WASC Words International

• International Accreditation Update
• Fireside Chat: Child Safeguarding
• Basecamp for Member Schools
• New EARCOS WASC Commissioner: Dr. Gregory Hedger
  
• New WASC Chairperson and Commissioners
• WASC Authorized Merchandise
  
• 2023-2024 International Training Schedule
  
• Testimonials

Dr. Margaret Alvarez, Vice President, International Accreditation

Dear WASC Family,

As many of our WASC schools are starting a new school year, I thought I would use this opportunity to pass on our best wishes for a fruitful year. To our schools continuing in the second half of their academic year, we wish everyone a happy continuation.

I also wanted to share with members some of the exciting developments we have been working on over the northern hemisphere summer period. During the month of June our team reviewed our strategic direction for the short to medium term. Here are some of the results.

Online Self-Study and Visiting Committee Training: Both of these trainings have undergone significant enhancements to support participant engagement and personalized learning. In keeping with our philosophy to support continuous improvement and student safety, we have strengthened the manner in which future visiting committee members are screened and approved. Our trainings remain free of charge to enable equitable access.

Accreditation for School Groups: WASC has designed an accreditation process for school groups. This process, while maintaining the rigor and integrity of the process we all value, is designed to support the interface between the group’s central administration and its member schools. There are also other opportunities built into the process for additional process efficiencies.

Candidate Schools: We have further developed the support given to schools that are candidates for WASC accreditation by strengthening how we review annual candidate reports and the actions we take to individualize and support a school’s ongoing progress.

Alternative Self-Study Approaches: We continue to develop alternative ways to approach the self-study process. A recent new approach supports schools with a track record of successful accreditations to work with WASC to customize the process to provide additional continuous improvement opportunities.

In addition to these projects, we are also working on a coaching program for new visiting committee members and chairs, are continuing our DEIJB work, and are developing additional resource materials for schools and visiting committee members. This includes expanding our highly successful webinar series that started last semester.

If you would like further information on any of the above items, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at malvarez@acswasc.org and I will be happy to set up a call to discuss further.

In the meantime, our team aims to continue our personalized service to schools and support to our growing number of new member schools as they embark on their journey to accreditation. Please reach out to our international team at any point for guidance or support. Our aim is to ensure that WASC accreditation is a meaningful, relevant, and purposeful part of your school’s ongoing school improvement journey.

Hope to catch up at some point in the next academic year.

Dr. Margaret Alvarez is hosting another Fireside Chat on September 27th at 11 a.m. UTC. This session will feature Matt Harris, Ed.D., CEO and Co-Founder of childsafeguarding.com.

The conversation will include:

• Creating a safe and supportive environment for children where their well-being and rights are prioritized.
• Protecting children from serious forms of harm they may face within schools or other various settings.

To register, please visit the following link: https://www.tfaforms.com/5083045

Basecamp is the communication tool available to WASC’s entire international member school community. If you have not already joined our WASC Basecamp community, you may do so by emailing WASC Communications Specialist, Meaghan Armstrong at marmstrong@acswasc.org.

Dr. Gregory Hedger is the new EARCOS representative on the WASC Commission. Dr. Hedger has been Director of The International School Yangon, in Myanmar, since 2016. A native of Minnesota, Dr. Hedger has served in educational leadership positions for 20 years in the role of school director at Cayman International School, at Qatar Academy, in Doha, and as superintendent at Escuela Campo Alegre in Venezuela. He also served as elementary school principal in Karachi, Pakistan. Prior to his leadership positions, Greg taught sixth grade in his hometown in Edina, Minnesota, grades one and six in Romania, and middle school social studies and English in Indonesia.

The Summer Commission Meeting was held June 26-27 at the Hilton Airport Hotel in Burlingame. The Commission took action on 520 accreditation actions at the meeting. Presentations were given by Malia Pulido-Dahal, Nancy Hetrick from Baker Tilly, and Commissioner Andrew Rodriguez on AI. Commissioners toured the WASC office and met with staff.

WASC Chairperson David Gaudi passed the gavel to Odie Douglas who will be serving as the Commission Chairperson for the next two years.

Commissioners retiring from the Commission this year were thanked and presented with engraved clocks as parting gifts. We would like to thank the departing Commissioners for their dedication and service on the WASC Commission.

Departing Commissioners [L-R] Juan Flecha, Michael Alvarez, Doreen Oleson, Diana Walsh-Reuss, Matt Russo, Mike Collins, Grant Bennett, Kawena Martinez

Our trainings for the 2023-2024 school year are posted to the training calendar. Please log in to the School and Member Portals to register.

If you have any questions about upcoming trainings or registration, please contact internationaltraining@acswasc.org or Elissa Watters at ewatters@acswasc.org.

Authorized ”accredited” merchandise is available through WASC. Flags, banners, stamps, and embossers are available for purchase. You can find more information as well as the order form in the Communication Toolkit located on the Home page of the School Portal: https://acswasc.force.com/schoolportal/s/login/.

We would love to hear from you! Share your experience with WASC and be featured on our website and social media pages. Submit your testimonial in either video or written format. Please also include a photo of yourself and/or your school, if available.

Submit your testimonial here: https://forms.gle/Wozt2uLiXZkW5w5G6

Thank you!