and strategically engage resources outside the school to systematically improve teachers’ practice, including opportunities to increase teachers’ knowledge of international content, languages and cultures? How do we ensure that every staff member has an opportunity for international travel and exchange?

Family and Community Partnerships:

Family Involvement What practices and policies are needed to ensure effective two-way communication with families of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds to support students’ learning? What can be done to assist staff members in developing deep understanding of students’ family culture, to consider family background as an asset, and to consistently use families’ cultural diversity to enhance the school’s globally focused curriculum and culture?
Community Partnerships How can we identify and develop effective partnerships with individuals and organizations within the community, including universities, businesses, cultural institutions and community groups, to provide intellectual resources, materials, service learning and internship opportunities, and other support to specifically enhance the school’s international mission and culture?