Many international schools develop a formal written language policy to address language learning and use.  Additionally, schools often develop a language policy as part of an authorization and or accreditation process.  Although a school may have a formal written language policy, sometimes teachers are unaware the policy exists.  The purpose of this study was to examine teacher knowledge of language policy in English-medium international schools in East Asia. Additionally, the researchers explored whether there were differences in teacher knowledge of language policy between schools that have an affiliation with CIS, IB, and ACS WASC and schools with no affiliation. Further, the researchers examined how often teachers followed the language policy and if the policy defined the roles of teachers. This quantitative survey-based study had 544 participants, of whom 387 were teachers. The main finding revealed that a sizeable percentage of teachers reported that their school does not have a formal written language policy or were unsure if one exists.  Additional findings revealed similarities in language policy knowledge between CIS and IB schools and schools with no affiliation.  Further, less than half of the teachers follow the language policy consistently, and many policies do not specify teacher roles.

The number of for-profit international schools is rising as the international school market continues to grow. While traditionally being non-profit and serving expatriates, international school enrollment now predominately consists of locally enrolled students, many of whom are English language learners (ELLs). As the industry becomes more and more profit-driven, there is mounting concern about how much money is being reinvested back into the schools. The purpose of this study was to explore differences in the provision of resources for working with ELLs between international schools in East Asia that are non-profit and for-profit. Areas explored include teacher preparation, digital media, instructional resources, library materials, and designated teaching space for working with ELLs. This quantitative survey-based study had 533 participants who were working in international schools in East Asia. The findings of this study revealed that instruction of ELLs in nonprofit international schools tends to be less likely to be hindered due to a shortage or lack of resources for working with ELLs compared to for-profit international schools.

The international school market continues to grow at a rapid pace, and a considerable amount of growth is taking place in East Asia. With the majority of international school enrollment being local students, care should be taken when developing or restructuring the second language acquisition (SLA) instructional model employed in the school. The purpose of this study was to explore the current use and preference of SLA instructional models in international schools in East Asia. The researchers further sought to explore the difference in preference of SLA instructional models between administrators and teachers. This quantitative exploratory survey-based study had 543 participants, all of whom were active administrators and teachers in international schools in East Asia. The main findings of the study revealed that there are differences between implemented and preferred SLA instructional models in international schools in East Asia. Additional findings include the frequency of SLA instructional model implementation and that there was no statistically significant difference in SLA instructional model preference between administrators and teachers. Findings from this study can allow stakeholders and policymakers to understand current practices and potential future shifts in SLA instructional models in international schools in East Asia.

This research study occurred because of the many observations made by the researcher while working in international schools in East and Southeast Asia. Although multiple studies have investigated teaching assistants in public schools, there is little research dedicated to the study of teaching assistants in international schools. The purpose of this research study was to look at classroom practices, student language acquisition, professional development, and teaching assistant wellbeing in international schools through the lenses of locally-hired teaching assistants and to discover what they consider to be barriers in their positions as a teaching assistant. Further, comparisons were made between teaching assistants in English-only and multi-lingual schools and between teaching assistants in schools that are for-profit and non-profit. Data acquisition for this mixed-methods study occurred through a thirteen question survey that was completed by 135 teaching assistants working in international schools in East and Southeast Asia. The main findings of this research study were that many teaching assistants in international schools desire relevant professional development, fairer working environment, more equitable salary conditions, and more professional and career opportunities.

Over the years, there have been accusations of widespread discrimination in the hiring practices of various educational establishments in China, and it seems that these accusations are continuing to intensify. This research study aimed to explore race and ethnicity in the hiring process in K-12 international schools in China and provide data that can be used to discuss and further study race and ethnicity in international schools. Using the context of for-profit and non-profit international schools, the researcher used an observational quantitative research design to explore international school staff perceptions of racial demographics, hiring practices, and the projection of equal opportunity in the hiring process of foreign staff in China. This study revealed few statistically significant differences between for-profit and non-profit international schools in China in the areas mentioned above. Additionally, the data revealed similar percentages of blacks and whites between the survey participants and the demographic data for those groups in the United States. Further, the data showed that foreign administrators are the primary decision-making agents in the hiring process at most international schools. Furthermore, only one-fourth of the participants were aware that their school maintained an equal opportunity clause in the hiring document or on the school's website. The findings from this study may be used to counter accusations of widespread discrimination in the hiring practices of international schools in China and elsewhere. Further, findings from this study should motivate administrators of international schools to examine staff perceptions of the hiring process in their schools.