Notes on the History of the Alliance for International Education
The years between the founding of the Alliance in 2002 to the present have, above all, been filled with people communicating with each other, with meeting new colleagues and friends, and with a most encouraging growth of links, supporting organisations and networks. Our history, quite appropriately, reflects not only some key events but the continuous sharing of experiences and ideas between a growing group of people linked by the mission of the Alliance.
The initial development of the Alliance 2002 to 2006 has concentrated on the organization of global conferences and the follow-up activities of Conference Organizing Teams, several Working Groups, and the Alliance Coordinating Team. Some local and regional gatherings prepared the ground for the later development of regional chapters.
Conferences
The biennial conferences, drawing participants from all over the world, are always organized according to an overall theme:
Geneva 2002 Interpreting International Education
Düsseldorf 2004 Education for International Mindedness
Shanghai 2006 Educating for Global Citizenship
Istanbul 2008 International Education: A Bridge to Intercultural Understanding
You will find conference strands and summaries under “Conferences” on this website.
The organisation of the conferences reflects the growing support of organisations linked to the Alliance and the widening field of speakers and participants.
11 - 13 September 2002 at the International Conference Centre Geneva: INTERPRETING INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
This first conference was organized jointly by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) and the Centre for the Study of Education in an International Context (CEIC) at the University of Bath, on behalf of a number of different organizations with an interest in this field. The conference attracted over 200 participants from national and international schools, universities, ministries of education and other educational organizations around the world.
Among the speakers were Professor Jeff Thompson, the Conference Chair, Sir John Daniel (Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO), Hon Greg Crafter (President of the IBO Council of Foundation) and Dr Cecilia Braslavsky (Director of the International Bureau of Education). A Conference Summary was presented in a final session led by Professor George Walker (at the time Director General of the IBO and a visiting professor at the University of Bath).
After the great success of this Conference, a Conference Organizing Team (Jeff Thompson, Mary Hayden, Terry Haywood, Beatrice Larose-Caston and Jack Levy) decided to take the first initiative forward and actively planned the second Conference.
1-3 October, 2004 at the International School of Düsseldorf: EDUCATION FOR INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS
It was at this Conference that the AIE would receive its name: the Alliance for International Education. Continued support came from the IBO, the CEIC (University of Bath), and of the International School of Düsseldorf, and a growing group of supporters such as the Council of International Schools (CIS), the Dutch International Schools (DIS), the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), Fieldwork, George Mason University (GMU), the International Schools Association (ISA), and the United World Colleges (UWC). The Conference attracted about 300 participants coming from all over the world representing a vast array of organizations and institutions involved in international education.
Keynote Speakers were Malcolm McKenzie, Principal of the UWC of the Atlantic, with “Prep for the Planet: Effective Internationalism in Education”, and Dr. Betty Chan Po-king, Director of the Yew Chung Education Foundation with “Educating the 21st Century Child: A New Approach to International Education” A Conference Summary was provided by Malcolm McKenzie.
By the end of the Conference, there was a general consensus in favour of the further development of the AIE, with the help of the Coordination Team, consisting of Jeff Thompson, (Chairman), Beatrice Caston, Norm Dean, Mary Hayden, Terry Haywood, Walther Hetzer, Jack Levy, Lesley Snowball and Wilf Stout.
27-29 October 2006 at the Yew Chung Foundation in Shanghai,China: EDUCATING FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
The AIE organised this third conference together with the Yew Chung Foundation. The conference broke new ground since, besides participant coming from all parts of the world, about half of the participants came from China. Thanks to the Yew Chung Foundation, Dr. Chan Po-King and Dr. Gary Morrison, participants received an extraordinary insight into the recent and rapid developments in international education in China.
Keynote speakers included:
Paul Yip Kwok-wah, Chairman of Hong Kong Policy Research Institute and Council Chairman of Institute for Asian & European Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong University on “We Humankind, Our Earth—Education for the Global Citizenship in the Globalization Era”.
Once again, Malcolm McKenzie, Principal, Atlantic College, took care of the Conference Summary.
24-26 October, 2008 at the Enka Schools, Istanbul, Turkey: INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION – A BRIDGE TO INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
The fourth conference again included novel features. The Alliance Organizing Team was joined in the organisation of the Conference by a group of five schools coordinated by the Enka Schools.
For the first time a panel of Grade 6 to 12 students from the organising schools joined the Conference in a plenary session to give their own interpretation of the conference theme. They acquitted themselves admirably and provided the stimulus to plan increased student participation in further conferences. This led to more ambitious plans for the Melbourne Conference scheduled for July 2010.
Milestones in the Evolution of the Alliance 2002 - 2009
2002 – Launch of discussions during Geneva Conference.
2004 – Official name + Statement of Purpose approved at Düsseldorf Conference 2005 – AIE Logo
2007 – AIE Statutes
2008 – AIE recognized as charitable company in the UK
2008 – AIE Strategic Plan
2009 – UK and China Chapters incorporated/ Board Succession Procedure
Regular annual or bi-annual presentations are made at conferences for international schools.
At the Conference in Istanbul, Jeff Thompson stepped down as Chairman. The Board of Trustees elected Terry Haywood as the next Chairman. Jeff remains a Trustee and a member of the Coordinating Group.
Establishment of Local Alliance Chapters
The process initiated in 2006 to establish local chapters with the goal to further the Purpose of the Alliance through local links and collaborative ventures has led toa variety of formal and informal gatherings in various locations.
While a sustained local chapter was not incorporated in the United Arab Emirates, early conversations there in 2007 – 2008 gave a good example for the potential of such groupings; it is hoped that the initial effort there will still lead to a thriving chapter.
After careful preparation, a “United Kingdom Chapter” was formally incorporated in January 2009.
The great resonance of the 2006 Shanghai Conference, the continuing communications between participants in the region and subsequent, very successful, regional conferences has led to the establishment of a “China Chapter” which was formally incorporated in November 2009.
AIE Institutional Partners
From its inception the AIE is fortunate to have the active support from the following institutional partners:
● CEIC (Centre for the Study of Education in an International Context) - University of Bath (http://www.bath.ac.uk)
● Council of International Schools (http://www.cois.org)
● Dutch International Secondary Schools (http://www.intschools.nl)
● European Council of International Schools (http://www.ecis.org)
● Fieldwork (http://www.fieldworkeducationservices.com)
● George Mason University (http://www.gmu.edu)
● International Schools Association (http://www.isa.org)
● United World Colleges (http://www.uwc.org)
● Yew Chung Foundation (http://www.ycef.com)
