An educator by profession since 1994, Pino has served as a teacher in the Western Quebec School Board and as a teacher, vice-principal, principal and supervisory officer in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, as well as Director of Education for the Renfrew County District School Board. Since August 2023, he has served as Director of Education at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. As Chief Education Officer and Chief Executive Officer of the District, as well as Secretary to the Board, he is accountable to the Board of Trustees, and through Statute, to the Minister of Education for the organization and operation of the District. Pino is currently a provincial representative for the Council of Ontario Directors of Education on the Advisory Committee for School Mental Health Ontario. He is also an Education Partner with the Education Research Development & Innovation Institute. He has served as facilitator of the Supervisory Officers’ Qualification Program for the Eastern Ontario Staff Development Network. Pino also held the position of President of the United Nations Association in Canada – National Capital Region Branch, as well as Part-Time Academic Staff of the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa.
As the Chief Education/Executive Officer of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) – a diverse, dynamic institution of public education located in the heart of the National Capital Region of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – I have witnessed, first-hand, the benefits of international education initiatives for students, staff and school communities.
The following article shares insights as key ‘signs of success’ regarding the benefits of internationalization in public education, K-12, from the perspective of a large, urban district.
Introduction – The Canadian Context
In its informative, inspirational position paper on international education released by Global Affairs Canada, ‘Building on Success: International Education Strategy, 2019-2024’, the Government of Canada has created a vision that aims to diversify the education sector, boost Canada’s capacity for creativity and innovation, promote global connections, and foster a vibrant economy, nation-wide. The strategy is designed to support efforts by provinces/territories and its interest holders, in the enhancement of a successful and sustainable system for public education. More specifically, the three prominent objectives of Canada’s current strategy for international education include:
- Encouragement of Canadian students to gain new knowledge and skills through opportunities for study and work abroad in key global markets, especially Asia;
- Diversification of the countries from which international students come to Canada, as well as the fields, levels and locations of their study while here; and,
- Augmentation of support for institutions of the education sector to facilitate growth in the export of their products and/or services and explore new opportunities abroad.
Thinking ahead, the Canadian Bureau for International Education (2023) has provided a number of recommendations to Global Affairs Canada through its consultation brief in regard to the development and implementation of a new five-year strategy, including: adopting a comprehensive, whole-of-government and sector-wide approach to international education; strengthening the nation’s global brand through an ethical approach; conducting labour market needs and immigration pathway analyses for inbound student mobility; ensuring diversification as an objective of educational efforts; investing in scholarship programming; securing a long-term strategy for outbound student mobility; and, creating a robust approach to the review of data related to internationalization. These recommendations will undoubtedly help the country balance the breadth and depth of both inbound and outbound endeavours, moving forward.
In 2015, the Ministry of Education Ontario released its strategy for international education for Kindergarten to Grade 12. Through ‘Ontario’s Strategy for K-12 International Education’, the provincial government promotes opportunities for its students to learn from international peers by exposing them to the diverse cultures, languages and viewpoints of their classmates, as well as the broader school communities in which they live. The strategy focuses on four main goals:
- Future-oriented learning for the province’s students;
- High-quality programs and services for international students studying in ontario;
- Opportunities for sharing and developing the province’s educational expertise; and,
- Pathways to post-secondary education, work, and living in ontario.
In the context of the provincial strategy, internationalization serves as an ongoing process of adaptation in the programs and/or services offered by systems for public education, as well as the teaching and learning environments of their schools. In its summary report of current knowledge and best practices to accompany its published strategy for international education, K-12, the Ministry of Education Ontario (2018) released ‘Global Education for Ontario Learners: Practical Strategies’. This resource highlights teaching and learning practices for internationalization that enhance schools and systems through the integration of international, intercultural and/or global perspectives, cultures and experiences. Of importance to note, the province of Ontario is the largest beneficiary of foreign students in Canada and hosts almost half of all international students choosing to live and study in the country.
Interestingly, the established objectives of the provincial strategy for international education are currently under review by the Ministry of Education Ontario, as is the case at a national level through the Government of Canada, as there are both challenges and opportunities ahead in regard to internationalization in the Canadian context, to be sure.
Key Signs of Success for Internationalization
The following three aspects of internationalization serve as key ‘signs of success’, to my mind, for institutions of public education, K-12, moving forward.
- Development of Sound Strategies for Global Exchange of Culture and Ideas
MacDonald (2024) highlights that Global Affairs Canada has been consulting with interest holders in the education sector for over a year now, in search of successful strategies, in advance of the expected renewal of its international education strategy. Key foci of these consultations, she adds, has been related to greater responsiveness to national and regional labour market needs, spreading international students more broadly across the country, and protecting the Canadian brand by dealing with problems such as unscrupulous recruiters. One solution that MacDonald (2024) suggests as emerging from the research as a sound strategy, for example, is tailoring co-op and internship programs for international students – through special work permits in addition to regular study permits – in order to meet many of the labour market needs described.
- Encouragement of the Promising Potential of Paradiplomacy
In an intriguing study of soft power through international relations, Murphy (2024) points out that sub-national actors, such as school boards, may accidentally become ‘paradiplomats’ at the international level as a by-product of their recruitment efforts, often executed to address existing budgetary pressures. Building upon the notion of ‘soft power’ introduced by Nye (2004) as decentralized, emerging from multiple sources, and taking place largely within the domain of culture – as opposed to ‘hard power’ that is centralized, coercive in nature, and residing in the hands of national government decision-makers – Murphy makes the case that school boards have significant soft power through student exchanges, K-12. He claims that soft power resources have become increasingly important for the successful navigation of world politics. He also emphasizes the long-standing connection between the education sector and soft power, revealing student exchanges as particularly valuable soft power projection strategies because they permit the formation of a lengthy relationship between the student and the host country. In turn, these students – the future leaders of tomorrow – become paradiplomats… unofficial, yet influential diplomats of sorts for their host countries when they return home… having developed an appreciation, awareness, and understanding of the culture they experienced abroad. Interestingly, Murphy (2024) surmises that school boards have, perhaps inadvertently, developed important businesses of building cultural bridges to export understandings of Canadian society. He specifies that the opportunity to learn about Canadian culture is presented as an integral part of the value proposition to potential students from abroad.
- Implementation of Sensible Opportunities to Scale Up Internationalization
Other contemporary research articles on the topic of the building internationalization in the Canadian context, including Elnagar and Young (2021), speak to the shifting dynamic of the two major initiatives that school boards engage in with respect to international education: recruitment of international students; and, establishment of affiliate agreements with schools/jurisdictions overseas. In particular, they suggest that international education as an academic field now reflects the above two interconnected research interests more than ever before. First, an education-oriented interest related to international development, cooperation, peace-making, and co-existence amongst nations. Second, an economic-oriented interest related to national competitiveness, profit-making, as well as the recruitment and development of a skilled labour force for the nation. As such, the authors claim there are two observable approaches to conceptualize international education and/or internationalization: a learning-driven one and a market-driven one. Ultimately, Elnagar and Young (2021) point out, additional scholarly interest in a number of the following areas would greatly aid the field: international student recruitment practices and the regulation of agents involved in recruitment process across Canada and globally; academic and social provisions for international students in public schools and their home placements; efforts to address issues of accessibility and equity for all students; as well as, the impact of international student fees on the funding of public education at the school, system and provincial levels.
Consolidation – Application of Internationalization at the OCDSB
As the largest district school board in the National Capital Region, and one of the most prominent in the country, the OCDSB has established a synergistic partnership with the Ottawa-Carleton Education Network (OCENET) – the District’s international learning partner. As an independent, not-for-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors, and a leader in the field of international education since 1999, OCENET strives to enhance the OCDSB’s multi-year strategic plan for 2023-2027 through various international endeavours. The key initiatives of OCENET include: student exchange programs, educator training programs, as well as an ‘International Certificate Program’ (ICP) where students at the secondary level across the District have the opportunity to foster global citizenship and connections, and learn through cultural exchange opportunities. Through thoughtfully-designed “course bundles”, the three components of the ICP include: languages and communication; international coursework; and, international experience and engagement. After successfully completing the certificate components, students showcase their commitment as a global citizen via a summative portfolio experience as an integral aspect of this innovative offering at the OCDSB.
I am a firm believer, personally and professionally, in the transformational nature of initiatives for international education. As a student of the OCDSB, I experienced the incredible learning that takes place when internationalization is nurtured at school sites. As Director of Education of the District, I am committed to providing these same value-added experiences to our students, staff and school communities.
References
Canadian Bureau for International Education. 2023. Consultation Brief on Canada’s International Education Strategy for 2024-2029. Printed in Ottawa, Canada.
Elnagar, A. and Young, J. 2021. International Education and the Internationalization of Public Schooling in Canada: Approaches and Conceptualizations. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 195, pp.80-94.
Government of Canada. 2019. Building on Success: International Education Strategy, 2019-2024. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by Global Affairs Canada.
MacDonald, M. 2024. Time to Rethink Canada’s International Education Strategy. University Affairs Feature Article, 10 January 2024.
Ministry of Education Ontario. 2018. Global Education for Ontario Learners: Practical Strategies. A Summary of Research by Dr. Caroline Manion and Dr. Nadya Weber. Queen’s Printer for Ontario, Canada.
Ministry of Education Ontario. 2015. Ontario’s Strategy for K-12 international Education. Queen’s Printer for Ontario, Canada.
Murphy, M. 2024. Accidental Paradiplomats? The Curious Case of Ontario School Board Budgets and Canadian Soft Power projection. International Journal, 79(1): 96-110.
Nye, J. 2004. Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics. Public Affairs, New York.
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. 2023. Multi-Year Strategic Plan: 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. 2016. International Certificate Program: Discover Your World.