About Us

Internationals Network transforms education for immigrant and refugee multilingual learners by partnering with schools and districts to better serve those students. We design new schools and programs within existing schools, coach leaders, teachers, and school staff, and provide access to an invaluable network of support and learning for those who work with us. Internationals Network remains the only school development and support organization specifically addressing the educational needs of the multilingual learner immigrant and refugee population.

Our comprehensive approach works. As leaders, teachers, and school staff tailor their instruction, culture, school structures, and leadership to effectively serve this population, the students are far more successful than their counterparts outside of our network—graduating at much higher rates.

VISION & MISSION

Internationals Network’s vision is to ensure that all recent immigrant students who are multilingual learners have access to a quality education that prepares them for college, career and beyond. Our mission is to provide quality public education for recently arrived immigrants by growing and sustaining a strong national network of innovative public schools, while sharing proven best practices and influencing policy for multilingual learners on a national scale.

WHAT WE DO

Internationals Network designs, develops, and supports schools and programs for recently-arrived immigrants and refugees. Our workshops, coaching, conferences, institutes and other professional development offerings are designed to simulate the very core principles we advocate for in classrooms and schools. Based on the work of innovative practitioners, Internationals Network’s services are engineered to provide hands-on, experiential exploration and inquiry, to model meaningful collaborative structures and routines, to meet the needs and uphold the assets of a heterogeneous array of practitioners, to demonstrate the intertwined rhythm of well-scaffolded activities and materials, and to center the learning, growth, and curiosity of all participants in our shared pursuit of transforming education for multilingual learners.

Since its inception in 2004, Internationals Network has partnered with school districts and community organizations to design and implement schools and academies that serve recent immigrant and refugee multilingual learners. To date, Internationals has partnered with 12 school districts across the country resulting in the opening of 30 new schools or academies, and is still growing! Internationals continues to explore opportunities to partner with school districts looking to improve the education and outcomes of their multilingual learners.

Internationals has deepened its work in three hubs: NYC, the California Bay Area and the DC Metro area, and other locations across the country by providing professional development and support at the district, school leader, teacher, and network level. In addition, Internationals provides support to its network through school-based and network partnerships with citywide and community-based organizations.

The Internationals Network’s unique and acclaimed approach to professional development eschews lectures, hierarchies, and traditional facilitator-focused models, and instead embodies the creative, collaborative, and equity-driven spirit of the school communities we serve. For many participants, the experience of Internationals Network’s professional development is unlike any they have encountered previously. By bridging conceptual frameworks with concrete, immediately applicable strategies and resources, Internationals Network’s professional development uniquely prepares participants to partner with one another and with the students and families they serve.

New School Development

Since its inception in 2004, Internationals Network has partnered with school districts and community organizations to design and implement schools and academies that serve recent immigrant and refugee multilingual learners. To date, Internationals has partnered with 12 school districts across the country resulting in the opening of 28 new schools or academies, and is still growing! Internationals continues to explore opportunities to partner with school districts looking to improve the education and outcomes of their multilingual learners.

School Support

Internationals has deepened its work in three hubs: NYC, the California Bay Area and the DC Metro area, and other locations across the country by providing professional development and support at the district, school leader, teacher, and network level. In addition, Internationals provides support to its network through school-based and network partnerships with citywide and community-based organizations.

Professional Development

The Internationals Network’s unique and acclaimed approach to professional development eschews lectures, hierarchies, and traditional facilitator-focused models, and instead embodies the creative, collaborative, and equity-driven spirit of the school communities we serve. For many participants, the experience of Internationals Network’s professional development is unlike any they have encountered previously. By bridging conceptual frameworks with concrete, immediately applicable strategies and resources, Internationals Network’s professional development uniquely prepares participants to partner with one another and with the students and families they serve.

OUR IMPACT

Internationals Network seeks to graduate students who are well-prepared to embark upon successful postsecondary pathways. Success includes achievement metrics and tangible student experiences. In addition to high achievement rates, all across the schools and academies in Internationals Network, students report high levels of belonging, a feeling of being part of a community, and feeling like they matter as learners and individuals. They express being “part of a global community” and valuing their relationships with their peers and teachers.

Student Success

Across Internationals Network schools and academies, students graduate at rates that exceed the national average for students who enter school classified as English language learners. Over 10,000 immigrant youth have completed their high school diploma in Internationals Network schools.

Internationals Network seeks to prepare students to graduate high school and succeed on post-secondary pathways. For any group of multilingual learners who enter Internationals Network schools, more graduate high school than their peers across the US by 4% points on average. Of those graduates, more Internationals Network graduates enroll in college than their peers by more than 12% and they stay, succeed and complete college at rates above their peers who also attend low-income, high-minority schools. Internationals Network graduates compete in high school graduation, college enrollment and degree completion with a comparable set of peers across the US.

“Internationals provides us with a forum for exchanging ideas with other educators engaged in similar work across the country. We listen to one another, borrow ideas, and push each other’s thinking. Through Internationals we are able to offer our students authentic opportunities to share their insight (panels, forums, workshops) -our students have an audience that values what they share and their understanding can lead to change within our community.”

Educator Professional Development

Internationals Network provides ongoing support and opportunities for networked learning to over 1,000 school staff across the US. We support Internationals leaders, teachers, and student support staff through a range of professional development and coaching supports. We are a learning community of practitioners. All schools, leaders, teachers, and staff in the Internationals Network learn from each other.

Each school year, Internationals Network delivers more than 1,100 professional development services to more than 950 individual educators. This includes major national events like our Annual Professional Development conference that brings together more than 500 educators from more than 12 school districts across 10 states.

Internationals Network leaders and educators rely on Internationals professional development and community of practice to improve and sustain successful practices in their schools. After participating in Internationals’ professional development 93% of school leaders, teachers, and staff reported feeling more prepared to meet the needs of multilingual learners.

 

Educators

Internationals Network provides ongoing support and opportunities for networked learning to over 1,000 school staff across the US. We support Internationals leaders, teachers, and student support staff through a range of professional development and coaching supports. We are a learning community of practitioners. All schools, leaders, teachers, and staff in the Internationals Network learn from each other.

Each school year, Internationals Network delivers more than 1,100 professional development services to more than 950 individual educators. This includes major national events like our Annual Professional Development conference that brings together more than 500 educators from more than 12 school districts across 10 states.

Internationals Network leaders and educators rely on Internationals professional development and community of practice to improve and sustain successful practices in their schools. After participating in Internationals’ professional development 93% of school leaders, teachers, and staff reported feeling more prepared to meet the needs of multilingual learners.

“Internationals provides us with a forum for exchanging ideas with other educators engaged in similar work across the country. We listen to one another, borrow ideas, and push each other’s thinking. Through Internationals we are able to offer our students authentic opportunities to share their insight (panels, forums, workshops) -our students have an audience that values what they share and their understanding can lead to change within our community.”

— Internationals Network Leader

“I cannot live without our national and regional meetings/PD because we are a community of practice with shared goals.”

— Internationals School Leader

“We have learned a lot about how to serve newcomers: language PDs, collaboration structures and sharing of best practices or models that are working in programs across the country. We have learned to work better as a team, armed with skills that push learning for adults and students.”

— Internationals Network Educator

New School Development

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Professional Development

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Other inquiries: info@internationalsnetwork.org

THE INTERNATIONALS APPROACH

Internationals Network has developed a comprehensive approach to the education of immigrant and refugee youth that addresses the areas of a school’s structure, pedagogy, culture, and governance that effectively serve multilingual learners. The Internationals Approach, a set of 5 Core principles, is based on proven practice and research and provides school leaders, teachers, and staff with high leverage strategies that lead to better outcomes for students.

The HELLO Principles

Heterogeneity + Collaboration

Schools and classrooms are heterogeneous and use collaborative structures that build on the strengths of each member of the school community to optimize learning.

Experiential + Project Learning

Expansion of the 21st century schools beyond the four walls of the building motivates adolescents and enhances their capacity to successfully participate in modern society.

Language + Content Integration

Strong language skills develop most effectively in context and emerge most naturally in a purposeful, language rich, interdisciplinary, and experiential program.

Localized Autonomy + Responsibility

Linking autonomy and responsibility at every level within a learning community allows all members to contribute to their fullest potential.

One Learning Model
For All

All members of our school community work in diverse, collaborative groups using hands-on projects; put another way, the model for adult learning and student learning mirror each other.