86 MAY-JUNE 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT 11th- and 12th-grade IB diploma program. Otherwise, approaching possible postings with clear questions about course availability at the schools there is essential. It can make or break a student’s chances of completing the program successfully. Toward a More Continuous Educational Framework Across all three transition points— early elementary identification, middle school executive-function development, and upper-secondary program continuity—the central challenge facing Foreign Service students is not curriculum quality (though many of us experience challenges here too) but continuity. Highly capable schools exist across the global network, yet the mobility inherent in diplomatic life creates fragmentation that disproportionately affects students with learning differences or those entering structured academic pathways such as the IB diploma. In addition, our families tend to bear more than our fair share of unusual disruptions related to geopolitics, natural disasters, and global health pandemics. Several systemic improvements could significantly reduce these disruptions, many of which parents and families can, to some extent, implement on their own. Early screening. Consistent literacy and attention-screening protocols across international schools serving Foreign Service families would reduce late identification of dyslexia and ADHD. Fortunately, many assessments have been moving toward online or easily mobile versions, like the Vanderbilt Assessment for ADHD screening and online dyslexia screening. Parents of children experiencing any educational challenges should strongly consider utilizing these assessments in grades 1–4, even when new at post. Executive-function instruction as core curriculum. Embedding instruction on planning, organization, and metacognitive strategy into middle school programs would benefit all students while reducing the stigma associated with targeted interventions. There is some progress here, but many international schools are resistant to breaking out executive function skills for specialized instruction. (Continued on page 88)
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