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Our Connections

Recognition

Since the 1970s, the NEASC Commission on International Education (formerly the NEASC Commission on American and International Schools Abroad) has enjoyed a close relationship with the U.S. Department of State's Office of Overseas Schools — the office within the U.S. Federal Government that supports nearly 200 K-12 schools around the world. The Office of Overseas Schools helps to promote quality educational opportunities at the elementary and secondary level for dependents of American citizens living abroad. Please take a moment to read the letter officially recognizing NEASC's accreditation and support work with American and international schools abroad, written by the Director of the Office of Overseas Schools, Dr. Thomas Shearer.

PDF icon Letter of Recognition - US Dept of State to NEASC - April 2018.pdf

Partnerships

The organizations listed on this website have a working relationship with NEASC or are accrediting agencies in their own right. They are all important organizations which we are pleased to be associated with as we work together toward the betterment of international education.

ECIS

NEASC and ECIS (The Educational Collaborative for International Schools) partnered in March of 2015 to co-develop a professional learning curriculum for schools seeking or maintaining NEASC accreditation through the Commission on International Education, PS-12 (CIE).

Founded in 1965, ECIS is a non-profit global membership organization that provides professional learning, research, advocacy, and funding for the benefit of its members, comprising early stage through mature international and internationally-minded schools, higher education institutions, organizations that support education through their products and services, and individuals who are internationally-minded in their outlook and practice. ECIS is headquartered in Europe.

Cameron C. Staples, President of NEASC, stated that this partnership “will significantly benefit international schools that want to be in the vanguard of embedding transformational approaches to education within their communities. NEASC highly values a partnership with the very organization with which NEASC began collaborating some 30 years ago." His comments were echoed by Kevin J. Ruth, Executive Director of ECIS, who stated, “We are excited to partner with NEASC to develop and deliver an accreditation-specific professional learning curriculum that promotes international schools as transformative learning ecosystems. It fits perfectly with our commitment to leading learning worldwide.”

To learn more about NEASC/ECIS ACE Accreditation workshops, visit the ECIS website.

International Baccalaureate

 

NEASC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Baccalaureate organization in May 2015. International Baccalaureate (IB) offers high quality programs of international education to a worldwide community of schools and the MOU establishes a framework of cooperation between NEASC and IB for conducting synchronized accreditation/evaluation visits. The majority of schools overseas offer the IB curriculum, and NEASC, through the Commission on International Education (NEASC-CIE), also conducts evaluations with the IB organizations of Geneva SW and New York City.

NEASC and IB will create joint working groups with the purpose of identifying, analyzing, and resolving potential issues that may arise in conjunction with synchronized visits to member schools. Although IB has had an informal relationship with NEASC/CIE for many years, the MOU paved the way for more frequent, direct consultations, professional exchanges, and discussions between the two organizations about matters related to accreditation and evaluation.

"This agreement represents an extension of our efforts to better serve schools by providing the opportunity to synchronize accreditation and programme evaluation visits," says Andrew Macdonald, IB Chief Schools Officer. "For several years we have been actively streamlining processes so that educators can focus on delivering our high-quality educational programmes."

For NEASC the agreement is a significant development in its commitment to international education. “The MOU underscores NEASC’s intention to participate actively in discourse about the future of education by cultivating professional relationships with like-minded, world-wide organizations,” says Peter C. Mott, (former) Director of NEASC-CIE.

By coordinating the visits, IB and NEASC will maintain each organization’s objectives and requirements while verifying that schools are continuously improving and evolving both as IB World Schools and as NEASC Accredited schools.

To learn more about the IB, go to:  http://www.ibo.org

Council of International Schools

The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a not-for-profit organization of a worldwide international educational community comprising over 600 member schools and 450 colleges/universities. The central purpose of CIS is to enable member organization to achieve and deliver the highest standards in international education and continually improve the outcome of student learning.

To learn more about the Council of International Schools, visit them online at  http://www.cois.org

Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) - U.A.E.

We continue our strong partnership with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), as the only international accreditor to work with the more than 30 American curriculum schools in Dubai. 

View KHDA's website at https://www.khda.gov.ae/en/Website

Affiliations

NEASC serves American/International schools overseas through accreditation, professional development, and support; thus we are heavily involved in the international community. Listed below are regional associations, international teacher recruitment sites, and other leading organizations with whom NEASC works for the betterment of international education throughout the world.

Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE)

The Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE)
AAIE is a non-profit, membership-based international organization that partners with educational institutions and associations worldwide to exchange international ideas, resources and research that help develop and improve international education, to diversify and expand school leadership capacity.

The Association of American Schools in South America (AASSA)

The Association of American Schools in South America (AASSA)
AASSA, founded in 1961 as a non-profit association aims to: discover and develop ways and means for improving understanding through international education; improve upon the quality of teaching and learning in Association schools; facilitate comunication and cooperative action between and among all Association schools; and facilitate cooperative action with national, state, local or non-governmental agencies in the field of international education. 

The Assocation of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS)

The Assocation of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS)
ACAMIS is a non-profit organization formed to facilitate communications and development between international schools in China and Mongolia, assisting member schools to grow and achieve the very best standards in education. 

Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA)

Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA)

AISA is a collaborative learning community of accredited, internationally-minded schools in Africa which provides targeted services and relevant resources, facilitates innovative programmes, and connects people. AISA is dedicated to transforming student learning by leading and supporting professional growth, good governance, strategic thinking, and the wellbeing of the entire AISA community of schools.

East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS)

East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) 

The East Asia Regional Council of Schools is an organization of 179 member schools in East Asia. These schools have a total of more than 148,163 pre-K to 12th grade students. EARCOS also has 154 associate members— textbook and software publishers and distributors, universities, financial planners, architectural firms, insurance companies, youth organizations, etc— and 40 individual members.

Membership in EARCOS is open to elementary and secondary schools in East Asia which offer an educational program using English as the primary language of instruction, and to other organizations, institutions, and individuals interested in the objectives and purposes of the Council.

International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC)

In 2015 NEASC helped to develop and adopted a set of comprehensive child protection standards that NEASC Accredited and Candidate schools must meet. The standards and expectations were developed by the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) and are based on extensive research conducted in cooperation with the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC).  

Resources developed by task force members in order to assist adults who work with children and teens are available on the ICMEC Education Portal.

International Schools Services (ISS)

International Schools Services (ISS)
As a nonprofit organization, International Schools Services (ISS) works with more than 500 international schools and thousands of educators each year across its suite of services. Since its inception in 1955, ISS has launched and managed more than 110 international schools; supported approximately 50,000 job-seeking educators; developed ground-breaking learning programs, such as the World Language Initiative and LEVEL 5 Creativity & Innovation Hubs; processed about 15,000 school supply orders annually; and provided accounting and nonprofit board management for over 75 schools. With its headquarters in Princeton, NJ, USA and locations in China and Bahrain, ISS currently owns or operates about 20 international schools around the world and promotes innovative best practices for global education through its core services that include: founding and managing student-centered, future-oriented schools; recruiting world-class educators; providing cutting-edge professional learning opportunities; sourcing essential school supplies; and administering school foundations.

Mediterranean Association of International Schools (MAIS)

Mediterranean Association of International Schools (MAIS) 
MAIS - located in Madrid, Spain - is a professional organization that strives to improve the quality of education in its member schools.

The Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA)

The Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA)
NESA is a non-profit, voluntary association of more than 100 private, independent American/international schools in North Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia. NESA's mission is to serve member schools "by facilitating sustainable and systemic school improvement based on the best practices of American and international education. For 50 years NESA has focused on promoting exemplary professional learning opportunities for educators working in schools — in service of improved student learning.

The Association of International Schools of India (TAISI)

The Association of International Schools of India (TAISI)
TAISI was founded in 2005 with a primary objective to create a platform on which the stakeholders of schools in the region can engage. This engagement has, over the years, taken the form of dialogue, workshops, cooperation, sharing and alliance building. TAISI's focus is on professional development for teachers, leadership building for heads, and skills building for students.  At the core of everything, is student learning.

Tri-Association / The Association of Schools of Central America, Colombia, Caribbean and Mexico

Tri-Association / The Association of Schools of Central America, Colombia, Caribbean and Mexico

The Tri-Association is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve on the quality of teaching and learning opportunities for schools in the region by organizing staff development opportunities that will expose teachers and administrators to best practice educational trends and methodologies, to provide an avenue for communication and cooperation among member institutions, and facilitate cooperation with national, state, local, and non-government agencies in field of international education.

The Tri-Association is made up of three Sub-regional Associations: 

  • AASCA (Association of American in Central America)
  • ACCAS (Association of American Schools in Colombia-Caribbean)
  • ASOMEX (Association of American Schools in Mexico)

The Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA)

The Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA) was founded as a result of the growth of American and International Schools in Central and Eastern Europe. In many cases, the schools were geographically isolated from each other and from the main stream of American and International Education.

CEESA was formed to broaden the horizons of schools and to promote professional growth. CEESA is important for unlocking professional development in the region. In addition to the CEESA Annual Conference in March, CEESA sponsors regional workshops, institutes and meetings to foster professionalism, scholarship, and a deeper understanding of improvements for leading, teaching and learning.

International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA)

ICAISA

NEASC is a proud member in good standing of ICAISA, the International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation. Founded in 2018, ICAISA builds on the work of the NAIS Commission on Accreditation, and has a transformative impact on the independent school landscape by advancing accreditation globally. Through its work with accrediting associations, ICAISA advances excellence and upholds standards in order to ensure quality and accountability in independent schools across the globe.

NEASC-CIE

Other International Resources

U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Schools (OOS)

Please note that links to other websites are provided for your reference and convenience only. NEASC does not control the listed sites and is not responsible for their content, nor does NEASC’s inclusion of these links imply any endorsement of the material they contain or any association with their operators. Please see NEASC's website terms and conditions for more information.