One School's Pathway to Sustained Cultural Transformation

As a member of the teaching faculty at an international school using the International Baccalaureate (IB) program that recently completed the CIS Pathway 2 process, I witnessed firsthand how a reflective accreditation pathway—when paired with clear strategic vision and community trust—can lead to genuine, sustained cultural transformation.

This was not a compliance exercise. It was a strategic opportunity to bring our Strategic Plan, IB Programme Development Plan (PDP), and school values into powerful alignment. The process encouraged us to ask: 

• Who are we as a school? 
• What do we stand for? 
• And how do we ensure that our practices reflect that every day?

The answers emerged through action—not slogans.

Strategic Alignment Through Purposeful Projects

Rather than working toward a long list of various goals, our school used Pathway 2 to deepen our impact through three major focus areas. Each became a project of practice, strategically chosen to reflect our mission and support our PDP while directly responding to the needs of our learners and teachers.

1. Inclusion Through Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

The UDL project catalyzed a fundamental shift in how we designed learning. Teachers began to embed flexibility, clarity, and student voice into the core of every lesson and unit. The focus was not on adding more—but on designing better, with learner variability in mind.

This work aligned directly with our IB PDP, strengthening our approaches to differentiation, scaffolding, and formative assessment. What began as a professional development focus soon evolved into a shared mindset across teams and divisions.

2. Belonging Through Restorative Practices and Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

Our second project focused on creating a culture where belonging, identity, and well-being were not peripheral but central to learning. By introducing a Restorative Practices framework, grounded in CASEL's SEL competencies, we moved from managing behavior to nurturing connection.

We introduced identity-based harm response protocols, SEL advisory structures, and proactive community-building strategies. This work made our school safer and more inclusive—and allowed us to live our mission with greater authenticity.

3. Ownership Through Approaches to Learning (ATL)

The third strategic project focused on making learning visible and transferable. As teachers, we worked collaboratively to ensure that ATL skill development wasn’t limited to unit plans, but embedded in student conversations, self-assessments, and learning reflections.

The use of ATL journals, shared reflection tools, and peer feedback systems empowered students to articulate not only what they were learning, but how and why. This project connected deeply with the IB philosophy and helped reinforce student agency as a school-wide norm.

A Culture That Reflects Our Strategic Intent

What stands out most to me, reflecting on this experience, is how Pathway 2 allowed our school to turn strategic intent into everyday culture. The synergy between our Strategic Plan, PDP, and CIS project work ensured coherence from leadership decisions to classroom practice.

“There is a shared understanding of teaching and learning.”
          — IB Evaluation Team

The work was not top-down—it was distributed, collaborative, and authentic. Teachers were not simply implementing initiatives; we were shaping them, responding to evidence from our classrooms and our community. The impact was visible—in student reflections, parent engagement, and staff collaboration.

Community Impact and Cultural Strength

Perhaps the most affirming part of this journey has been seeing how these shifts were experienced by the wider school community.

“This school is deeply rooted in trust, care, and student-centered learning. You have a positive community impact. Your parents feel heard.”
          — CIS/MSA Evaluation Team

Our families noticed the change. They spoke about feeling more connected, more informed, and more confident that the school was acting with integrity and intentionality. Students, across age levels, began articulating their learning journeys with greater clarity and confidence. As a faculty member, this has been deeply motivating.

Why Pathway 2 Was the Right Choice for Real Growth for Our Community

What Pathway 2 offered was not a set of external requirements, but a structured opportunity to grow strategically and meaningfully. It gave us space to reflect, tools to act, and a framework to ensure that our efforts were sustainable. More than that—it gave our community ownership over the journey.

The three projects we developed did more than address our PDP goals—they transformed the way we design learning, support students, and engage with each other. We didn’t just become a better version of our school on paper—we became a stronger, more cohesive, more reflective learning community in practice.

“(The school) is more than an international IB school. This is a community-driven school. You embraced your projects with maturity and vision.”
          — CIS/MSA Evaluation Team

And it’s important to note: this was not easy work. It required courage, collaboration, and deep professional trust. But that’s precisely why it worked. Because we chose to lean into the complexity—not avoid it—and used the Pathway 2 framework as a guide for doing so with purpose.

A Message to Other Schools

To schools weighing their options for reaccreditation, I offer this reflection: choose the pathway that invites growth. There are several strong frameworks available, and each school must find the approach that aligns best with its context, values, and goals. For us, CIS Pathway 2 offered more than validation—it prompted deep reflection on what matters most and created the conditions for meaningful, strategic transformation. It empowered our educators, aligned our practice with purpose, and made space for risk-taking, renewal, and authentic growth. If your school is serious about deepening its mission and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Pathway 2 may be a bold but worthwhile choice. In our case, it made all the difference.