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oreign Service children constantly facechanging cultures, an uneven quality ofschools abroad, and a scarcity of educa-tional facilities for special-needs children.As if that weren’t daunting enough, justbeing overseas makes it both more vitaland more difficult for Foreign Service fam-

ilies to find good schools for their children.Nor is this a problem for just a few people: in December

2001, according to the StateDepartment’s Family Liaison Office,there were approximately 10,000 chil-dren in Foreign Service families, ofwhich about 7,200 are school-age. Ofthose, around 93 percent attendedlocal schools located in the city of theparents’ assignment, 5 percent wereenrolled in boarding schools, and theother 2 percent were homeschooledby their parents.

Fortunately, in addition to the Schools Chart on p. 55 of thisissue, there are many other helpful online options for research-ing and comparing secondary schools (high schools), bothoverseas and in the United States. These sites encompassboarding schools, art schools and schools that accommodatestudents with learning disabilities, as well as homeschoolingresources. And they are all free.

Start with StateFor overseas secondary schools, a great place to start your

search is at the State Department’s Web sites, beginning withthe Family Liaison Office Web site (http://www.state.gov/www/flo/). In addition to giving a general overview of FLO’smany activities and resources, the site provides detailed guid-ance on finding a suitable overseas school for your child’s par-ticular needs and offers various lists of support networks.

You should also check out FLO’s Education and Youth Web

page (http://state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c1958.htm), which providesexcellent resources and advice on school-related issues. Theeducational and emotional development of children frommobile families is a particular priority for the Family LiaisonOffice. Accordingly, the FLO participates in a “flow of care”for teenagers to assist them with issues of international mobil-ity and reentry to the United States.

Here you can find information on many topics, including:college considerations for students, youth groups, education

allowances and scholarships, childcare, boarding schools, homeschool-ing, and special educational needs.And if you have more specific ques-tions not answered by thoseresources, you can e-mail FLO’sEducation and Youth Officer orEducation Program Assistant directlyfrom the site.

Another very useful State De-partment resource is the Office of Overseas Schools(http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/schools/index.html).Simple to use, the OOS Web site provides specific informationon schools in every country. Just click on the country and city,and an informative school summary is provided including apicture of the school, school history, curriculum, faculty, stu-dent population, school facilities, finances and contact infor-mation. This Web site saves considerable time otherwisespent going to each individual school’s home page.

Other ResourcesEd-U-Link Services (http://www.edulink.com/) also offers

an index of overseas schools with contact information and linksto the schools’ individual Web sites. This site does not includethe useful summaries that the OOS site does, but it does havea comprehensive list of overseas schools and their respectiveWeb sites. It also usually lists about twice as many schools forany particular country as the OOS Web site, making it a goodcomplement.

For those who wish to pursue their creative passions,Stephen Yeater, a senior at the University of California,San Diego, is the Journal’s editorial intern.

F

SURFING THE NET FORSECONDARY SCHOOLS

BEING OVERSEAS MAKES IT BOTH MORE VITAL AND MORE DIFFICULT FOR FOREIGN SERVICE FAMILIES TO FIND

GOOD SCHOOLS FOR THEIR CHILDREN. BUT, THERE ARE MANY ONLINE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO HELP.

BY STEPHEN YEATER

The educational and emotional

development of children from

mobile families is a particular

priority for State’s Family

Liaison Office.

Continued on page 46

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 2 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 45



...to help a Foreign Servicechild go to college.

Give to the American Foreign Service

Association (AFSA)Scholarship Fund

in theCombined FederalCampaign (CFC).

202-944-5504E-mail:

[email protected]

Designate #2422on your CFCpledge card...

44 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 2



ArtSchools.com (http://www.artschools.com/) is a useful Website for locating art schools all over the world and in the UnitedStates. The Web site is intuitive, allowing you to search forschools in a specific state, country or academic specialty, suchas cinematography or sculpture. You will also find areas ofstudy, degrees offered, contact information and links toschools’ Web sites. Note that many of the U.S. institutions pro-vide a brief summary of their art program.

The Association of Boarding Schools Web site(http://www.schools.com) is an excellent online resource forthose who want to know more about the boarding school learn-ing experience. This site lists over 300 boarding schools, most-ly in the United States, but it also details schools in Canada, theUnited Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy and Austria.School information includes an introduction written by theschool, number of students, student-teacher ratio, genderrequirements (coed, etc.), grades taught, accreditations andcontact information.

In addition to searching for schools by state and country,you can narrow your search to look only for military boardingschools, art boarding schools, coed-only schools, etc. Havingso many options in one location might sound confusing, but itisn’t, because the site is laid out very clearly. Information is alsoavailable on the admissions process for each school and on the“common application” that many of the boarding schools use.(Note that State’s FLO Web site also has good information onboarding schools.)

Looking Ahead to CollegeWhether the courses that one takes at overseas secondary

schools will be accepted at a particular college, overseas orin the United States, is a major concern parents need to takeinto account when selecting secondary schools. The regularmovement of Foreign Service families means that it’s likelythat their children will have attended multiple schools in dif-ferent countries by the time they are ready for college. Willan international secondary education meet the admissionsstandards of universities worldwide?

Acquiring an International Baccalaureate diploma is oneoption that addresses this question. Since the 1970s, studentsin secondary schools both abroad and in the United States havehad the option of attaining the IB to supplement a regularhigh-school diploma. This internationally-recognized certifi-cate is now offered in 1,365 public and private high schools in112 countries, according to the International BaccalaureateOrganization Web site (http://www.ibo.org). This site is a goodplace to learn more about the IB and the schools that offer it.

Many Foreign Service parents have been happy with thebenefits of the rigorous curriculum required to earn an IB, par-ticularly those hoping to attend European universities.Increasing numbers of American universities also accept theIB; however, there are still many that don’t, so do check withindividual colleges about their policy. (The StateDepartment’s FLO is another helpful resource for determin-ing if the IB is right for your child.)


Continued from page 45




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Excellent resources are also avail-able if you are looking for schools inthe United States. The NationalCenter for Educational Statistics is theprimary federal entity collecting andanalyzing data related to education inthe United States. Its Web site(http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/) is asuperb source for information on sec-ondary schools throughout the UnitedStates. One can search for schoolsaccording to state, city or zip code.You can also limit your search to justpublic or private schools. Contactinformation, gender requirements(coed, etc.), affiliations, grades taught,number of students, student-teacherratio and the ethnic diversity of theschool are given in easily readablecharts and graphs. You can evensearch for school libraries.

Special NeedsOnline resources are especially

important when one is searching forschools that can accommodate childrenwith learning disabilities. An estimated 5percent of students attending publicschools have been diagnosed with a spe-cific learning disability. Finding anappropriate school with well-trained staffis crucial to the success of these children.

The National Center for LearningDisabilities offers a comprehensive Website (http://www.ncld.org/map.cfm).Even though it contains a wealth ofinformation, the site has a clear, under-standable format. For example, you canfind schools and testing centersthroughout the United States and someprovinces of Canada by going to the“Resource Locator” hyperlink on theNCLD home page and searching bystate or province. The Web site alsoincludes information on warning signsand diagnosing learning disabilities, thelatest legislation relevant to learning-dis-ability issues and links to many advocacygroups.

The State Department Web sitesmentioned earlier have excellent infor-mation and resources for finding over-seas schools, including schools thataccommodate students with learningdisabilities. The Family Liaison Office




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Preserving a half-century of academic excellence by teaching children to learn how to learn.

Challenging curricula including the Advanced Placement andInternational Baccalaureate Programs.

Dedicated to teaching respect and understanding in an edu-cational community with 600 students from 49 countries - ofwhom 40% are native English speakers - ensuring a smoothtransition for Americans and a rich English language envi-ronment for ESL students

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American Overseas School of RomeVia Cassia, 811 - Rome, Italy 00189Tel: 06.33438.1 - Fax: 06.3326.2608

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offers referrals to schools, hospitals,outpatient services and testing facili-ties; go to the “Special EducationalNeeds and the Foreign ServiceChild” hyperlink on the FLO Website to access some of this informa-tion. You will find additional infor-mation in a book titled OverseasSchools Attended by U.S. Govern-ment Dependent Children, a compi-lation of evaluations by ForeignService families of over 650 overseasschools.

Last, but not least, what about theincreasingly utilized learning optionof homeschooling? Although onlyabout 2 percent of Foreign Servicechildren are homeschooled, overallthis is a growing trend in Americansociety. To help these families, hereare a couple of useful Web sites. TheAmerican Homeschool AssociationWeb site (http://www.americanhome-schoolassociation.org/index.html) iscomprehensive and easy to use. Itoffers suggestions for school suppliesand resources to help with home-


State Department Linkshttp://www.state.gov/www/flo/ — Family Liaison Office http://state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c1958.htm— FLO Education and Youth Officer http://www.state.gov/www/aboutstate/schools/index.html —Office of Overseas Schools

Other Sites of Interesthttp://www.edulink.com/ —Ed-U-Link Serviceshttp://www.artschools.com/ —ArtSchools.comhttp://www.ibo.org — InternationalBaccalaureate Organizationhttp://www.schools.com — TheAssociation of Boarding Schoolshttp://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/ —National Center for EducationalStatisticshttp://www.ncld.org/map.cfm —National Center for Learning Disabilitieshttp://www.americanhomeschoolassociation.org/index.html —American Homeschool Associationhttp://www.nhen.org — National HomeEducation Network


JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLSCardigan Mountain 53 180 All boys 95 20 6-9 N N 130 Y Y N 30,450North Country School 43 78 58/42 95 16 4-9 Y Y 125 Y Y N 32,500

JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLSDana Hall 50 454 All girls 50 11 6-12 Y N 12 Y Y N 30,210Hampshire Country 60 21 All boys 100 15 3-12 Y Y/N 74 N N N 36,500SchoolHockaday School 47 1,010 All girls 9 1 PK-12 Y Y 30 Y Y Y 30,170Oakwood Friends School 50 140 55/45 55 5 6-12 Y Y 35 N N N 25,900Perkiomen School 44 275 60/40 60 20 5-12,PG Y Y 50 Y Y N 29,300Rosseau Lake College 48 160 60/40 63 25 7-12 Y N 150 Y N N 18,500*Sandy Spring 46 520 47/53 19 12 PK-12 Y N 20 Y Y N 11,625-Friends School 27,900Shattuck - St. Mary's 49 300 61/39 80 15 6-12,PG Y N 45 Y Y N 25,600SchoolSt. Andrew's Sewanee 54 251 55/45 50 10 9-12 Y N 60 Y Y Y 26,760Stone Ridge School 58 794 All girls 0 2 JK-12 N N 15 N Y N 16,000of the Sacred HeartWashington Int’l 49 821 49/51 0 37 PK-12 N Limited 8 Y NA NA 16,500-School 18,380West Nottingham 48 198 65/35 65 17 6-12,PG Y Y 50 N Y N 26,380

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLSConserve School 52 160 50/50 100 5 9-12 N N 250 Y Y Y 25,000Episcopal High School 44 415 58/42 100 6 9-12 Y N 10 Y Y Y 27,600Fountain Valley School 59 225 45/55 65 16 9-12 Y N 70 Y Y Y 27,350Foxcroft School 58 183 All girls 75 13 9-12, PG Y N 30 Y N Y 29,750Garrison Forest School 47 215 All girls 40 10 9-12 Y N 35 Y Y N 30,250Grier School 58 184 All girls 100 50 7-12 Y Y 120 N Y Limited 26,900Gunnery 61 271 60/40 70 15 9-12,PG Y N 60 Y Y N 30,100Interlocken Art Academy 53 800 50/50 100 20 4-12,PG N N 16 Y Y N 23,000Idyllwild Arts Academy 43 250 40/60 85 27 8-12,PG Y N 120 Y Y N 31,900La Lumiere School 47 120 52/48 45 20 9-12 Y N 70 Y Y Y 20,450Mercersburg Academy 48 430 55/45 90 11 9-12,PG Y N 50 Y Y N 28,700Northfield Mount Hermon 58 1,130 51/49 79 25 9-12,PG N Limited 70 Y Y N 28,950Olney Friends School 48 65 50/50 90 23 9-12 N N 100 N N N 18,100Sandy Spring 46 207 50/50 18 12 9-12 Y N 20 Y Y Y 19,500-Friends School 24,050St. Catherine’s School 56 285 All girls 26 15 9-12 Y N 10 N Y N 24,500St. John's Preparatory 52 260 51/49 35 17 9-12,PG Y N 75 Y Y Y 20,848SchoolWhite Mountain School 60 94 60/40 80 10 9-12,PG Y Y 100 Y N/Y N 30,950

MILITARY SCHOOLS

Oak Ridge Military 44 240 85/15 85 30 7-12,PG N Y 7 Y N Y 20,000Academy



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OVERSEAS SCHOOLSAmerican Overseas 51 600 50/50 7 70 PK-PG N Y 30 Y Y N 21,000-School of Rome 25,000 Jakarta School For more information go to www.jisedu.orgLeysin American in 50 330 58/42 100 65 9-12,PG Y Limited 75 Y Y N 31,000SwitzerlandTASIS-American School 54 700 51/49 35 PK-13 Y Limited 120 Y N Y 30,400*in EnglandTASIS – Switzerland 54 325 50/50 84 100 7-12 N N 120 N N Y 30,400

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schooling, as well as access to numer-ous newsletters and magazines suchas Home Education Magazine andrelevant books (including links to theauthors). They also provide the latestlegislation pertaining to homeschool-ing.

You can also search for local, stateand national homeschooling supportgroups through the site’s link to theNational Home Education Network(http://www.nhen.org ). The AHAsite should be your principal resourceas it is much better designed andmore user-friendly, but the NHENsite does contain useful informationas well. (Once again, the StateDepartment’s FLO Web site also hassome basic information on home-schooling.)

Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Geniuswithout education is like silver in themine.” Whatever your child’s educa-tional needs, these online resourcesshould help you polish that silver to itsfull shine. ■


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