Beyond Food, Fun, Flags, and Festivals

U.S. independent schools have long embraced the preparation of students for global citizenship as part of their missions, while also serving international students, families, faculty, and staff. Yet the frameworks through which schools interpret intercultural competency often remain distinctly U.S.

This question sits at the center of my new NAIS article, “Beyond Food, Fun, Flags, and Festivals: Reframing Intercultural Competency.”

My perspective is informed by work across U.S. independent schools, international schools, and businesses in multiple national contexts, where similar intercultural questions emerge in different institutional forms.

The implications extend well beyond how schools define intercultural competency. They influence whether students experience the support, dignity, and understanding necessary to thrive and flourish, while also strengthening the institutional capacity to serve international students, families, faculty, and staff already within the community.

I’m grateful to National Association of Independent Schools for the opportunity to contribute to this critical conversation.