The Foreign Service Journal, December 2011

102 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT child to a particular boarding school. The current Away-from-Post Edu- cation Allowances are shown in the table of allowances for grades K-12 on the Office of Allowances Web page: http://aoprals.state.gov/Web920/ edzucation_all.asp. Many Schools, Many Options There are more than 500 boarding schools in the United States and Canada, many strong international boarding schools in Europe, and a few excellent ones in Africa and Asia. With so many choices, nearly every student can find a school that is a good fit. For students with special needs, there are many boarding schools that provide strong learning support. FLO and the Employee Consultation Service (MEDECS@state.gov) work with families to provide advice on spe- cial needs boarding school options. There are all levels of support avail- able, from learning resource assistance to therapeutic services. When contacting prospective schools, parents should advise them of their children’s educational strengths and weaknesses as clearly as possible. The FLO Education and Youth team has a wealth of information and resources available to help guide Foreign Service families in researching boarding schools that may be good matches for their children. For more information, visit the FLO Web site at www.state.gov/m/ dghr/flo/c1958.htm or e-mail FLO at FLOAskEducation@state.gov. ■ The FLO team has a wealth of information and resources available to help guide Foreign Service families. E stablished in 1964, the Office of Overseas Schools coordinates and administers the Department of State’s Overseas Schools Assistance Program. A/OPR/OS works to ensure that the best possible educational opportunities are avail- able for dependents of U.S. government personnel while stationed abroad. While the office’s primary goal in sup- porting schools abroad is to promote quali- ty, American-style educational opportuni- ties, it also increases mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those from other countries through its assistance to overseas schools by demon- strating American educational ideas, princi- ples and methods. The schools A/OPR/OS assists are inde- pendent, nonprofit and nondenominational. In most cases, they were established on a cooperative basis by U.S. citizens residing in foreign communities. The schools vary widely in historical background, size and complexity, ranging from tiny primary schools with fewer than a dozen students to large K-12 schools with enrollments approaching 4,000. The Department of State does not oper- ate these schools; instead, ownership and policy control are typically in the hands of parent associations that elect school boards. The boards then develop school policies and select administrators, who oversee day-to-day operations. In the 2008-2009 academic year, the State Department assisted 196 schools, and A/OPR/OS publishes a one-page fact sheet on each of them. The office also compiles a CD-ROM of detailed reports on more than 500 preschools, elementary schools and secondary schools. These backgrounders bring together information on course offer- ings, special programs, programs for chil- dren with special needs, extracurricular activities, graduation requirements, etc. This information is available from the Community Liaison Officer at each post and on the A/OPR/OS intranet site. Copies of the CD-ROM are also available to individuals upon request. In addition, A/OPR/OS main- tains a resource center on schools at each post including yearbooks, newsletters, school profiles and a few videotapes. As all Foreign Service parents know, the quality of education available is a major fac- tor they consider in the bidding process for overseas assignments. Foreign Service personnel being posted overseas who have school-age children should therefore make A/OPR/OS one of their first points of con- tact. To reach the Office of Overseas Schools, you can use any of the following methods: Tel: (202) 261-8200 Fax: (202) 261-8224 E-Mail: overseasschools@state.gov Internet: www.state.gov/m/a/os (Contains the list of REOs and their regions) Intranet: http://aopros.a.state.gov (Contains the list of REOs and their regions) Address: 2401 E Street NW (SA-1) Room H328 Washington DC 20241-0003 Resource Center Hours: Monday thru Friday, 8:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. This is excerpted from the article of the same title by Kristin Grasso and Carol Sutherland of the Office of Overseas Schools. The article was published in the June 2009 issue of the Foreign Service Journal. The complete article may be accessed online a t www.afsa.org/fsj. The schools A/OPR/OS assists are independent, nonprofit and nondenominational. F ROM THE J UNE 2009 FSJ S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT A Vital Point of Contact: The Office of Overseas Schools