Get ready to dive into an inspiring conversation with educator and innovator Kyle Wagner, as host Stacy Stephens reconnects with her former colleague to explore his newest adventure: launching a Montessori-based middle school program in Hong Kong.

In this episode, Kyle shares his compelling journey from teaching in San Diego to becoming a driving force in student-centered learning at the International School of Beijing, and now to building a groundbreaking program that fuses Montessori philosophy with real-world, project-based learning. Drawing on his experience at High Tech High and the Futures Academy, Kyle paints a vivid picture of what education can look like when students take the lead.

Listeners will hear about the foundational principles of Montessori education, especially as they apply to adolescents. Kyle explains the exciting vision behind a fully integrated, bilingual, interdisciplinary middle school program, and how student-run businesses and thematic learning units like “The Future of Food” and “The Future of Fashion” are designed to build agency and real-world skills. He also discusses the challenges and opportunities that come with building a new program from the ground up in the bustling context of Hong Kong.

Whether you're an educator, a parent, or simply curious about innovative education models, this episode offers a rich, behind-the-scenes look at how transformative learning environments are created—and why they matter now more than ever.

Tune in and be inspired by Kyle’s passion, insight, and unwavering belief that students thrive when given autonomy, purpose, and a supportive environment.

Show Notes:

International Montessori School of Hong Kong

‘Where is the Teacher’ Book

Kyle’s Podcast

Kyle’s Website w/free Resources

Kyle's Socials:

LinkedIn

What happens when a school decides that standards shouldn’t just sit on a shelf—but instead become the core language of growth, feedback, and learning for teachers?

In this episode, we talk with Ginny Prairie, Director of Teaching and Learning at the International School of Kenya (ISK), about how her school is embedding the International Standards of Practice into the daily fabric of teaching. With more than two decades of experience across international schools in Asia and the Middle East, Ginny shares what it looks like to align vision, hiring, coaching, and evaluation around a shared definition of great teaching.

ISK’s journey is just beginning, and Ginny is candid about the slow, intentional process they’ve chosen. From teacher-led goal setting and team reflections to adding new elements like professionalism, she highlights how standards are becoming a tool for clarity—not compliance.

Whether you're leading change in your own school or just curious how standards can move beyond checklists, this conversation offers practical insight into what it means to build coherence across systems—and why that matters for teachers and students alike.

Listen in to hear how one school is using standards not as a mandate, but as a meaningful framework for growth.

Show Notes:

Standards of Practice for International Schools

International School of Kenya

Ginny's Socials:

Ginny's Blog

LinkedIn

Subscribe to the TIE Newsletter

If you’ve ever found yourself caught in the middle of conflicting values in your school community, or unsure how to navigate tough conversations as an educator, this episode is for you.

In the premiere of The Voice of TIE podcast, host and Director of TIE, Stacy Stephens sits down with internationally respected author and educator Jennifer Abrams for a powerful, timely conversation about what it means to lead and communicate effectively in an increasingly polarized world. Jennifer brings decades of experience helping educators strengthen their "adult-to-adult" communication skills—especially in moments of tension, disagreement, and high emotion.

What makes this episode especially valuable is its relevance: Jennifer speaks directly to the real-world dynamics educators face right now—where school communities are more diverse, opinionated, and emotionally invested than ever before. With empathy and clarity, she offers practical insights for managing difficult conversations, staying grounded under pressure, and finding your voice as a leader.

You’ll also get a sneak peek at her upcoming TIE article series, which will roll out over the next few months and into the new school year, offering concrete tools and mindsets to help educators start strong and stay centered and lead through polarizing times.

This isn’t just a podcast about theory, it’s about what you can do on day one to communicate with care, lead with confidence, and show up with purpose.

Whether you're a school leader or teacher this conversation will leave you with insight, encouragement, and a renewed sense of direction.

Show notes:

Jennifer's Website

Previous TIE Articles by Jennifer:

Know Your Identity

Building Resiliency

“City, Bike, Cow, School, Of Course” & Other Lessons in Being Allocentric

Taking Responsibility for Your Communications

Suspending Certainty

In this episode of the TIE Podcast, Shwetangna Chakrabarty, former Editor of The International Educator (TIE), hosts Stacy Stephens, Director of TIE, to explore the transformative power of professional standards in international education. Stacy brings over two decades of experience as a teacher, administrator, and consultant, and passionately discusses how the Standards of Practice for International School Educators—developed collaboratively by TIE, the Principals' Training Center (PTC), and other education leaders—are reshaping how schools recruit, evaluate, and grow educators.

Throughout their discussion, Stacy emphasizes the value of these Standards in creating a common professional language that bridges gaps between schools, roles, and regions. She highlights how a shared framework supports alignment across teaching and leadership practices, enabling schools to move away from isolated, bespoke systems toward unified approaches that benefit both teachers and students. Drawing from her own experience, Stacy explains that just as academic standards clarified her role as a teacher, professional standards help educators understand expectations and foster intentional growth. 

Additionally, she introduces the Growth and Appraisal Tool (GAT), a system developed by TIE to connect hiring, development, and evaluation through these shared Standards. The GAT encourages evidence-based reflection and supports a culture of transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Stacy also explores how these Standards can support the recruitment process, foster school culture, facilitate meaningful cross-disciplinary dialogue, and reduce isolation among teachers. The podcast closes with a powerful message: alignment through shared standards centers the focus on students rather than individual preferences, ultimately enhancing educational quality across international schools. This conversation underscores the potential of professional standards not only to elevate teaching practice but also to build cohesive, student-centered school communities worldwide. Listeners are encouraged to explore resources and connect with TIE for further guidance. 

Key Takeaways

Show notes:

TIE Online Standards of Practice

Growth and Appraisal Tool

1. Professional standards create a common language.2. Alignment builds stronger school cultures.3. Standards support evidence-based reflection.4. Tools like GAT bring the standards to life.5. Shared standards empower mobility and professionalism.

In the fifth episode of the Standards of Practice podcast series, Sue Easton, Director of Programs at the Principals' Training Center, discusses the practical application of International School Teacher Standard 1: Fosters collaborative culture in and between professional learning teams with a focus on student learning, collegiality, trust, and respect.

In the fourth episode of the Standards of Practice podcast series, Sue Easton, Director of Programs at the Principals' Training Center, discusses the practical application of International School Teacher Standard 1: Effectively apply the most up-to-date, research-based strategies to address the needs of diverse learners.

In the third episode of the Standards of Practice podcast series, Sue Easton, Director of Programs at the Principals' Training Center, discusses the practical application of International School Teacher Standard 5: Share relevant research and model systematic inquiry.

Lisa Michelle Nnadozie, Secondary Principal, and Pete Goodman, Middle Years Program Coordinator, both at Nagoya International School, Japan take us through a journey of implementing best practices in their school based on standards that empower teachers. They share deep insights and key features of their standard based approach for modeling inquiry in classrooms, ensuring that teachers are measuring the impact of using these standards for supporting student learning.

"Encourage schools to focus on the process and ensure that the learning for the teachers is in place and evident and measurable, and that learning also transfers to the students."

- Peter Goodman

In the second episode of the International Standards of Practice podcast series, Sue Easton, Director of Programs at the Principals' Training Center, guides a discussion on the practical application of International School Teacher Standard 9: Think systematically, reflect on, and learn from practice.

Jeff Farrington, Head of Secondary, and Azra Pathan, Director of Learning, both from the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), join Sue to discuss their practices and systematic approach to using teaching standards. They share the ISKL story, highlighting how these teaching standards come alive in an international school and their impact on student learning.

"Standards provide a common language and a common expectation so that our teachers can perform and measure their performance in relation to student learning, having growth conversations, not just with administrators, but with each other." - Azra Pathan

Our inaugural episode dives deep into a question that underpins the quality of education: "What are international school standards of practice, and why are they so vital for ensuring quality teaching and learning in international schools?" Host, Sue Easton, Director of Programs at The Principals' Training Center, engages a panel of thought leaders in a compelling conversation, where they share their thoughts and experiences on the "why" behind international school standards.

Join us as we welcome James H. Stronge, President and CEO of Stronge and Associates Educational Consulting; James Dalziel, Head of School at NIST International School in Bangkok; Bambi Betts, Executive Director of The Principals' Training Center; and Brittany Betts, CEO of The International Educator. These educational leaders bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, and a passion for the topic of this first episode.

“Standards will anchor us across the 20 000 schools that we have or are anticipating by the year 2030. They are essential to give us the framework in which we can operate with everything that we do.” -- James Stronge