School Guide

Questions to Ask an International School Principal

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Dec 24, 2014

The more obvious considerations in choosing a school for your child are curriculum and geographical location. However, an education institution is only as great as the values its Head of School brings forth.

The great thing about International schools is that parents are able to engage with the heads of school themselves, especially during Open Day events. It is also common overseas to invite one's principal for private lunch or dinner parties to get to know them better.

Pour your august guest a cup of tea and slip them these few questions:

Personal Background

Break the ice (not literally!). Ask them about their hobbies and favorite things in order to befriend the woman or man responsible for the betterment of the school. After all, this is the person who will determine the fate of your child, education wise.

Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment

There are currently 100 international schools in Malaysia, each with it's own unique take on different curriculum and teaching systems. A good principal should know their school inside and out, making them the best resource to go to for questions about said curriculum (second after SchoolAdvisor.my of course!).

• Describe the current curriculum developments at school that you are excited about.
• In your estimation, what assessment strategies should be used in determining what a student knows and is able to do?
• What are the current trends and best practices in reading, writing, and arithmetic and how do you plan to keep your staff involved with the current and changing educational trends?
• What role should technology play in school and how can it support teaching and learning?
• Which one do you value more: competition or teamwork?

Parent/Community Involvement

Parents always want the best for their children, and the future of a nation is placed on the shoulders of the young generation. Thus the community will need to have a say in what they require from these future leaders.

• Are you a parent yourself? How would your own children benefit from attending this school?
• How do you make yourself accessible to parents/students/teachers/community?
• Please describe the role you feel parents/community should play in the operation of the school.
• How do you build relationships of trust and collaboration with the local community, staff, parents, and students?
• How will you encourage teachers to keep in close contact with parents?

Student Needs

A great principal knows that their first client are the students themselves. Ensuring that the school environment provided will result in children that are happy, healthy and active should be their main goal as the Head of School.

• What experiences have you had in working with low income and “at risk” students?
• What are the programs you have been involved in working with gifted students?
• Is there a specific criteria to determine students' placement in class? What are they?
• How would you guide and prepare students for major academic decisions or career planning?
• What discipline standards or procedures have you found to be effective when dealing with students?