About JCIS

About JCIS

JCIS exists to promote, support and sustain quality English medium schools serving the international community in Japan through an educational framework which is international in both style and substance.

The Japan Council of International Schools (JCIS) includes thirty international schools operating in Japan. However, each school exists completely independently of the others.

Schools applying for membership to JCIS must meet a number of important criteria including stability, continuity, professionalism and an explicit commitment to internationalism. Education must be provided in English. Beyond that, however, there are no requirements concerning curriculum, ethos or ownership. Some schools offer programmes of the International Baccalaureate Organization. Others offer an education rooted to a greater or lesser degree in a national curriculum. Some schools offer a full ‘Kindergarten to Grade 12’ education while others specialize on certain age groups. The smallest JCIS member school has fewer than 100 students and the largest has more than 1,700.

The heads of member schools meet twice a year – usually in October and April. Meetings are held at member schools: once a year in the Tokyo region and once elsewhere in Japan. A President (Chair), Vice President, Treasurer and Communications Officer are elected to the JCIS Board of Directors by, and from among, the heads of member schools, who are all members of the JCIS Board of Trustees. The elected members of the Board of Directors in turn appoint up to five additional directors from among the heads/trustees.

On a day-to-day basis, heads of JCIS schools communicate with each other regarding matters of common interest such as changes in employment legislation, appropriate precautions to take against health emergencies, experience (good and bad) of service providers, and so on. In 2011 member schools liaised closely and very valuably in the aftermath of the Tohoku tragedy and more recently JCIS proved to be an invaluable network to member schools in dealing with the COVID 19 pandemic.

Opportunities are also taken to share the cost of visiting speakers or performers with neighbouring schools, to coordinate PD initiatives, to bring together specialist staff and to support schools introducing new curriculums or programmes.

JCIS is a collegial and collaborative organization which exists for the betterment of all international schools in Japan to the benefit of the parents who choose them and the children who attend them.

2024-25 JCIS Executive

President
Matthew Parr, Nagoya International School, Aichi

Vice-President
James Moore, Montessori School Tokyo, Tokyo

Treasurer
Annette Levy, Saint Maur International School, Kanagawa

Communications
Megan Roe, Okinawa Christian School International, Okinawa