Mission Statement Possible: International Schools and Cosmopolitanism

Abstract

Cosmopolitanism has recently received increased interest and representation in educational discourse and theory. Given the global and international emphases in cosmopolitanism, international schools might provide some clues and illustrations of cosmopolitanism influence in schooling. The way an international school articulates its purpose can provide insight into the general discourse about international schools and what each thinks its purpose is, real or imagined. Thus, the mission statements of sixty-seven international schools were analysed to measure the extent to which these schools articulated purposes consistent with dominant typologies and characteristics of cosmopolitanism. The data shows that while international schools show a dominant predilection toward cognitive and academic development, they also contain a significant number of cosmopolitan characteristics and an orientation toward the development of attitudes and emotional development that aid in intercultural understanding and cosmopolitan ways of being.