{"content":[{"text":"BENEATH THE SURFACE: TRENDS IN \n INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS \n Posted on August 1, 2015","bbox":{"left":0.166774,"top":0.244298,"width":0.666453,"height":0.08476800000000004}},{"text":"The Trends","bbox":{"left":0.031498,"top":0.384637,"width":0.11000499999999999,"height":0.01824500000000001}},{"text":"Having recently spent nearly eight weeks in China, India, Jordan and Peru working with some \n prominent international school clients, I have come away with a few distinct impressions.","bbox":{"left":0.031498,"top":0.41255,"width":0.872887,"height":0.03725000000000006}},{"text":"The more traditional and typical nonprofit international schools with parent elected boards \n certainly remain a mainstay for the English speaking international ex pat community or for those \n seeking an English based curriculum aimed mainly at preparation for universities in the US, Canada \n and the UK. However, the expansion of newly minted proprietary schools or those built by \n corporations, especially in China, is a fascinating development. Now, unlike in years past, most of \n these schools are accredited by CIS or other accrediting associations. They no longer have the label \n of being in business simply to make money.","bbox":{"left":0.031498,"top":0.459469,"width":0.932495,"height":0.1322739999999999}},{"text":"In working with many of these corporate school models, I have perceived that they are not \n reluctant to pay competitive salaries and provide more than adequate resources and often the very \n best facilities. In fact, a number of these companies want to create flagship operations that create \n the benchmark culture, academic achievement, university placement record, and \"cachet\" that will \n enable them to build additional campus sites elsewhere.","bbox":{"left":0.031498,"top":0.601411,"width":0.927133,"height":0.09426499999999993}},{"text":"I am not speaking here of some small minded family owned schools where investors or family \n members are earning quite a handsome return on their initial investment in the creation of the \n school campus and brand. Some (but not all) of these are leaning too heavily on school operations \n for repayment.","bbox":{"left":0.031498,"top":0.705344,"width":0.913143,"height":0.07526}},{"text":"However, where a founder, owner or company has put down USD 40 million or more to build a \n plant and carry a school for the first few years in order to build brand name, results and reputation, \n there is a legitimate expectation that the school pay a return on investment equal to about 10% of \n budget. Many of these corporations consider this a fair rental value for the use of the campus. (In \n fact a number of non-profit international schools in China pay lease rentals as well on part or all of \n their campus lands and facilities.)","bbox":{"left":0.031498,"top":0.790272,"width":0.930701,"height":0.11326899999999995}}],"images_bbox":[{"left":0.033141,"top":0.010969,"width":0.932785,"height":0.200968},{"left":0.033141,"top":0.918084,"width":0.932785,"height":0.07061}],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[{"left":0.033141,"top":0.010969,"width":0.932785,"height":0.200968},{"left":0.033141,"top":0.918084,"width":0.932785,"height":0.07061}]}