Veronica Clough

Introduction

Inclusionary practices have changed over the years in educational spaces. Every country has their own approach and understanding of what inclusionary practices might look like in different learning spaces. Tan et al., (2022) explored teacher beliefs around inclusive practices, specifically as it relates to early years educators and peer interactions, at a preschool in Shanghai, China. The researchers found that teachers’ beliefs did not always align with practice. Tan et al., (2022) found that some changes unfolded in the classrooms around decoration that was aligned with inclusive messaging, but that the biggest challenge came with mediation between peers, specifically those who are not identified as having special educational needs (SEN) and those who are identified as having behavioural or emotional SEN. 

Tan et al., (2022) aligned with previous research in other settings and with current best practice models. The first contextual factor influencing the disconnect between belief and practice centred on classroom composition. The research confirmed that the adult to child ratio within a classroom impacts how the teachers were able to align belief with practice. The second contextual factor influencing the disconnect between belief and practice was whole class instruction. Tan et al., (2022) found that this approach is the dominate practice in Chinese preschool, with 46% of their time spent using instructional whole group practice. The third context centred on parent-teacher relationships, specifically if parents’ support between home and school would have an impact on how teachers supported inclusivity. Finally, the fourth context is the strong desire for high academic performance at the risk of underdevelopment of social/emotional development. Tan et al., (2022) highlighted that there is a strong cultural orientation towards academic performance in a Chinese context. 

This research is important to me as my scholarship is in early years and I will be relocating to Shanghai to teach at a school that has a focus on inclusive practice. My hope is that by exploring this research, I will begin to develop an understanding of the cultural context of inclusive practices in Chinese early years settings. This will hopefully guide my research around inclusivity, early years, and policy/framework development.  

This paper will explore Tan et al., (2022) research using a rights-based approach. It is my belief that all children have a right to education. What the enactment of children’s rights to education will look like is determined by cultural contexts. Therefore, to better understand how disability and how inclusive beliefs and practices are constructed in China I will use a rights-based lens to deconstruct Tan et al., (2022) research based in Shanghai, China. 

Conceptual Framework

The human rights movement arose after the end of World War 2 with the creation of the United Nations (UN) (United Nations, 2022). In 1948, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights Convention (UDHR) was signed and adopted by the UN General assembly. Article 26 states that everyone has the right to education (Office of the High Commissioner Human Rights, 2022). Through the creation of the UDHR other rights-based declarations have evolved, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (UNICEF UK, 2022). Article 28 of the UNCRC states that all children have a right to education and Article 23 states that all children have the right to dignity as it pertains to their disability. China is a signatory of both the UDHR and the UNCRC, and as such the rights to education and rights to dignity should be upheld. 

A rights-based approach is situated in a liberal egalitarian lens. According to McCowan (2015) liberal egalitarianism is not about completely removing capitalism from the current systems, instead, it is about upholding social justice in the same space as free market values by ensuring individual freedoms and rights are adhered to in conjunction with current systems. Rights-based approaches under the liberal egalitarian lens suppose that individuals are deserving of justice rather than conditions put upon them based on charity outreach. Further scholars such as Nussbaum (2000, as cited in McCowan 2015) and Mahbub Ul Haq (1995, as cited in McCowan, 2015) suggest further concepts of liberal egalitarianism through the construction of agreed upon capabilities and freedom for all. Finally, liberal egalitarianism suggests that educational systems should distribute services and benefits with equity and justice in the forefront, with a purpose of learning to advocate for rights and developing autonomy. Rights-based approaches are not without criticism, specifically that rights are vague in definition and do not offer cultural context to nation states.  

Analysis

Tan et al., (2022) offer a brief historical and cultural context of disability and educational settings. According to the authors, China has attempted to fulfill their signage of the UDHR and UNCRC through the creation of national laws such as The People’s Republic of China on Protection for Disabled Persons Act(National People’s Congress, 1990, as cited in Tan et al., 2022) and The Educational Guidelines for People with Disabilities Act (National Education Committee of the People’s Republic of China, 1994, as cited in Tan et al., 2022). In theory both legislative acts encourage schools and educational settings to open enrollment to children with disabilities, in practice the acts are viewed more as suggestions and not mandatory. This is even more evident in early years settings where it is not yet viewed as a public good requiring public funding. This is a gap in legislative powers, cultural context of education, and the rights of the child and protection from discriminatory practices based on disability. Part of rights-based approaches is access to educational spaces. However, with early years still not a guaranteed good for most nation states, access is limited. This is especially true for those who are identified as requiring SEN support. Farrell (2013) argues inequality of access can be assumed when there is an inadequate supply of schools or programming. Therefore, when access is limited, beliefs and opportunities to practice on beliefs, become a barrier for the educator.

How diversity, including disability, is constructed differently from nation state to nation state, and from era to era, is dependent on cultural context of understanding (Jiménez & Lerch, 2019). Democratically run nation states generally define rights as individual liberties, while those in communist run nation states conceptualize rights as positively aligned with government run sponsorship. As such, China is a communist based government where one can argue that the rights of children with disabilities should have the same access with specific program supports for their needs. Yet, as stated, most early years settings in China are slow to offer these programs. According to Tan et al., (2022), one of the factors that influence the teacher’s belief system around peer interaction is classroom composition. Often classroom ratio in China is greater when compared to their Western counterparts. Due to the classroom composition, the teachers found it challenging to support SEN children with behavioural and emotional support needs. For teachers in China, the main approach to education is whole-group teaching with explicit concentration on high academic performance. While some of the participants in Tan et al.’s (2022) study had additional training and experience working with children who required additional support, they found it challenging to provide the specific care required for them to be successful in the classroom and with their peer interaction. When specific care is not available a barrier to access can be created. 

Finally, Tan et al., (2022) followed up their research with its limitations and implications. This is important to note as it aligns with the analysis of their research. They noted the study’s short observation period coupled with a single location versus multiple locations as a challenge to providing a generalizable overview representative of the inclusive practices and beliefs in China as a whole. Though Tan et al., (2022) cannot suggest whole system change based on such a small sample size, it should be noted the research does highlight and align with previous research findings. The researchers argued that another barrier was the focus on beliefs around academic performance and the importance (or lack of importance) placed on social-emotional development. The importance of Social Emotional Learning in the early years is coded and encouraged as foundational over academic success in multiple frameworks around the world (Housman, 2017). The question remains, did Tan et al., (2022) explore curricular or pedagogical documents outlining social emotional learning in a Chinese context. They did note limited training on social emotional learning contexts in China due to cultural teaching approaches which emphasize instructional whole group teaching as a means of fostering a sense of community and belonging. The authors concluded that further research would be required to examine the belief and practice divide. Further research into curricular documents, cultural construction of disability, parental understanding of social emotional learning, and how to bridge these divisions between belief and practice will need to unfold to gain a deeper understanding of inclusive practices in China. 

Conclusion

As a signatory to the UDHR and the UNCRC, China has made attempts to follow through with the binding conventions. Tan et al.’s, (2022) research on teachers’ beliefs and practice when developing peer interactions for SEN children offers a brief outline of how disability is protected through legislation such as ThePeople’s Republic of China on Protection for Disabled Persons Act (National People’s Congress, 1990, as cited in Tan et al., 2022) and The Educational Guidelines for People with Disabilities Act (National Education Committee of the People’s Republic of China, 1994, as cited in Tan et al., 2022). They noted that despite China’s legislated educational reform, the early years sector has more flexibility in interpreting the legislation as it is still not considered a public good. China offers primary and secondary education for all students that can attend. Until the early years is considered a public good, instituting the legislative act is a challenge.

In most educational spaces, classroom ratios and programing have an impact on how teachers put their beliefs into practice. Tan et al., (2022) also found this true in their research. The size and composition of the classroom influenced how the teachers approached peer interaction. When the classroom is too large or if only one approach is used (whole group instruction vs small group or individualized learning) it leaves those who are marginalized on the sideline, with their rights to education and right to dignity as it pertains to disability not completely supported. As stated, the rights of the child around education and dignity could be better upheld if early years is considered a public versus a private good. 

Finally, Tan et al., (2022) suggest further training at the pre-service level on how to implement social emotional learning was needed. This is a challenge in a Chinese context when academic performance is held in higher regard than social emotional learning. Research (Housman, 2017) confirms that early understanding and support of social emotional learning is beneficial for future school success, but messaging to this effect is slow to evolve in collective societies where community and belonging are constructed differently than western nations. 

This research has been an entry point into my understanding of how China constructs disability in an early learning environment. It will help guide further research as I return to China to work at a school with a specific focus on inclusivity in school ecosystems. 

References

Farrell, J. (2013). Equality of Education: Six decades of comparative evidence as seen from a new millennium. In R. Arnove and C. Torres (Eds.). Comparative education: The dialectic of the global and the local (pp. 149-174). Rowman and Littlefield.

Housman, D.K. (2017). The importance of emotional competence and self-regulation from birth: a case for the evidence-based emotional cognitive social early learning approach. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 11:13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40723-017-0038-6

Jiménez, J. D., and Lerch, J. C. (2019). Waves of diversity: Depictions of marginalized groups and their rights in social science textbooks, 1900-2013. Comparative Education Review, 63(2), 166-188.

McCowan, T. (2015). Theories of Development.  In T. McCowan & E. Unterhalter (Eds.) Education and International Development: An Introduction (pp. 31-48). Bloomsbury Academic

Office of the High Commissioner Human Rights. (2022). Universal Declaration of Human Rights-English Version. https://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights/universal-declaration/translations/english

Tan, R., Schwab, S., & Perren, S. (2022). Teachers’ beliefs about peer social interactions and their relationship to practice in Chinese inclusive preschools. International Journal of Early Years Education, 30(2), p. 436-477. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2021.1983775

UNICEF UK. (2022). A Summary of the UN convention on the rights of the child. https://www.unicef.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UNCRC_summary-1_1.pdf

United Nations. (2022). History of the Declaration. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/udhr/history-of-the-declaration

For the past 20 years, I have worked in and out of international settings. In 2002, I started my international career in China where I lived in a small city of 1 million people (WanZhou). I was a native English-speaking teacher working at a secondary school. My role was to encourage the students to use proper pronunciation and increase their English usage through conversation. I was woefully unprepared for the task. My only professional role up to that point was in child and youth work where I worked with youth who had encounters with the law or been removed from their house due to safety concerns. How were these skills transferable to teaching English as a second language? Yet, because I was a White native English speaker (NES) I was granted the opportunity to move to a country where I did not know the host language and teach students how to speak English.

Reflecting on this process in recent years and after gaining knowledge, experience, and certification to teach early years, I often wonder if those students were able to gain English ability from me. I know I was not professionally prepared for this role, and I know that this was often the case for new instructors at the time when English became part of the Chinese National curriculum (Wu, 2012). When the Chinese government mandated English as a core subject, there was a learning curve on how to execute the instruction with many NES’s being recruited who lacked the skills or were unprepared to teach English to Chinese students (Wu, 2012). Anecdotally, many of these teachers were recruited based on their place of birth (English first language countries) and the colour of their skin (White). While not overtly advertising for White only, many recruitment advertisements requested a photo with your application, which indicated that only White NES’s would be accepted. I belonged to a few English as a Second Language teaching websites where personal stories and frustrations were shared by Black and Asian presenting job seekers of being rejected numerous times due to racial discrimination. These stories struck me early on in my career as being unfair, unjust, and racist in nature. However, how could I, an unqualified teacher, have advocated for more inclusive practices when I benefited from the system in place at the time and had limited power to change the system?

Fast forward to 5 years, I decided to return to teaching in China. This time I focused on early years. It was more aligned with my professional knowledge and skill set. This journey led to an opportunity to work in Shanghai. I was hired, again, based on the colour of my skin and my birth country of Canada. However, this time I also worked alongside a colleague from the Philippines. In the 5 years since I had last worked in China, I noticed a shift in attitudes. It was a small shift in acceptance of teachers from Asian countries if English was their first language. However, I also noticed that there was a very large discrepancy in pay and attitudes from parents and leadership towards my Philippine colleague. Again, my Whiteness was of value economically and reputedly for the organization, even if my colleague had more experience and training working with early years. 

The first year I worked with the organization, I observed how my Philippine colleague was treated in comparison to the three other White teachers who did not have a degree in education or understanding of pedagogy or curriculum. Once the contract was over, I left the organization and moved into the international school system. I had been working within the Chinese or Bilingual school models, which had different mandates as it pertained to curriculum and expectation (Wu, 2012). Moving into the international school eco-system meant that I had to work with a particular curriculum from a specific region (British, American, or International Baccalaureate (IB) focus), therefore I had to gain theoretical and practical knowledge though more training to best serve my students. Many lessons on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) were highlighted during my time working at international schools. 

Currently, I have noticed a shift in thinking around recruitment and retention of staff outside the White, cis gendered, heteronormative, and able body narrative thanks to the organizational bodies like the Association for International Educators and Leaders of Color (AIELOC) push for discussions and action on diversity in hiring. While small changes are happening, I know that there is more work to do on the recruitment of more diverse candidates. Therefore, in this blog I plan to explore what barriers have existed or continue to exist as it relates to hiring diverse candidates in international schools. This blog will use personal stories of those in the field alongside academic findings in Canada and the United States as it relates to diversity hiring practices. 

It is important to offer a definition of an international school. According to Nagrath (2011), an international school is generally defined as meeting the following criteria: 

The ability to transfer from one international setting to another, a higher turnover rate of population, multinational and multilingual student, an international curriculum, an international accreditation body, a transient teacher population, a non-selective student body enrollment and generally a focus on English first or a bi-lingual approach to education. 

From my lived experiences navigating international teaching, I would like to add that most international educational settings have tuition attached to their institutes which makes accessibility for some local students and families out of reach. This is important from a cultural context when considering who benefits from the access to international school curriculum and the influence it can have on hiring practices.

There is limited research on international school hiring practices as it pertains to recruitment and retention of diverse candidates. Therefore, this literature review will be addressed in a two-prong approach. The first approach will explore the academic research currently available on recruitment and retention of diverse teacher candidates. The second approach will explore the lived experiences of international based educators and leaders as they navigate for more diverse representation at international schools. Through this two-prong approach, I plan to explore the current barriers that exist in hiring.

North American Context

In North America (specifically Canada and the United States), research offered insights into the barriers to recruitment and retention of qualified diverse teacher and leadership candidates (Abawi & Eizadirad, 2020;  Kabadi 2020; Reynolds & Tabron, 2022; Ryan & Pollock, 2009). Reynolds and Tabron (2022) explored the early process of hiring principals in over 1000 districts in the United States. They discovered that the upholding of Whiteness was maintained from the language (or lack of) in the job description. Many of the districts did not use written job descriptions which resulted in limited recruitment from potential candidates, which led to a decrease in representation in the screening process which allowed screeners to fall back on safe candidates. There was also an over representation of social network hiring practices. This is echoed in the hiring practices in international school settings for women in leadership (Cofino, 2021b). Many women felt they were overlooked for potential school leadership opportunities due to the social network of cisgendered, heteronormative, White male leaders’ network. In other words, the old boys club of networking.  

Ryan and Pollock (2009) examined diversity in teachers across Canada. Census data indicated an increase in racialized households, especially in urban areas, but increasingly moving into more rural communities. Therefore, an examination of diverse representation in educational settings was conducted which indicated that the teaching community was not representative of the increased diverse or racialized student population. Ryan and Pollock (2009) also examined the lack of diverse candidates by using the metaphors of pipelines, leaky pipes, bottlenecks, and glass ceilings. The pipeline was described as the pathway to teaching. In Ontario the clear pipeline is through the Canadian school systems, which is elementary to secondary to post-secondary to qualification status. This often led to internationally trained candidates being excluded from the pipeline. Leaky pipes questioned the failure of racialized candidates entering the pipeline due to low representation in the Canadian context. There were leaks in the pipeline, such as the increased representation of Black or Indigenous students being streamed into lower academic levels resulting in lower representation in university bound programs (part of the pipeline), less support for transition of students into post-secondary institutions (specifically around language support and international students), and low success rates of internationally trained educators (those who are trained outside a provincial/territorial qualification framework). The bottleneck was the practices and policies in place that potential candidates must navigate to gain employment. This was especially challenging for internationally trained teachers who sought employment. School boards/districts often require registration with a local authority for a teacher license. The steps to qualification are generally the pipeline of provincial/territory degree (Bachelor of Education in most cases). Once a potential candidate complete their designated degree then they apply for teacher status. This can be a bottleneck for internationally trained educators as the standards set by the local authority requires specific knowledge and skill set for teaching in that province/territory. Therefore, internationally trained educators must go through additional training qualification and multiple levels of paperwork before being granted teacher status. Finally, the glass ceiling was the systemic levers preventing hiring such as the Canadian experience question for internationally trained educators and the assessment of qualifications centred on upholding Eurocentric modes. 

In Ontario (Canada), Abawi and Eizadirad (2020) examined hiring practices as it pertained to the call for more diverse recruitment and retention of teachers. They found that while public sentiment and public policy might demand a more diverse teaching population that without examining and reflecting on the barriers and levers in place, recruitment and retention maintained the status quo. The barriers were steeped in neoliberal ideology of individual ability (qualifications for teaching) and commodification of education (meeting hiring quotas) and levers such as colour evasive attitudes, tokenization, language assessments (especially for internationally trained educators), and nepotism which solidified the upholding of Whiteness in hiring practices. 

Kabadi (2020) conducted a study on the hiring practices with the purpose of increasing diverse teaching candidates for a growing diverse student population of one Denver (United States) school. He shared that efforts started when the student body raised concerns of current events as they unfolded in 2016 (Colin Kaepernick, the US election, and Black Lives Matter). From students raising concerns, a hiring panel was created to recruit more diverse population. Through multiple meetings that unpacked current hiring practices to finding actionable processes the school offered a set of initiatives that included having diverse representation on the hiring committee, a change in interview processes, expanding social networks to include more potential diverse candidates, anti-bias training for hiring committee, and maintaining data on the process for further reflection. This resulted in some increase in diverse recruitment, however findings concluded that the comfort bias was maintained. There was an uptick in women and Latin(x) hires, but the school struggled to recruit Black candidates. Most of the increase for diverse candidates resulted in non-faculty positions. Further and continued reflection on the data and practice was considered. 

International Context

There is limited data or research on hiring practices in international schools. However, Mancuso, Roberts, and White (2010) explored the high turnover rate of teachers in international school settings. This is important to consider when looking at recruitment and retention of teachers. As previously outlined in the definition of international schools, one of the defining factors is transient teachers. Most international school contracts are 2 years with option to renew yearly. Mancuso, Roberts and White (2010) found that teachers who had less than 7 years at the school would more likely leave than those with 8 or more years teaching. There were other variables like: teaching couples versus a teacher with trailing spouse, the dependents versus no dependents, and age, gender, salary, and job satisfaction that impacted decision to stay with their employer. It is worth mentioning that job satisfaction was tied to leadership characteristics. Teachers were more likely to stay with an organization if they had leadership characteristics that can be found in transformative and distributed leadership. 

Transformative leadership is defined as:

The call for more diverse teachers and leadership in international schools has increased recently as schools reflect on their own hiring practices and current approaches to DEIJ policy (Simpson, Weaver, and Ndiaye, 2021). This is evident in the personal stories and lived experiences of teachers and leaders as they navigate recruitment season. Pearson (2022) investigated international recruitment companies to explore policies and practices in place for hiring diverse teaching candidates. She found that the open secret of hiring White presenting teachers continued to be common practice with some recruiting companies. They had different levels based on uploaded profile photographs. Level 1 was usually reserved for White presenting candidates and level 2 was for other presenting candidates. Pearson indicated that on the employer seeking side that the drop-down menu of White only was offered. She did note that some organizations are taking steps to remove barrier language like NES and the requirement of a profile photo. Other schools, like the International School of Dakar (Senegal), have taken initiatives removing barrier language like IB trained and actively seeking more inclusive language in the recruitment advertisement which resulted in an uptick in diversity hiring. 

Pearson (2022) shared the story of Safaa Abdelmagid, who penned an open letter to Search Associates (a recruiting company) about the disconnect with their statement on George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movement and the practice of hiring diverse teaching candidates (2020). Pearson (2022) spoke to Abdelmagid who shared her experience as a Black, African, and Muslim woman during recruitment. She shared there was lack of support on visa procurement for her family based on nationality (when working for a school in Switzerland) and lack of support from recruiters when addressing missed opportunity because the United Kingdom refused to issue a visa for her child. Abdelmagid shared that after much frustration she left the international teaching scene to settle in Ottawa. Abdelmagid’s story is not unique for BIPOC teachers as they navigate international school recruitment.

In leadership recruitment, Cofino (2021a) notes that there continues to be barriers for women who wish to move into leadership roles at international schools. She interviewed several women finding similar themes and barriers which include a lack of visible role models, a culture of competition (mostly addressing the toxicity towards competitive postings), and disproportionate representation (with women representing higher in lower school versus secondary/whole school opportunities). These barriers are amplified when adding in diversity identifiers like race, gender, orientation, marital status, and nationality.  

Llaban (2022) reflected on the recent call of action surrounding diversity in hiring practices. He highlighted the shared struggles of diverse staff and leaders as they navigated the school year, the injustices witnessed in practice, the lack of diverse representation for student population and the rage directed towards recruitment that decentres Whiteness with pushback statements such as the erasure of White male identities. Llaban reflected on current systems or practice that need to be unpacked such as biased language around qualification identifiers, the double standards when speaking about flaws or second chances, and the toxicity found in some leadership positions which prevent progression on DEIJ work. Suggestions on moving forward include consideration of curriculum development, to dig deeper into concepts such as global citizenship and intercultural understanding (exploring beyond a place of privilege), the interrogation of power, privilege, and positionality, understanding that there are multiple truths, and to work on self and in solidarity with confronting systems.

A barrier not highlighted in research or personal reflection was parental input on teaching candidates. Unlike North American counterparts, international school settings are run like a business with parents being the customers. As such, parents can influence what the school body looks like through either withdraw of child, through official complaint, or through parent governing bodies. Hilty (2020) offered a solution to parental input: educational classes that highlight the benefit of diversity in the school population, including staff diversity representation. She suggested that this not be a one-time workshop, that it could be offered before becoming a member of the school community, and that it should be ongoing to support new and old families as they navigate what it means to be in an international school setting. Leadership who are working towards more equitable, inclusive, and just practices might consider how much influence parents have on their hiring practice, especially unpacking the cultural attitudes towards what a good education looks like. 

Discussion

Through the literature review themes evolved highlighting barriers to diversity hiring practices. International schools have similar barriers to the North American research (Abawi & Eizadirad, 2020;  Kabadi 2020; Reynolds & Tabron, 2022; Ryan & Pollock, 2009). The barriers include the upholding of Whiteness in recruitment (barrier and bias language in adverts, nepotism, comfort bias), systems that uphold White supremacy (streaming, White only candidates, language testing for international trained educators, colourblind attitudes), lack of representation (in hiring committees, in classrooms, in leadership roles) and neoliberal policies (commodification of education, qualification frameworks, skills-based assessment). However, many organizations are beginning to address these themes through actionable steps. A note of interest in Mancuso, Roberts and White (2010) study was that recruitment and retention of teaching staff in international school settings was reflective in leadership approaches. Staff were more likely to stay or join an organization that pushed for transformative or distributed leadership practices. If an international organization wanted to disrupt current hiring practices and dismantle current barriers than utilizing tenets of transformative leadership could aid in recruiting more diverse candidates. 

To address the upholding of Whiteness in recruitment (barrier and bias language in adverts, nepotism, comfort bias), one consideration is to explore language in advertisement. A quick glimpse on recruiting sites like TES.co.uk show there is much work to be done on restructuring language.  Another suggestion is to reflect on social network as a source for hiring. This will require unpacking of power dynamics and structures currently being upheld by organizations (Sheilds, 2017). Finally, a suggestion for addressing comfort biases is removing concepts like NES only, and IB or Curriculum specific qualification and running workshops with parents and the greater community on the importance of diverse representation in teaching staff for the students. 

To address the upholding of White supremacy (streaming, White only candidates, language testing for international trained educators, colourblind attitudes), there will “need to [be a] deconstruct[ion] of knowledge frameworks that perpetuate inequality and injustice” (Sheilds, 2017, p 6). Schools are encouraged to reflect on how streaming can lead to the blocking of potential teaching candidates. There is evidence that de-streaming is unfolding in schools; in Ontario, steaming is set to end in September 2022 for all high schools (Canadian Broadcast Corporation, 2021). There are current recruiting platforms that still require photos for professional profiles. Asking schools to remove this requirement is one actionable step. To confront the notion that White presenting is preferable anti-bias education with recruiting companies, potential employers, human resources, and the parents could lead to more understanding of what diversity can bring to their community. Dismantling the upholding of White supremacy is not magically done over the course of a school year; it is ongoing and will need be done from an authentic place. Student voices led to change in how a school recruited in Denver (Kabadi, 2020), this can be replicated in international school settings with leadership, community, students, and families. 

Like other professional roles, international school settings continue to lack diverse representation. Reflecting on my own lived experience in Canada as a student I can recall on one hand the number of teachers who were racialized, or represented LGBTQ2S+ community, or were visibly disabled (no teacher ever disclosed invisible disability). My first male teacher was in grade 8 and I do not recall having a woman in leadership until I went into the workforce. I know my experience is not an uncommon one, therefore how does a school increase representation reflective of the diverse school body? Kabadi (2020) offered one suggestion by actively seeking representation in hiring committees. The International School of Dakar reflected on hiring practices in 2019 actively valuing diversity resulting in an uptick in more diverse staff (Pearson, 2022). A tenet of transformative change is the awareness of community and how this influences our daily experiences through “interconnectedness, interdependence, and global awareness” (Sheilds, 2017, p. 7). By being reflective of diverse representation at all levels of staffing then potential candidates see themselves putting their feet forward to join education. 

Finally, neoliberal policies (commodification of education, qualification frameworks, skills-based assessment) will be one of the larger barriers to address when expanding hiring practices in international school systems. As stated, international schools are in the business of making money, whether is it non or for-profit based. To attract customers (families) they often advertise the staff qualifications, the exam results, and which universities the students are accepted to. To transform and restructure this process a consideration is to focus on “an emphasis on both private and public (individual and collective) good and focus on emancipation, democracy, equity, and justice” (Sheilds, 2017, p 7). This will also require “moral courage” (Sheilds, 2017, p. 7) as this will go against the very premise of the international school model. Schools want to highlight their competitive edge and highlight that their NES teacher (most often White presenting) will give students the tools for the pathway to success. This secures commodification and the revolving door of profit for many schools. However, with the increase in DEIJ work at the international school level with policies put in place at the school, accreditation, and recruiter level there is some hope for change to unfold. 

Conclusion

One organization that is leading conversation on diversity hiring is AIELOC. The organization grew from a Facebook group into an organisation that works to advocate, educate, and strengthen the work and research offered by BIPOC educators (Association of International Educators and Leaders of Colour, 2022). Other organizations have begun to expand on their own policy building around DEIJ statements and practices. This increase in awareness and calls to action on policy and interrogation of practices has resulted in recruitment and accreditation bodies to open discussion on harmful recruitment practice and policies. 

While North American (specifically Canada and the United States) researchers have explored hiring practices as it pertains to diverse candidates, the international school ecosystem has been slow to make changes or support research into recruitment and retention of diverse teaching staff. The barriers for diverse candidate found in North America can be found in international schools. A suggestion to unpack the barriers and levers in place is to approach them with a transformative leadership lens. The growth of interconnectedness, global communication and community building requires the moral courage to change and challenge the upholding of Whiteness in hiring practices. 

References

Abawi, Z., & Eizadirad, A (2020). Bias-Free or biased hiring? Racialized teachers’ perspectives on educational hiring practices in Ontario. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 193, 18-31. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjeap/article/view/68280

Abdelmagid, S. (2020, June 7). Black lives should have always mattered: An open letter to Search Associates. Medium. https://safaa-abdelmagid.medium.com/black-lives-should-have-always-mattered-an-open-letter-to-search-associates-ad8e688f1cd1

Association of International Educators and Leaders of Colour. (2022). History of AIELOC. http://aieloc.org/about-us/

Canadian Broadcast Corporation. (2021, November 11). Ontario to end academic streaming for Grade 9 students starting next school year. CBCNews. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-schools-streaming-academic-applied-1.6245612

Cofino, K. (2021a, May 25) It’s Not Pie: Better Understanding the Lack of Opportunity for Women. TIEOnline. https://www.tieonline.com/article/2950/its-not-pie-better-understanding-the-lack-of-opportunity-for-women-in-leadership

Cofino, K. (2021b, June 21). Addressing the Elephant in the Room: The Old Boys Club in International School. TIEOnline. https://www.tieonline.com/article/2967/addressing-the-elephant-in-the-room-the-old-boys-club-in-international-school-leadership

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