Category: News

International School of Paphos acquired by Globeducate

Globeducate has officially welcomed the International School of Paphos (ISOP) into its global network.

With more than 65 bilingual and international schools and online programs across 11 countries, Globeducate serves over 40,000 students worldwide, delivering globally recognised curricula including the National Curriculum for England and the International Baccalaureate.

Established in 1987 by Theodoros Aristodemo, ISOP – the first private English school in Paphos – recently became the latest addition to Globeducate’s presence in Cyprus, which already includes PASCAL International Education and the Education Group Olympion.

We are delighted to welcome the International School of Paphos to Globeducate
_{Luca Uva, Globeducate}

“We are delighted to welcome the International School of Paphos to Globeducate, further strengthening our presence in Cyprus and our commitment to investment in education on the island,” said Luca Uva, CEO of Globeducate.

“We are excited to collaborate with the school’s leadership and community to build on its strong foundations. Globeducate is committed to providing students with an outstanding education through a diverse range of national and international curricula, and we look forward to supporting the school in offering even greater opportunities within our global network.”

The school’s enriched curriculum, based on the National Curriculum for England, incorporates a strong focus on Greek language and cultural studies, providing students with a well-rounded and globally relevant education.

Along with its diverse student cohort and staff from over 40 nationalities, the school is fostering global awareness and cross-cultural practices through various partnerships with cultural and educational institutions such as the British Council, Goethe-Institut, Confucius Institute, French Institute, and several embassies.

Students are encouraged to lead and innovate outside of the classroom through initiatives like the Mediterranean Model United Nations (MEDIMUN), the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, the European Parliament Ambassador School Programme, and ECO School activities.

The school promotes a holistic educational philosophy that combines academic excellence with the cultivation of emotional intelligence, social skills, and self-confidence, while fostering respect and empathy.

Theodoros Aristodemou, the founder and chairman of the International School of Paphos, said that joining the Globeducate network of schools is undoubtedly a milestone in the school’s journey, which will expand its horizons through this collaboration.

“We are very proud of what we have achieved over the years, creating a model school at a time when the necessary infrastructure did not even exist in Paphos,” he said.

“Surely this would not have been possible without the excellent cooperation of our dedicated staff and leadership team, the longstanding support of our parents and students, as well as the smooth supervision of the board of directors.

“Our decision to collaborate with such an established and esteemed education group like Globeducate was made after careful planning, with the aim of better serving the long-term interests of our community, staff, students, and families.”

Aristi Andriotis, managing director of the International School of Paphos, commented: “As part of the Globeducate family, we will gain access to a wealth of resources, expertise, and support to enhance teaching practices and enrich our students’ learning experiences. Globeducate’s mission, closely aligned with our own, is to prepare each student to become a global citizen who can shape the future.

“While joining Globeducate offers exciting opportunities, our school’s values and traditions will remain unchanged,” added Andriotis.

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April 18, 2025
Trump threatens Harvard’s ability to host int’l students

US homeland security secretary Kristi Noem has written a “scathing letter” to Harvard University, demanding it submits records of international students’ “illegal and violent activities” by April 30, or face losing its eligibility to enrol student visa holders.

In Noem’s April 16 statement, she accused Harvard’s “spineless leadership” of “bending the knee to antisemitism” and “threatening national security”.

“Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory,” she added, cancelling two department of homeland security (DHS) grants worth USD $2.7 million on the basis that the university was “unfit to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars”.

DHS is threatening to strip Harvard of its Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, which allows colleges and universities to issue forms to admitted international students to use in their US visa applications.

The punitive measures are the latest in a dispute between Trump and the country’s oldest university, which saw USD $2.2bn in federal funding frozen after it rebuffed government demands, including reporting on international students and ending DEI policies.

What’s more, President Trump threatened on April 15 to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status over its “radical ideology”.

The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights

Alan Garber, Harvard University

Last year, Harvard hosted 6,793 international students, totalling over 27% of the entire student body.

Across the country, more than a million international students attend US colleges every year, contributing $50bn to the economy, as previously reported by The PIE News.

The DHS letter – seen by the Harvard Crimson student newspaper – accused Harvard of creating a “hostile learning environment” for Jewish students and reminded the university it was “a privilege to have foreign students attend Harvard University, not a guarantee”.

Refusing to submit to the government’s previous demands, Harvard president Alan Garber said the university was committed to tackling antisemitism but maintained it would not “surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”

“[The administration’s prescription] violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority,” Garber wrote in a message to the community.

In light of the recent escalation over SEVP certification, the university has maintained its position that it will not cede to government control, according to the Washington Post.

Alongside enhanced scrutiny of teaching, the government is requiring that Harvard reports on international students “supportive of terrorism or antisemitism” and those “hostile to American values”, ban all clubs supporting Palestine, and ban mask-wearing on campus, among other measures.

The directives largely stem from two of Trump’s early Executive Orders relating to “protecting the US from terrorism” and “combatting antisemitism”, which have led to over 1,320 international student visa revocations as of April 16, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Of this figure, 12 Harvard students and alumni have had their visas cancelled, though the university was not made aware of the rationale behind the revocations.

Student visas have been revoked for a variety of reasons, including some minor traffic infractions. Most of the high-profile cases involve students that participated in pro-Palestinian activism.

Challenges to the Trump administration have gained traction in recent weeks, with 19 states and 86 institutions supporting a legal challenge against the government’s revocation of student visas, led by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

Former President Obama, a Harvard alum, expressed his support for the university in a post on X, describing the government’s funding freeze an “unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom”, urging other institutions to “follow suit”.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Yale faculty members have published a letter asking its leadership to legally challenge “unlawful demands that threaten academic freedom and university self-governance”.

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April 17, 2025
5 AI tools for classroom creativity
Key points:

AI tools enhance K-12 creativity and innovation through interactive projects

A new era for teachers as AI disrupts instruction

Report details uneven AI use among teachers, principals

For more news on AI and creativity, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub

As AI becomes more commonplace in classrooms, it gives students access to creative tools that enhance learning, exploration, and innovation. K-12 students can use AI tools in various ways to boost creativity through art, storytelling, music, coding, and more.

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Tags classroom, creativity, digital, digital learning, innovation, instruction, interactive, K-12, learning, news

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April 17, 2025
‘Economically Reckless’ Businesses Slam Bill to Bar Immigrant Kids From School – The 74

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More than two dozen Chattanooga business owners are condemning a bill to require student immigration background checks in Tennessee’s public schools as “economically reckless.”

The Tennessee Small Business Alliance represents restaurants, real estate firms, retail stores and other local employers operating within the district represented by Sen. Bo Watson.

Watson, a Republican, is cosponsoring the legislation to require proof of legal residence to enroll in public K-12 and charter schools. The bill would also give public schools the option of charging tuition to the families of children unable to prove they legally reside in the United States – or to deny them the right to a public education altogether.

House Leader William Lamberth of Gallatin is a co-sponsor of the bill, which has drawn significant — but not unanimous — support from fellow Tennessee Republicans. Lamberth’s version of the bill differs from Watson’s in that it would make it optional — rather than mandatory — to check students’ immigration status in all of Tennessee’s more than 1700 public schools.

The bill, one of the most controversial being considered during the 2025 Legislative session, has significant momentum as the Legislature winds down for the year even as it has drawn raucous protests at times. The legislation will next be debated on Monday in a House committee.

A statement released by the business alliance described the legislation as a “political stunt that’s cruel, economically reckless, and completely out of step with local values.”

Citing estimates compiled by the nonprofit advocacy organization, American Immigration Council, the statement noted that more than 430,000 immigrants in Tennessee paid $4.4 billion in taxes – more than $10,000 per immigrant.

Watson, in an emailed statement from Chattanooga public relations firm Waterhouse Public Relations, said his bill “raises important questions about the financial responsibility of educating undocumented students in Tennessee—questions that have long gone unaddressed.”

The statement said the Supreme Court’s 1982 decision in Plyler v. Doe, which established the right to a public school education for all children regardless of immigration status, has “never been re-examined in the context of today’s challenges.” The statement said Watson is committed to a “transparent, fact-driven discussion about how Tennessee allocates its educational resources and how federal mandates impact our state’s budget and priorities.”

Watson has previously also said the legislation was prompted, in part, by the rising costs of English-language instruction in the state’s public schools.

Democrats have criticized that argument as based on inaccurate assumptions that English language learners lack legal immigration status.

Kelly Fitzgerald, founder of a Chattanooga co-working business and one of 27 employers that signed onto the statement of condemnation, criticized lawmakers.

“Do our representatives believe that undocumented children — who had no say in their immigration status — should be denied a public education, even though their families already pay taxes that fund our schools?” said Fitzgerald, whose own children attend Hamilton County Public schools

“My children are receiving a great education in our public schools, and I want every child to have the same rights and opportunities as mine do,” she said.

“In my opinion, this is not something our legislators should be spending their resources on when there are much larger issues at hand in the current environment,” she said. “We should leave children out of the conversation.”

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.

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April 12, 2025
Does Texas Have a Teacher Retention Crisis? – The 74

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Texas teachers may be increasingly fed up with their job, but they’re still staying in school.

State data shows Texas public school educators continue to return to the classroom at somewhat similar rates as years past, despite multiple surveys showing the large majority of them have contemplated quitting the profession.

While teacher turnover has slightly increased over the past decade, state data show there hasn’t been a large exodus of experienced teachers. In fact, the average years of experience for Texas public school teachers hasn’t notably changed since 2014-15, nor has the share of first-year teachers hired by districts.

The numbers run counter to years of warnings that Texas teachers are primed to bolt en masse out of frustration with the job. At the same time, Texas does still face widespread issues with morale, as well as big challenges in finding certified teachers and filling several types of positions, including special education educators and bilingual teachers.

Steady hands in schools

While much has changed in Texas classrooms over the decade, students continue to be educated by mostly veteran teachers. The average tenure for Texas teachers has held steady during that stretch, ranging from 10.9 to 11.2 years of experience.

The state did see a slight dip in the share of first-year teachers — who, on average, have less positive impact on student achievement than other educators — during the late 2010s, then a slight uptick over the past few years. Still, novice teachers account for fewer than 1-in-10 Texas educators.

A small rise in turnover

Teacher turnover, a measure of how many educators don’t return to teach in the same district each year, has ticked higher since the pandemic. While it once hovered near 16 percent, it’s reached roughly 20 percent over the past two years.

Ultimately, a 4 percentage point difference equates to about 15,000 more teachers who aren’t returning to a classroom in their district. However, state data shows teachers of all experience levels are leaving at similar rates.

Still stressed

Teachers might be sticking with their jobs, but that doesn’t mean they’re happy about it.

A 2024 poll of 1,100 Texas teachers by the Charles Butt Foundation, an Austin-based education advocacy nonprofit, found nearly four-fifths of educators surveyed had seriously considered quitting the profession in the past year. Pay, quality of campus leadership and a sense of feeling valued ranked among the biggest factors in whether teachers had considered quitting.

Separate polls by two of the largest Texas educator unions — the Texas American Federation of Teachers and Texas State Teachers Association — also showed about two-thirds of teachers had considered leaving the profession.

Texas education leaders also are worried about the state’s ability to retain teachers and hire tough-to-fill positions. A state panel convened by the Texas Education Agency examined the issues and made numerous recommendations in 2023, though few of its proposals have been put into action.

As teachers leave Texas schools, district leaders are increasingly filling those positions with uncertified teachers, who generally leave the profession sooner than certified teachers.

This article first appeared on Houston Landing and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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April 12, 2025
Stakeholders call bluff on anti-OPT bill

Titled H.R. 2315, the Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act, the bill was reintroduced by Gosar, who argued that OPT “undercuts American workers” and lets “greedy businesses hire inexpensive foreign labour” without providing benefits.

“Never authorized by Congress, OPT circumvents the H-1B visa cap set by Congress by allowing over 100,000 aliens admitted into our country on student visas to continue working in the United States for another three years after completing their academic studies,” read a statement by Gosar.

“The OPT program completely abandons young Americans who have spent years and tens of thousands of dollars pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics only to be pushed out of those fields by cheap foreigners.”

Though the legislation has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, stakeholders have already shut down any possibility of it passing the US House of Representatives in the future.

While proposals like this tend to generate headlines, the likelihood of this bill advancing in Congress is extremely low
_{John Evans, Catalyst Gem}

“While proposals like this tend to generate headlines, the likelihood of this bill advancing in Congress is extremely low,” John Evans, co-founder and CEO, Ca t alyst Gem, a US-based software and services company specialising in international student admissions, told The PIE News.

“The last serious attempt to eliminate OPT came in 2020 and failed in the face of overwhelming bipartisan, legal, and economic opposition. Despite significant political pressure, the program remained fully intact, without any modifications, because of its recognised value to the US economy and workforce development.”

This isn’t Gosar’s first attempt to target the OPT program. In 2019, he introduced similar legislation and urged its termination through an executive order by President Donald Trump, who was serving his first term at the time.

Following Gosar’s move, WashTech – a union representing STEM workers – also took legal action, suing the US government over its 1992 rule that established the 12-month OPT program and the 2016 regulation which allows eligible STEM graduates to extend OPT by 24 months.

But the idea that OPT displaces American workers with international graduates is far from the truth, according to Evans.

“As of April 2025, the US had 7.6 million job openings, with high-skill sectors such as tech, healthcare, and engineering facing some of the greatest shortages,” he explained.

“Looking ahead, the US is projected to create 1.1 million new STEM jobs over the next decade and will need a continued pipeline of talent, including OPT, to support this growth. Failure to meet this demand will weaken the US position in the global economy, particularly if the talent is directed elsewhere.”

Despite efforts by the Trump administration, which pushed to restrict or eliminate OPT under the direction of then senior advisor to the President, Stephen Miller, the proposed changes were ultimately abandoned due to strong opposition from universities, business leaders, and other key groups.

Since then, OPT has remained a critical part in international appeal for US education and in 2023, the number of international students participating in the program rose to 242,782 – a 22% jump from the year before.

This surge played a significant role in pushing the overall international student population in the country to a record 1.1 million, with OPT participants making up a substantial portion of that total.

“I don’t see this bill going anywhere as the US needs more highly skilled workers – both American and otherwise to fuel an economy that is moving towards doing more highly skilled work in the US,” stated Mark Kopenski, president and CEO, Global Student Recruitment Advisors, a consultancy firm handling international student recruitment and enrolment strategies for educational institutions.

“The (Trump) administration has been bullish on creating paths to permanent residence for highly skilled and educated individuals from around the globe. This will take some time as there is a clearing out of many individuals that have come to the US illegally and without skills, financial resources and abilities that the US desires.”

According to Kopenski, programs like the “Gold Card Visa” are designed to attract highly skilled talent and noted that some international students in the US have already acquired or are planning to acquire these visas.

Although programs like the H-1B visa, which allows US employers to temporarily hire international workers in specialised fields, have faced scrutiny during Trump’s second term, the former president has voiced support for granting green cards to international college graduates.

However, no legislation has materialised to back this proposal, and instead, international graduates are encountering growing restrictions.

Since Trump’s inauguration in January this year, hundreds of international students have been detained and seen their visas revoked on US college and university campuses, often without any prior warning.

As per reports, over 80 US universities have reported visas being revoked for some of their international students.

Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that over 300 student visas had been revoked due to activities deemed “against US national interest.”

Experts suggest the revocations may be tied to students’ involvement in pro-Palestine protests or minor legal infractions, such as speeding, with some facing deportation or being asked to leave the country.

The move has led to condemnation from US educators, who have slammed the “alarming” and “deeply disturbing actions” of the Trump administration.

The move could possibly contribute to an already declining interest in studying in the US, as highlighted by a recent survey conducted by StudyPortals.

Evans commented: “To rebuild confidence, the US must adopt a more consistent, transparent, and student-centred approach to international admissions and immigration, like the streamlined policies seen in Canada, the UK, and Australia. This effort must be reinforced by public messaging and policies that clearly state: ‘You are welcome here, and your contributions matter.’”

Meanwhile, Kopenski sees this as short-term declining interest, set to “correct itself as the US strengthens its attractiveness as a destination that provides the ultimate springboard to wealth and prosperity”.

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April 11, 2025
Doing right by the teachers who do right by the world
Key points:

Ethical PD is a call to action for all involved in teacher professional development

Key questions that unleash powerful PLCs

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For more news on teacher PD, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub

Teachers are superheroes. Every day, they rise to the challenge, pouring their hearts into shaping the future. They stay late to grade papers, show up early to tutor struggling students, and spend their weekends planning lessons that inspire young minds. They do this because they believe in their mission–a mission to change lives, ignite passions, and build a better world.

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The U.S. Department of Education is giving state education agencies 10 days to certify that their schools do not engage in any practices that the administration believes illegally promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

COVID had already killed thousands of people in other countries and was spreading in the United States when a top federal health official said schools should prepare to offer “internet-based teleschooling” in case they had to close for a period of time.

More than half of educators (62 percent) are already making use of AI at school, with more than one-quarter using it daily for work purposes, according to a Twinkl survey of more than 3,500 U.S. teachers.

Many math tasks involve reading, writing, speaking, and listening. These language demands can be particularly challenging for students whose primary language is not English.

Tags educational leadership, leadership, news, PD, preparation, professional development, questions, teacher, teacher PD, teacher preparation

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April 11, 2025
Leading (again) in uncertainty
Key points:

Change has become the norm in our high-speed world

How school leaders can manage and control emotions

Em-pathy, not un-pathy, in school leadership

For more news on navigating change, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub

We are again in uncertain times. We again find ourselves dealing with sudden changes and uncertainty. We seem to be in a state of constant change and ambiguity. The causes are different, but the feelings–and often our immediate reactions to these events–are the same.

More News from eSchool News

Teachers are superheroes. Every day, they rise to the challenge, pouring their hearts into shaping the future. They stay late to grade papers and show up early to tutor struggling students.

In today’s evolving educational landscape, effective student assessment goes beyond multiple-choice tests and letter grades. According to a recent study, over 60 percent of educators believe traditional assessments fail to fully measure student understanding.

Holden, my 21-month-old, has fallen in love. His early morning snack and “couch time” includes a dose of “Tiger!” This is toddler for, “Mom, turn on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.”

The COVID-19 pandemic left an indelible mark on K-12 education, placing immense pressure on teachers as they adapted, literally overnight, to new methods of instruction.

Spring brings not only showers and flowers, but it also brings the opportunity to interview for new education positions. Preparing for an interview involves several key steps that can significantly impact the outcome.

STEM careers are on the rise. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in STEM occupations is expected to grow by 10.4 percent from 2023 to 2033, compared to just 3.6 percent for non-STEM occupations.

The U.S. Department of Education is giving state education agencies 10 days to certify that their schools do not engage in any practices that the administration believes illegally promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

COVID had already killed thousands of people in other countries and was spreading in the United States when a top federal health official said schools should prepare to offer “internet-based teleschooling” in case they had to close for a period of time.

More than half of educators (62 percent) are already making use of AI at school, with more than one-quarter using it daily for work purposes, according to a Twinkl survey of more than 3,500 U.S. teachers.

Many math tasks involve reading, writing, speaking, and listening. These language demands can be particularly challenging for students whose primary language is not English.

Tags educational leadership, leaders, leadership, news, school, school leaders, school leadership, visit, world

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April 11, 2025
Sector leaders step up legal pressure on US government

The Alliance, which represents over 500 college leaders, has pledged its support for the AAUP in the case of AAUP v. Rubio, which seeks an injunction to halt the large-scale arrest, detention and deportation of students and faculty.

Submitted in a court document known as an amicus brief, the Alliance argued that recent efforts targeting international students and noncitizen staff had created a “climate of fear” that was “chilling the free exchange of ideas and isolating international students and scholars”.

“Recent actions have upended individual lives, undermined the safety of our institutions and jeopardised academic freedom in and beyond the classroom,” said Presidents’ Alliance CEO Miriam Feldblum on April 10.

“The uncertainty generated by visa revocations and terminations not only has immediate impacts but also threatens our long-term ability to recruit, retain and employ talented individuals from across the globe,” she added.

The court case comes amid growing alarm over the rising number of international student visas revocations and detentions.

As of April 10, over 100 US institutions have identified more than 600 international students and recent graduates who have seen their legal status changed by the State Department, according to monitoring by Inside Higher Ed.

The AAUP-led lawsuit was filed on March 25, challenging the Trump administration’s policy of arresting, detaining and deporting noncitizen students and faculty who participated in pro-Palestinian activism.

The lawsuit alleges that the administration’s “ideological-deportation policy” violates the first amendment right of freedom of speech and the Administrative Procedure Act, as well as being unconstitutionally vague.

Recent actions have upended individual lives, undermined the safety of our institutions and jeopardised academic freedom in and beyond the classroom

Miriam Feldblum, Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration

In coming together as a sector, Feldblum said she hoped the brief would “amplify the contributions of noncitizen students and scholars, whose ideas and breakthroughs fuel our economy and uphold the collaborative spirit that defines American education”.

In 2023, international students accounted for 6% of the total US higher education population and contributed over $50bn to the US economy, according to IIE.

The unprecedented attacks on international students in the US have provoked outrage across the globe, with the Alliance highlighting longer term impacts which threaten to stifle innovation, intensify ‘brain drain’ and jeopardise the competitiveness of higher education in the US.

When paired with declining visa issuance rates from several of the US’ primary sending countries and signs of plummeting interest in the US from postgraduate students, the need for sector-wide unity has never been so strong, say educators.

What’s more, the brief highlights the harmful impacts on US students who will lose out on global perspectives, enriched learning experiences and academic collaboration.

Scientific talent has already started leaving the US in response to research cuts and threats to academic freedom, with a recent poll revealing three quarters of US scientists were considering leaving the country.

Elsewhere, executive members of the US for Success Coalition have urged Congress to press the administration to stop immigration actions and travel restrictions that jeopardise the US’s global attractiveness, highlighting the contributions of international students to America’s “prosperity, safety and security”.

“International students are the most tracked and vetted visitors to this country,” said NAFSA CEO Fanta Aw.

“Deterring them from choosing the United States will not make us safer but will certainly deprive us of global talent at a time when competition for these students is increasing around the world,” she added.

The Coalition is encouraging students and leaders from all sectors including higher education, foreign policy and business, to reach out to members of congress with this message.

AAUP v. Rubio is scheduled to be heard in court on April 23.

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April 11, 2025
Ireland’s ELE sector slams sharp rise in financial threshold

The national body representing over 60 accredited English language schools has warned the move could lead to mass cancellations, reputational damage to Ireland, and loss of key emerging markets that have helped rebuild the sector post-pandemic.

Starting from 30 June 2025, students from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico will be asked to show €6,665 in available funds to study in Ireland for eight months – a 120% increase on the 2023 threshold of €3,000.

“This change has come without consultation, justification, or notice. It is difficult to see how a 120% increase in two years can be considered proportionate when the cost of living has risen just 2% annually,” said Lorcan O’Connor Lloyd, CEO of EEI.

The affected students are legally permitted to work part-time in Ireland, yet are now being required to show financial backing as if they were not, argued O’Connor Lloyd, who said the policy “undermines the entire work-study visa model that Ireland has in place”.

It is difficult to see how a 120% increase in two years can be considered proportionate when the cost of living has risen just 2% annually
_{Lorcan O’Connor Lloyd, English Education Ireland}

Stakeholders have also raised concerns around the short period of notice of just over 90 days, which means that students who have already paid, booked flights, and made arrangements will be forced to find an extra €2,000 or risk losing their place.

EEI is therefore calling for an immediate pause and review of the policy, a transition period to protect students who have already booked, and a full consultation with the education sector moving forward.

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April 11, 2025