Transnational spaces of education: the growth of the international school sector

Abstract

One area in which the impact of globalisation can be seen is that of education. This article suggests that there are currently two main aspects of the growing internationalisation of education at school level: the internationalisation of national systems of education and the growth in numbers of international schools worldwide. It is the latter that forms the main focus of the article, beginning with consideration of the background to the development of international schools. A discussion of the changing nature of international schools then follows, as this form of education proves increasingly attractive not only to the globally mobile expatriates for whom such schools were originally founded, but also to those seeking a competitive edge for their child in a globalised market.

Keywords:

• international schools
• international education
• global mobility
• International Baccalaureate