Tirana, Albania Report of what it's like to live there - 12/02/24
Personal Experiences from Tirana, Albania
School Name:
Tirana international school
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Yes
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
K-3
3. What years did you live here?
2022-2024
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
This school is the government-sponsored school, had the nicest and most modern facilities, and easiest transport method I am only aware of 1 other school that is “approved” but did not know that was an option prior to arriving.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
Not really clear, but we got assistance from our work organization for enrollment.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
In my personal experience: while some individuals were helpful, overall the administration of the school does not do the best job of communicating to families. Special needs programs are not clear, information about services provided by the school are confusing and can be misleading. There is a lengthy newsletter sent out weekly, which is too long to read. If you have the time, you might find important information about the school calendar and activities.There are WhatsApp groups which are monitored and censored by the admin, so while this was initially a good idea to get quick info, it became apparent by the messages we received from the moderators that this was a one-way channel and admins did not welcome questions, concerns or feedback from parents. Additionally, parents are not welcomed or allowed at the school unless specifically authorized and escorted on limited occasions. This raised red flags for me.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
From what we have experienced: Teacher communication varies; some are quite good, however, communication is heavily monitored by the school administration, which is frustrating for both teachers and parents. There is an app that teachers are supposed to use to communicate and email is no longer acceptable per the administration.
2. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
No. Field trips are inexpensive - about $5.
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
It is my experience that there is a counselor for various grade levels, however one of the counselors is married to the director, runs various fundraising activities, administers WhatsApp groups and monitors communication, and takes on other roles in the school including getting involved in disciplinary actions through the school's “reconciliation” disciplinary ideology. Having one person involved in all these areas has posed problems and conflicts of interest at times.
2. Is there before and/or after-school daycare available? What are the costs?
No
3. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
Yes
4. What are the technology requirements for students? Do they need their own laptops/ipads? How is technology integrated into the classroom and homework?
No - everything is provided
5. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
Yes they have technology class
6. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
There is a gym, tennis court, basketball, soccer field, many playgrounds - overall, nice facilities but no pool.
7. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
Classes are small, usually 15 or less kids as well as a teacher and an assistant in each class.
8. Are students generally challenged appropriately by the curriculum? Please describe any particular strengths or weaknesses in this area. Do you have any thoughts how the curriculum is applied and implemented at this school?
The lower elementary curriculum appears to be adequate in math and science, however, English/language is a bit lacking in our experience due to the fact that the curriculum is not designed for native English speakers.
9. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
Yes
10. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
Music (singing) or violin
11. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Somewhat
12. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
None
13. What services are available for students with learning disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
This is unclear. There has been conflicting information about specialists available inside or outside the school. There are definitely children who have learning disabilities and behavioral issues who are not getting the help they need at school which is detrimental to those students as well as those they are allowed to inflict violence on - this is my opinion based on my personal experiences and observations.
14. What services are available for students with physical disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
I have not seen any services, however there is an elevator in the school.
15. What services are provided for speakers of English as a second language at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
There are ESL classes and specialists available
16. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
None. They have after-school options such as Lego, play dough, board games. Sometimes you can pay to have tennis or soccer lessons.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. What is the climate for children with special needs? Is there a general attitude of inclusion for children with special needs?
My experience was that kids with special needs are not getting help from specialists and the burden was falling on teachers to figure out how to best support them. This was problematic in our experience when kids were biting, slapping, hitting, kicking, or cutting other children’s clothes and teachers couldn’t discipline them due to their special needs. Instead, the guidance counselor would intervene to try to have them “talk it out” which was not successful.
2. What is the climate for LGBT+ kids at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Does there appear to be any exclusionary behavior?
I have not witnessed any exclusionary behavior.
3. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
Really depends on the groups.
4. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
Yes. In our experience, there were incidents of bullying and violent behavior from kids which I have observed and experienced first-hand. We found that the school did not have a clear disciplinary policy and in our experience, it appeared that rules and consequences were not applied equally.
5. What is the climate for students who identify as ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious minorities at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Have your children had any experiences in this area?
To my knowledge and based on my experience, we saw many incidents of minority children being discriminated against e.g., called racist names, bullied.
6. What can you say about diversity among the faculty and staff at the school and their experience in supporting minority students?
I have witnessed unkind interactions that were brushed off as "being Albanian" despite the fact that I know Albanians to be kind, patient, and amazing.
Overall Impressions:
1. What letter grade (ranging from A, excellent, to F, fail) would you assign to this school based on your overall experience? Would you choose it again?
D
2. Please describe some of your child's/children's highlights and challenges during their time at this school.
Individual teachers are the highlight of my child’s experience here.
Some of our challenges included working with the administration and a lack of responsiveness to concerns raised.
3. Please tell us anything else you think prospective parents and students should know about this school. Thanks for your contribution!
I would caution that parents should carefully evaluate the level of support for their children.
