Mission and Purpose

Mission and Purpose

The mission of the Japan Council of International Schools (JCIS) is:

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.

To pursue its mission, JCIS will:

  1. facilitate the sharing of information, experience, good practice and initiatives for the benefit of all member schools;
  2. serve as an advocate for the interests of member schools;
  3. liaise where appropriate with other regional and international associations;
  4. serve as the collective memory of the international school movement in Japan.

The Mission in Action

JCIS member schools:

  • Promote and support a thriving network of international schools in Japan, and advocate for the interests of international education on a national and international scale
  • Are quality institutions who adhere to a high standard of learning, student welfare, community engagement and ethical practice
  • Offer a full English medium learning environment in which English is the language of instruction, or are a fully bilingual school in which English is at least an equal partner to any other community language
  • Serve a community which is diverse and at which a predominant number of constituent families are international/bilingual/bicultural in nature
  • Offer an internationally-minded learning experience in which students are engaged in exploring diverse perspectives, understanding and valuing a sense of ‘self’ and ‘other’ and developing the ability to confront local, national and international issues.

JCIS Values

We value…

  • A commitment to operate with the highest levels of integrity and ethical practice
  • Trust and mutual support in guiding all our interactions
  • The pursuit of quality educational programs focused on student learning, wellbeing and inclusion
  • The sharing of expertise with one another in a spirit of collegiality
  • The power of our collective voice in driving member school improvement and developing international education in Japan