Abstract:

Educational institutional intercultural competence can only be fully achieved once accreditation bodies commit and embrace a systematic, coherent and explicit standardized framework and process of criteria, dispositions, institutional culture, attributes and policies that are aimed at fostering a real intercultural landscape that is beyond the rhetorical jargon often articulated in institutional mission and vision around the globe. Fostering the development of intercultural skills remains at the forefront of promoting understanding, respect and more equitable communities around the globe.
A clear set of institutional intercultural competence will further buttress accreditation processes and provide institutions with the opportunity to engage on a self-reflective process and to implement tangible and verifiable evidence that once analyzed and verified will validate best practices and the effectiveness of approaches. Hence, this study establishes why institutional intercultural competence is an important element in promoting the development of schools that are interculturally competent and explores the current limitations of international standards.

Moreover, this study reviews the three major accreditation bodies’ (AdvancED, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge) standards of school accreditation and points that currently none have standards that directly endorses the principles of interculturalism based on the universal values of fairness that ought to be reflected and articulated in school’s policies; respect which must be evident in the institution’s commitment to promote a climate of acceptance and understanding; and fairness by establishing an institutional culture of inclusion and equality. Finally, this study presents a comprehensive set of institutional insterculturalism standards and criteria that serves a practical and tangible evaluative tool.

Keywords: Accreditation, Intercultural; Competence; 21st-century; International Baccalaureate; Equality.

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