PUBLICATION
International School Leader Magazine
Latest issue – August 2025
August 2025
WELCOME
As a new academic year begins, international schools around the world are embracing fresh opportunities to support and empower their communities. At ISC Research’s Annual Conference this July, we explored how meaningful relationships are key to navigating complexity and creating lasting impact for students
That theme continues in this edition of ISL Magazine. Our contributors offer powerful insights into how schools are fostering belonging, developing student agency, and responding with intention to evolving needs. From multilingual support to middle leadership, recruitment to sustainable community partnerships, the stories within this issue reflect the innovation and care shaping international education today.
In the busy months ahead, we hope this issue provides space for reflection and inspiration; and a reminder that connection is at the heart of great teaching and leadership.
Adam Gray-Sims
Editor
In this issue
How do you enjoy reading our magazine? We keep options open for you! You can access all articles featured in the latest issue below, or download a PDF version via the ISC Community. If you’ve not already done so, click here to sign up!
The AI Safety Capsule: A Leadership Framework for Safe and Strategic AI in International Schools
Artificial intelligence is already transforming teaching, learning and leadership but most schools lack a clear, strategic framework for safe adoption. The AI Safety Capsule offers international school leaders a practical model for governance, capability-building and risk management in an AI-driven world. Read more
Sustaining Schools Through Wellbeing, Values, and Culture
This quarter’s ISL Magazine theme explores a question every school, regardless of context or curriculum, must eventually face: how can support for staff, students, and communities be sustained over time? Three contributors – Matthew Savage from The Mona Lisa Effect, Steven W. Edwards from Vega Schools, and Olivia Bugden from Hochalpines Institut Ftan (HIF) – approach this question from different angles, yet their insights reveal a shared imperative. For schools to truly flourish, they must treat wellbeing, values, and culture not as parallel initiatives but as interconnected forces shaping international education. Read more
We Can Do Hard Things: Empowering Young People to Face Challenges
At Hochalpines Institut Ftan, wellbeing isn’t just a lesson, it’s a way of helping students face challenges head-on. From classroom setbacks to rock climbing on the mountainside, students learn to recognise discomfort, manage their responses, and grow from hard experiences, discovering that resilience and self-awareness are skills that extend far beyond school. Read more
The Future of Primary Assessment: Why Alignment, Accessibility and Analytics Matter More Than Ever
Today’s international classrooms need assessment that truly sees every learner. Designed with teachers and multilingual students in mind, Hachette Learning’s Advancing Primary assessments offer fair, curriculum-aligned tools that surface real understanding, guide responsive teaching and help every child move forward with confidence. Read more
Building School Culture Through Value-Driven Recruitment
At Vega Schools in India, staff wellbeing starts with recruitment. By hiring and developing educators who align with core values of empathy, innovation, excellence, collaboration, and integrity, the school fosters a culture where teachers and students alike can thrive. Read more
What is your Wellbeing Footprint?
In this article, Matthew Savage challenges us, as school leaders, to apply to both our decisions and choices a simple litmus test. What might be the impact on the wellbeing of members of the school community, and how might we offset that? Read more
Leading for Belonging: A Playbook for International School Leaders
At UNIS Hanoi, the Elementary Leadership Team leads with purpose, fostering belonging, trust, and inclusive decision-making across the school. By valuing diverse perspectives and the transformative power of joy and play, they aim to cultivate a thriving, collaborative learning environment for both students and educators. Read more
The Critical Incident Office: Supporting Students and Staff during Experiential Learning Programs
Nicolas Forde highlights the Critical Incident Office as a key element of effective risk management, enabling experiential learning programmes to operate with confidence through clear protocols, collaborative decision-making, and a culture of transparency. Read more
Empowering Through Education: A Sustainable Community Engagement Initiative at Pathways School Noida
Vivek Mukherjee shares how Pathways School Noida’s collaboration with Sai Bal Sansar blends service and learning through a sustained Creativity, Activity, Service initiative. By teaching and engaging with children from underprivileged backgrounds, students not only address educational disparities but also develop empathy, leadership, and academic skills through community-focused learning. Read more
How International Schools Can Help Multilingual Learners Find Their Voice
Laura Spargo explores practical strategies for supporting multilingual learners in international schools. She highlights inclusive, whole-school approaches – such as translanguaging, visual aids, and pre-teaching vocabulary – that help integrate language development into everyday learning. Read more
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