GEMS Education Schools

GEMS Education Schools, a series of PK-12 private HIGHLIGHTS schools, offer an internationally focused curriculum that provides students with an understanding of • GEMS emphasizes a global education, providing diverse cultures, world languages, and systems of opportunities for students to thinking. It is the largest provider of private PK-12 collaborate with their peers education worldwide. around the world.

GEMS opened its first U.S. campus in in 2014 • GEMS Chicago students are issued and MacBooks and currently operates over 250 schools in 19 and use both sources of countries around the world. There are currently two technology across their campuses (one is a nursery) located in the U.S., both coursework. in Chicago.

The Program GEMS schools seek to provide students with an authentically global education. At GEMS Chicago, students begin global studies in pre-K through an exploration of world languages. World languages are a key component of a GEMS education, and students are given the option to study Spanish, French, or TUITION 2017- Mandarin. 2018 (Chicago): The GEMS network also provides opportunities for students around the globe to engage with one another. $26,900-$34,400 GEMS links over 250,000 students from across four continents during their education, enabling them to use technology to communicate and collaborate on As compared to… assignments. For example, students in the U.S. might Median independent day have a video discussion with students in Switzerland tuition in Chicago (2016- about their history class and then work on a project in 2017) the cloud with students in . This experience is fundamental to a GEMS education as it exposes Grade K-5: $19,142 students to a wide array of cultures, while building Grade 6-8: $20,283 collaboration skills that prepare GEMS students to work with their peers around the globe. Grade 9-12: $32,106

Technology is also essential for student success at GEMS. Every GEMS Chicago student is issued an iPad as early as pre-K, and each student receives a MacBook in fourth grade. These tools are integrated into the student experience at GEMS. They are used for note-taking, reading assignments, coding, robotics, and more. Every student uses Canvas, an online learning management system, to manage projects, view multimedia course materials, and interact with other GEMS students around the globe. GEMS students begin learning the fundamentals of computer coding as early as . In addition, every aspect of the curriculum is approached through the lens of STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and the Arts), which encourages a design thinking approach to solving problems. During middle school, students begin design courses, where they learn to apply practical and creative- thinking skills to solve problems using technology. Class sizes are small, comparable to the standards in other independent schools. At the early childhood level, there are two teachers in every classroom. Both teachers must have academic experience in the field of education, and the lead teacher must have a master’s degree and a minimum of seven years of experience. The other teacher must have at least three years of experience. GEMS initiates strategic partnerships with institutions of higher learning to enhance the learning experiences of its students. GEMS strategic partner, Carnegie Mellon’s CREATE Lab, deploys robotics to inspire and support innovation in education. The partnership also aims to develop teachers’ competence and confidence in teaching the use of robotics and programming in a multi-disciplinary learning environment.

The Business Model GEMS seeks to attract top teachers by offering a robust professional development program. GEMS teachers have access to an online professional development platform with over 200 modules of professional development lessons. GEMS teachers can also use the online platform to connect with teachers across GEMS schools. The online network is a center of information that includes repositories for projects and lesson plans, as well as discussion boards. Finally, GEMS hosts “The Global Education and Skills Forum,” an annual conference that is attended by teacher representatives from every GEMS school. The conference unites the world’s global education leaders and serves as a forum for GEMS teachers to connect and learn from their vast community. GEMS Education, the company that operates GEMS schools, is funded primarily through three sources. The first revenue source is tuition. GEMS Education also receives funds from The Education Partners, a global education consultancy that is part of the GEMS network. The Education Partners works with ministries of education around the world to develop and promote educational initiatives. Finally, GEMS Education is supported by the family of , the founder of the . The foundation runs a robust scholarship program that supports GEMS

schools around the world with an average of 26 percent of GEMS students participating in scholarships or some type of financial assistance. This percentage varies globally depending on the market, the school, and the area of need. “Our program ensures that our students understand the diversity and complexity of the world and that there is a service- learning component to everything that we do. Our students see their gifts and their responsibility to the world: the power of one and how one child can effect change globally.” – Denise Galluci, Chief Executive Officer, GEMS Education Americas and The Education Partners

Lessons Learned – Takeaways for Your School

• Consider new methods of exposing your students to a variety of cultures and belief systems. Are there opportunities to connect students with their international peers? Think about how various cultural perspectives can be integrated into the curriculum to provide students with both academic skills and an understanding of world cultures.

Noteworthy

• GEMS Education Schools are growing rapidly around the world. GEMS Education opened seven new schools and added over 1,700 new teachers to the current schools for the 2016-2017 school year. • As of April 2016, GEMS had raised a $250 million dollar loan to build new schools around the world, with a specific focus on the Middle East. • GEMS Education also operates a nonprofit, the Varkey Foundation, which seeks to improve the standards of education for 100 underprivileged children for every student in a GEMS school.

Sources

“GEMS Education Adds Over 1,700 New Teachers for 2016-17”; online at http://www.gemseducation.com/organisation/about-us/media-centre/2016-press-releases-store/gems- education-adds-over-1-700-new-teachers-for-2016-17/.

“GEMS Education Opens 7 New Schools in the UAE”; online at http://www.gemseducation.com/organisation/about-us/media-centre/2016-press-releases-store/gems- education-opens-7-new-schools-in-the-uaestar/.

GEMS Education Schools website; online at http://www.gemseducation.com/.

Gulf News, “Dubai’s GEMS Education Said to Raise $250 Million for Expansion,” April 24, 2016; online at http://gulfnews.com/business/companies/dubai-s-gems-education-said-to-raise-250-million-for-expansion- 1.1810064.

Sarah Stewart interview with Denise Galluci, February 20th, 2017.

Varkey Foundation website; online at https://www.varkeyfoundation.org/.