Date of Submission

5-25-2020

Document Type

DiP

Degree

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

Keywords

Student Well-being, Third Culture Kids, Appreciative Inquiry, Systems Thinking, Servant Leadership, Shared Leadership

Abstract

International school students face challenges to their well-being that are unique to their context. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to support the social-emotional well-being of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and English Language Learners (ELLs) at a private, for-profit, international school in South East Asia. It is framed around a Problem of Practice (PoP) based on the need to address the lack of strategically-aligned policies, programs, and systems to support the social-emotional well-being of a diverse and international student body. Foundational to this OIP are leadership approaches and lenses of servant leadership, shared leadership, and systems thinking. Bolman & Deal’s (2017) four frames are used as a framework for analysis of change drivers, organizational gaps, and factors affecting organizational change readiness. Necessary changes addressed include alterations to policy, curriculum, training and awareness, equitable access to resources, and school culture. The proposed solutions and framework for leading change are based on the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach of Cooperrider, Whitney, and Stavros (2008) supplemented with elements of Kotter’s (2014) accelerators model. The AI approach is foundational to the change implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and communication plans and processes in order to facilitate alignment with foundational OIP principles, foster broad stakeholder involvement, and to build on existing strengths in the school and community.

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