American Schools (Lost?) Mission

If you're like me, when you move abroad you need an american school for your kids. And how can we choose the best school for our children?


I don't know, anymore. Long time ago, when the first american schools were founded overseas their mission was to provide american education to the kids of big corporations employees who were expats. These school followed the american curriculum and the american calendar and they were funded by this big companies - like GM, Ford and also the American Chamber of Commerce.


But I feel that sometime along the way the schools became big money makers. The rich people of the countries where there are american schools started putting their kids in there so their kids would have a bi-lingual education. And this turned the school into status symbols. 


Now, most american schools have american kids as a minority group. The schools I researched consisted of 60% locals, 20% americans and 20% of other nationalities. And the 20% americans are passport holders, some of them are not native speakers. 


As I was looking for schools for my kids in both Mexico and 3 years ago in Brazil, I felt like the schools were treating me as if it was a privilege for my kids to join them and not as if these school were my only option. And we were on the top of their wait list - we are an american family being relocated by an american company.


In a way I feel like the american schools abroad are failing us. Instead of catering to people like me, who need to continue my kids education based in the american curriculum because we are going back to the U.S. soon, they are catering to the locals who have other options.


And this is just the beginning of the school problems. There is also the accreditation, bullying policies, special ed and advanced classes... But we'll leave it for later.