International School of Boston

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The International School of Boston / Ecole Internationale de Boston
Address
45 Matignon Road
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140
Information
School type Private, Bilingual, Coeducational, Secular
  • NEASC, CIS, IBO, French Ministry of Education
  • Member NAIS, AFSA, AISNE
Grades Pre-K - 12
Motto Academic Excellence and Bilingual Education in an International Community
Founded 1962
Homepage www.isbos.org

The International School of Boston/Ecole Internationale de Boston is a bilingual co-educational preK-12 private school in Cambridge, MA. The Maternelle Campus (preK, MidK, and K) is located in the adjacent town of Arlington, MA.

With over 500 students from over 40 different countries, ISB is one of the few schools in New England offering the International Baccalaureate. ISB also offers the French Baccalaureate, and all graduating seniors receive the American high school diploma in addition to one of these international diplomas.

Contents

[edit] History

The International School of Boston was founded in 1962 as the Jardin d’Enfants (literally Children’s Garden, French for “Kindergarten”) in hopes of integrating French language and culture into children’s educational experiences. At that time, it was one of the first bilingual programs in the United States.

Since 1962 ISB has grown from just 15 children to 533, and expanded to serve Pre-K through 12th grade. Students range in ages from 3 to 18 and come from 46 nations.

The school had a nomadic existence in its early years as it searched for suitable space. From the basement of the Lutheran Church in Belmont, to a church in Newton Corner, to the Armenian Church in Belmont, to the Parmenter School on Irving Street in Arlington (where the Pre-school and Kindergarten campus has been since 1983), it finally settled in 1997 in its current location in Cambridge.

It also underwent several name changes, including Ecole Bilingue, and French-American International School. Since January 2005, it has been the International School of Boston.

[edit] Bilingual education

With one of the first bilingual programs in the US, ISB has over 40 years of experience in bilingual education. Decades of studies of bilingual programs show that bilingual education not only teaches another language but improves cognitive, linguistic, creative, and other abilities in a developing child’s brain.

The conventional wisdom -- that learning a second language makes it easier to learn a third, and then a fourth – is true. Bilingual children develop a “metalinguistical consciousness”– an awareness of the structure and working of languages – that provides the foundation for acquiring all other languages. Long-term benefits accrue for vocabulary, syntax, phonology, and reading – major components of linguistic ability – that extend beyond the bounds of learning a particular language. And children who are exposed to another language when they are young learn to speak the language like a native – with the idioms and inflections and without an accent. [1]

According to USA Today [1], monolingual US executives are at a competitive disadvantage while their foreign counterparts understand not only their own language and culture but also those of the USA. Future business success depends on resolving this problem. To that end, in 2006 the Committee for Economic Development, a business-funded group, released a study [2] urging greater emphasis on international studies and foreign languages:

To compete successfully in the global marketplace, both U.S.-based multinational corporations as well as small businesses increasingly need employees with knowledge of foreign languages and cultures to market products to customers around the globe and to work effectively with foreign employees and partners in other countries. [2]

One recommendation is that The United States join other industrialized countries in Europe and Asia in offering foreign languages in the elementary grades, where research has shown that language learning is most effective, and continue the emphasis in secondary school to create pipelines of proficient language speakers.[3]

According to Vivien Stewart, Vice President of Education at the Asia Society, successful methods for preparing students to work and lead in the global era are:

  • Introducing an international studies requirement for graduation
  • Creating an elementary school immersion program
  • Developing international schools-within-schools
  • Teaching crucial language skills to prepare for the global economy
  • Using a K–12 foreign language sequence to promote excellence [4]

ISB's curriculum is bilingual from preK through 12th grade, with preK, midK, and K being full-immersion programs in French.

[edit] The International Baccalaureate

In addition to the American High School Diploma, ISB offers both the French Baccalaureate and International Baccalaureate (IB).

The IB is the international equivalent of what is known in the US as the Advanced Placement (AP) program. It began 50 years ago as a way to introduce students at top high schools to college-level work. Since then, it has expanded to a rigorous academic program, and has impressed college admissions offices. According to the NY Times [3] many educators say the IB has more depth than the AP.

Newsweek ranks their Best High Schools list using a formula with the IB [4]. College admissions offices recognize the IB as sign that students are challenging themselves with a rigorous curriculum. An IB diploma emphasizes a second language and fully prepares students for the demands of college. Some colleges even offer sophomore standing to IB Diploma recipients. Others allow IB students to place out of college courses and receive college credit. [5]

Originally designed in Geneva for children of diplomats and international business executives, the IB draws from the best of many international educational systems and is now offered by a range of schools in the United States as well. Many academic administrators believe both the AP and the IB are the most effective ways to take a demanding curriculum to the widest range of students.

All IB schools emphasize a second language. IB candidates must take exams in six different subject areas at the end of their senior year in order to graduate: a first and second language, math, social sciences, science, and one other subject area of their choice.

IB candidates also complete an original research project and enroll in an interdisciplinary course entitled “Theory of Knowledge” which emphasizes critical thinking. During the two-year IB program, students participate in the CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) program where they apply academic knowledge to non-academic situations such as theater, sports and community service. Through CAS, students become more aware of people outside their school community, and are encouraged to develop and share their energy and talent beyond the academic world.

The IB is offered in 122 countries, in 1,600 schools worldwide.

Established in 1968, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is a recognized leader in the field of international education that works with approximately 200,000 students. A non-profit educational organization, IBO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with regional offices in NY, Buenos Aires, and Singapore.

The IBO’s mission is “to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”

[edit] Arts

ISB has an extremely strong theater arts program, culminating in a week-long performing arts festival each May. For several years, ISB has participated at the Theater Festival at the Lycée Français de New York, winning first prize in 2006 and the “Special Prize of the Jury” in 2007. Visual arts also have a week-long festival in May during which student artwork is exhibited. The school choirs have several performances throughout the year.

[edit] Athletics

Beginning in 2007-2008, ISB will offer competitive teams in soccer and basketball. In the spring of 2007, ISB hosted the French-American School of Rhode Island and the Ecole Francaise du Maine in a soccer tournament. ISB has had a competitive Fencing Club for many years, as well as additional clubs for mixed sports, handball, volleyball, and badminton. As the school grows, additional teams and clubs will be introduced.

[edit] Community Service

High-school students participate in the Cambridge soup kitchen and the Walk for Hunger, they volunteer at Club Passim (Cambridge folk music club), and within the school they help in the library, serve as homework aides for elementary students, support Open Houses, aid the Parents’ Association with fundraising activities and events.

[edit] After-School Clubs

Clubs include: circus arts, knitting, cross-stitch, chess, art (2 levels), theater (3 levels), Oriental dance, singing, cooking, jazz dance, mime, Spanish, ballet, yoga, video animation, sculpture, jewelry-beading, gardening, and calligraphy. Students in the upper school participate in an active Student Council and in 2007 a Model United Nations club.

[edit] Summer Programs

The school offers two different programs during the summer, one on the Arlington campus for pre-school aged children, and the other on the Cambridge campus for elementary students. Non-French and French-speakers are welcome. Activities are run bilingually, so the summer program offers an excellent introduction to French for many students. Activities include art, outdoor games, water games, songs, theater, and field trips, including the beach nearby lake each week. Camp counselors are all ISB teachers -- highly professional and well experienced. All speak French and English fluently.

[edit] Accreditations

The International School of Boston (ISB) is accredited by The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), The Council of International Schools (CIS), French Ministry of Education (MEN), International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO). It is also a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE), and Association of French Schools of North American (AFSA).

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bialystok, Ellen, Language Processing in Bilingual Children, Cambridge University Press (1991)
  2. ^ Committee for Economic Development. (2006). Education for global leadership: The importance of international studies and foreign language education for U.S. economic and national security. Washington, DC: Author.
  3. ^ Pufahl, I., Rhodes, N. C., & Christian, N. What we can learn from foreign language teaching in other countries, Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics (2001)
  4. ^ Stewart, Vivien, Educational Leadership: Becoming Citizens of the World, April 2007

[edit] External links

[edit] Further Reading