In Pursuit of a Dream: Does Size Matter?

by Sofia Amador-Brenes, EdD​
International Accreditation has gained relevance in a world that offers countless opportunities for students to attend educational institutions worldwide. My over 10 years of experience in accreditation teams have allowed me to participate in a variety of schools with different organizational and cultural backgrounds. All of them, regardless of their nature, look for the common goal of continuous improvement and international recognition. 

I was recently recommended by Global School Consulting Group to coach Arabic Daily in their preparation for their readiness review visit by Cognia. What was different about this process? Arabic Daily is a small digital school with a great vision. Its founder and owner, Faraz Malik is a young entrepreneur and visionary whose purpose is to increase the number of speakers of Classic Arabic in his community in Cincinnati and worldwide. Quite a challenge! According to data from the Foreign Service Language Institute, the Arabic language falls into Category IV Languages, the “super-hard languages,” which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers, together with Chinese Cantonese, Chinese-Mandarin, Japanese and Korean.[1] These languages require around 2200 class hours for speakers to reach the “Professional Working Proficiency” level.
 
Since the very beginning of my journey with Arabic Daily, I was impressed by the level of commitment Faraz and his Leadership Team showed in support of their vision: “To produce independent and qualified Arabic learners who will go back to their communities and set a high standard for others to follow.” Since its early beginnings in 2017, it has been determined to walk the path of continuous improvement and become an accredited school.
 
Arabic Daily offers the possibility to earn a certificate and join the school as teachers willing to spread the language in their communities. The school also opens its doors to high school students wanting to earn credits for college entrance, as well as university students and people from a variety of work contexts and geographical areas. AD is a truly international school.

My work with Arabic Daily reminded me of several valuable lessons that I love to share with you:

• It is not the size of a school that matters, but a visionary’s determination to make his dream come true and his ability to share this vision with his team.
• A team’s shared values and beliefs and their support of the school’s vision are greater than financial wealth.
• A school’s focus on the students’ academic performance and well-being creates the best learning environment and student response.
• Families are important! Involving families through a structured communication system provides stability to schools, regardless of their size.
• ALL schools need systematic processes in place to enhance the efficacy of their operations. 

 
Schools are schools! There is no difference between a brick-and-mortar or a digital school when it comes to offering a world-class education that fulfills students’ needs.  All schools must have a great leader and a committed team in pursuit of a vision that emphasizes a world-class education.
 
My best wishes to Arabic Daily for a successful journey, as they pursue an accreditation that will help them further grow and develop into their dreamed school! 
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[1] https://www.state.gov/foreign-language-training/