Feature Articles
The Good Schools Guide International library (more than 250 articles about international schools and expat life) is included with every subscription.
Subjects ranging from curriculum to transitions to TCKs (Third Culture Kids) are extensively explored in the hopes that knowledge can soften the culture shock that often comes with moving around the world.
Articles are organized by topic in "Folders" on the left.
Individual "Articles" are found in the right column. Check them out now - some are free!
To read all articles and full GSGI school reviews, log in or subscribe here.
Folders
Which accreditation organisations are legitimate, which ones aren't? How can you tell the difference, and why do they matter. Open this folder to find lists of recognised accreditation/inspection agencies, warnings about the dodgy ones, and in depth information on why you should care.
What's a "good" American school and how can you tell? What are standard benchmarks? Do all international American schools have exactly the same curriculum? How do Advanced Placement courses and exams fit into the picture?
Coming from abroad, understanding the system, the chances of getting in, whether British schools are as daunting as their reputation, how to check out a school....a wealth of articles reprinted from our UK-based Good Schools Guide.
A quick guide to planning ahead. At what age can you jump between curricula, and what do universities in the US and UK think about it? And if you want to consider a US university, some ways pay for it - whether you're an American or not.
What is an AP course? The British curriculum? Is there any such thing as an American curriculum? Here is every curriculum, exam and school system mentioned in the GSGI (with descriptions in clear concise terms....which is almost NEVER the case on official and mostly useless websites). Open this folder for articles on the most popular ones.
Will living your own dream short change your children's? How do you help your family make the transition - while you make a new life? These articles tell you how to get started...
Definitions, resources, solutions....these mini-guides to Special Education Needs in the UK and US will equip you for those countries, but help you find your way (at least know what you're missing) in more far-flung corners of the globe.
How to choose a boarding school, how to plan once you've chosen, or whether to go to boarding school at all: open this folder to find articles and thoughts from parents of boarders, plus boarders themselves.
Can you transfer out of the American system into the British, or out of the British into the IB? If summer is winter in Australia, when does school begin? What happens to children who need someplace to land in between, for extra work, visa help or beefing up on skills?
A British guide to US universities, it gives comprehensive accounts of some of the most popular (and competitive) US universities and colleges, with complementary articles for British students contemplating higher education across the Atlantic. Updated in 2009 with 20+ new entries.
Work for the the Good Schools Guide International. Everything you need to know about writing and advising about schools in your host country.
Articles
Are Advanced Placement (AP) classes in American schools different from run-of-the-mill courses of the same name, and do you really need to work this hard? Do university admissions offices weight them more heavily, and can they really give advance credit towards university degree requirements?
Words, agencies and phrases that are found peppered throughout the GSGI, many that are peculiar to one country (especially Montreal), or wander into a range of jargon for a particular area (say, US Financial Aid).
What to look for in an international school and how to strategize the search: what to look for in accreditation, staff, special needs, financial stability; pitfalls to beware of, what should wave a red flag. By long time expat and journalist Jennifer Sharple.
A crisp, clear guide for parents through this labrynthine, often frustrating world, adapted from the Introduction to The Good Schools Guide: Special Education Needs, by Sandra Hutchinson.
What is the International Baccalaureate, exactly? Only someone like Mary Langford, who has set up, run, and inspected IB schools herself, could produce such a clear, condensed, no-frills treatise on this popular curriculum that is gaining momentum around the world with the speed of a rip tide.
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