By David K. Wilcox
The statistics from sending agencies are beyond dispute: More families than ever are using homeschooling for a portion of their children’s education, and the expatriate Christian worker community is more multinational than ever.
This issue of World Report examines matters of central importance to the expatriate community served by international Christian schools. At the annual meeting of the Inter-Mission MK Education Consultation (IMKEC), representatives of sending agencies focused on the internationalizing of curriculum and the need for support for those implementing nontraditional education strategies for their children. Depending on their mission statements, resources, and priorities, those in school leadership already confront these concerns in various ways. IMKEC developed consensus statements that serve as a collective expression of their hope relative to these issues. These mission agencies hope that efforts will be redoubled to address these educational challenges.
The statistics from sending agencies are beyond dispute: more families than ever are using homeschooling for a portion of their children’s education, and the expatriate Christian worker community is more multinational than ever. We can all rejoice that families have more options from which to choose and that “new” nations are sending Christian workers to work internationally. However, these developments have increased expectations on the international Christian schools that are committed to serving the expatriate Christian worker communities. Sending agencies are recognizing that they must do more to prepare families. They are offering training to parents in home education strategies and eliminating unwarranted prejudices parents may hold against education systems that are different from the schooling the parents experienced as children.
Education is a deeply emotional issue for parents since it transmits heritage, values, and culture. Through its quality, or lack thereof, education influences the range of tertiary options available for the child. As the expatriate community diversifies, what can be compromised? Most of the mission community still utilize the international Christian schools at some point in their children’s education. What accommodations can be made? Compared to schools in the home countries, the teachers are relatively young and inexperienced, and staff turnover is high. Can we expect schools to offer complex international systems that prepare students for a multitude of tertiary educational systems? In this issue of World Report, Dale Linton and Ann Christian offer articles addressing these issues. Several mission representatives detail the strategic importance of nontraditional education options. May our schools and sending agencies not lose heart as they persevere in their goals while considering new strategies—until He returns.
Challenges Complexity and Compromise Q3 and Q4 2003