International schooling in the United States: An exploratory study of a burgeoning industry

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR of PHILOSOPHY in CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas.This study explores the K-12 international school landscape inside the United States. The study identifies 595 international schools in the United States and reveals that hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren are enrolled in these schools. Using a quantitative analysis, the research documents trends in the 595 schools, including but not limited to: 1) curriculum offerings; 2) enrollment trends; 3) locations; and 4) themes of mission statements. Utilizing qualitative case studies, the research gives the reader a nuanced snapshot of how three international schools in the United States employ multiple techniques (identified by the Many Fs Framework developed within the study) to foster an international culture and international mindedness on campus. A series of takeaways from both the large-n data analysis and the case studies are offered. The market for international schools is particularly robust in the highly populated states such as California and New York. Most of the international schools are located in the urban or suburban areas of the country. The dissertation offers an international school typology adapted for the U.S. market—adding three new categories of schools. Based on the 595 schools identified in this study, some of the schools in the United States are heavily focused on preserving a culture or language within a larger community. Another category of international school in the United States is the school that is designed to heavily emphasize convenience. The final, additional category of schools found in the United States are schools especially geared toward serving English language learning (ELL) students in communities with high immigrant populations.Educational Leadership, Curriculum & InstructionCollege of Education and Human Developmen