In This Issue       New Executive Director        "New" New to the IB   
                       CrossWorlds Seminar           International Education Summit    
                       Meet The Staff

Monique's stamp is to be found in every aspect of CASIE, and she will always be remembered for her vision and determination as she started the organization and oversaw its consistent growth to its current position. Monique is now Chair of the Council of Foundation of the International Baccalaureate Organization, a role which takes up an amazing amount of her time and sees her traveling throughout the world on a continuous basis. Monique's service to CASIE, her experience as former Chair of the Board of Atlanta International School and her dedication to the ideals of international education and the IBO were recognized as being a strong background for her to take up this leadership role.

Our new Executive Director, Alex Horsley, has over 20 years experience as head of international schools in the USA and China, and has served extensively as chair of accrediting teams for the Council of International Schools. Alex seeks to continue the growth of CASIE as an IB workshop provider as well as developing additional programs and consultancies. Alex shares with Monique a deep belief in the values of international and dual-language education.

CASIE Presents IB Orientation Program
On April 16 we held a very successful one-day IB Orientation workshop. This is the first time that we have held such a session, and it proved to be very successful. The 51 participants from around the country were unanimous in approving the format, which we developed specifically for the event. The content included some general sessions, and breakout groups for DP, MYP and PYP.

CrossWorlds Holds Seminar for Cobb County Educators
Ten members of the staff of the Intensive English Language Program (Cobb County) participated in the CrossWorlds Program Seminars from October 2004 through May 2005. The faculty and staff are committed to helping their English Language Learners become acclimated to the American school system as well as acquire the necessary English language skills to access academic instruction in the general classroom. They feel their students are motivated to learn and are very comfortable in the learning environment created by the staff. In fact, students like the school so much that they are rarely absent and occasionally return from their home schools to visit. Many students exiting the IEL Program do participate in honors courses, advanced placement course and upper level courses, athletics, and most importantly, they graduate. Ms. Jacqueline Whitt, the Principal, has guided and collaborated with her staff to offer a program of assistance and excellence. CrossWorlds salutes the faculty and staff for its commitment to excellence.

CASIE to Host International Education Summit
CASIE is sponsoring an International Education Summit designed to bring to the attention of legislators, business people and educators the importance and value of international education programs. Planning is already well under way, with a planning committee which includes several well-connected members of the target communities. Further information will be included in upcoming editions of this e-newsletter.

Meet the CASIE Staff
The CASIE office is located in Atlanta International School, but is a completely separate entity, set up as an independent not-for-profit organization, with IRS 501(c)(3) status. CASIE is, of course, able to draw upon the experience and facilities of Atlanta International School, whose Headmaster, David Hawley, serves on the Board. The CASIE board also includes representatives of the Georgia Department of Education, the Centers for Disease Control and local businesses in Atlanta with international connections.

The CASIE team of staff members work closely together in a highly cooperative manner as we prepare for workshops and other programs. This is a brief listing of staff responsibilities, but there is a great deal of overlap.

Nancy Tuomi serves as Director of all IB workshop programs, with responsibility for the logistics, content and oversight of all sessions.

Lynne McClendon serves as Director of our CrossWorlds program, which is a special series of workshops on promoting the benefits of diversity in schools.

Rasamy Vanijcharoenkarn handles all our accounts and bookkeeping records

Amy Williams serves as Registrar for all IB workshops, and is responsible for all administrative details for workshop leaders and participants

Sharon Belton serves as Registrar for all other workshops, and serves as liaison with non-IBNA outside groups for whom we provide services.

Notes from Alex

Welcome to the first edition of the CASIE e-newsletter! I am very happy to be serving in the role of Executive Director, because CASIE represents all the ideals for which I have devoted my entire career as an educator.

During the past forty years I have worked in education on four continents and have become absolutely convinced of the values of international education. Sound international programs are designed to bring people together while promoting high academic standards, and are extremely important for the 21st century.

In the early stages of the international education movement, much of the momentum came from the independent sector, with schools specifically set up for the transient international community taking a leading role. While those schools remain extremely important, it is heartening to see the amazing growth of public schools in various countries taking up the cause. Within the United States, the vast majority of the 600 IB programs are found in public schools. Similarly, in many other countries, including countries as diverse as China, Australia, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Canada, there are significant numbers of government schools that have strong IB programs.

Many of you will know us as a provider of IB training workshops for teachers in existing or aspiring IB schools. This is, of course, a highly important part of what we do, but our mission runs much deeper. At CASIE, we draw on the positive models found at Atlanta International School to provide services to the entire educational community, in Georgia and beyond. We have partnered with State agencies, school districts, individual public schools and charter schools to develop programs designed to promote multiculturalism and the importance of language teaching. We serve as consultants, and as a research center for all aspects of international education, multiculturalism and language teaching. We are particularly interested in helping schools develop dual-language programs, and in working with schools that are just embarking on the road to internationalism.

Please feel free to contact me at any time if you would like to hear more about our services, or if you would like to share examples of good practice in the fields of international, dual-language or multicultural education. We have a strong and important message, and it is always good for us to hear from like-minded educators and others.

I hope that you all have a good summer (if you are in the northern hemisphere that is!)

Sincerely,
Alex Horsley

© Copyright Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education 2005-2006.
If you experience difficulty with this page, please contact the webmaster