Inclusive Education

Mrs. Chris Perakis was raised in Newport, Rhode Island. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Elementary and Special Education from Salve Regina College and a Masters of Arts in Special Education from Lesley College. She is currently working on a postgraduate degree on Improving Student Learning and Quality of Teaching in International Schools; taking various courses. Mrs. Perakis holds several teaching certificates including certificates for teaching students in the Elementary School, as well as, teaching students with mild-moderatesevere learning differences and handicaps.

For ten years, she co organized the ACS Athens Annual Learning Differences Conference, a continuing effort to raise awareness on the subject of educating children with learning differences. Mrs. Perakis has also served as a team member on the Committee of Institution-wide Accreditation of the Middle School Association of Colleges and School (MSA), and on the study and research group at John Hopkins University for bringing the Center of Talented Youth (CTY) program to Greece. Since 2010, Mrs. Perakis has been selected to serve on The Educational Collaborative for International Schools (ECIS) Special Education Needs (SEN) Committee.

Currently she is the co chair of the SEN/ LS (Learning Support) TEAM. She is also the Vice President for the Professional Special Education Society in Greece, a founding member of the Hellenic Institute for Study and Research of Learning Disabilities and served on the IB Special Education Needs (SEN) Committee, as well as, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Education committee for Learning Differences.

Mrs. Perakis has also completed training in administering Educational and Psychological Measurements with Dr. Michael Castleberry and Dr. Imran Riaz, professors at the University of George Washington, accredited by the Buffalo State SUNY College of New York. Currently she is a consultant to support schools build up their own learning support programs, Educational & Diagnostic testing centers, as well as, audit school programs and make suggestions for best fit support services. She’s a passionate life long learner that believes that every student can reach his/her own potential given the appropriate support

Eleni Armaou studied Psychology, Pedagogy and Philosophy ( major in Educational Psychology) and holds a MA in Special Educational Needs from the University of Leeds, UK. She has worked in IB Schools in Istanbul, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt and is now the SOS, ALN and Counselling Coordinator and Secondary CPO, at the Metropolitan School of Frankfurt, in Germany.

Eleni is passionate about AI, Robotics, Space Travel, Quantum Physics as well as Human Psychology, Inclusive Education, Leadership and Management Studies, Negotiation Skills, CRISIS Management and Conflict Resolution.

She is a Member of ECIS SEN/Learning Support SIG and content creator for the LS/SEN SIG page. Website: special education and inclusive education armaou@msf.education

BA Master of Arts Student Oriented Services ( SOS) and Additional Learning Needs

(ALN) Coordinator Metropolitan School of Frankfurt

Sarah is the Head of Professional Learning at ECIS. In international school headship positions, she led teams who developed innovative, dual language and interlingual approaches to learning and language development. She has worked in the UK and Germany as a primary, secondary an educational support teacher (SEN), and she taught undergraduate education in London. She has worked closely with Debra Rader, co-presenting at several Intercultural Understanding Institutes. Sarah is driven by the conviction that the life-long journey of engaging with intercultural understanding is vital to our appreciation of one another.

Amy Leino believes that high-quality education is a human right for all learners. She is passionate about collaborating with individual students, fellow educators, and parents to uncover successful pathways for learning. Originally from Washington State, she holds a Masters degree in inclusive education. She currently serves as the Individualised Learning Lead and Belonging Catalyst Lead at the International School of Helsinki (ISH). During her 22 years at ISH, she has led the school to become a model of inclusive education and personalised instruction. She understands deeply the need to meet each learner where they are, give them the strongest voice in where they are going, and actively support them in their journey. She is passionate about further developing ways to unlock every learner’s potential.

Sarah is the Elementary Student Services Coordinator at the American International School in Abu Dhabi. Prior to assuming the role of Coordinator, Sarah worked on creating curricular and environmental infrastructure to advocate for multilinguals. Sarah has previously designed English language programs in South Korea and taught racially and linguistically diverse students in South Carolina, USA. Sarah is particularly interested in the role of cultural variables while creating inclusive spaces in international schools. She hopes to continue her research regarding intercultural competence amongst White teachers within a global context

Dr Martha Ross is currently an Inclusion Coordinator at International School Carinthia, Austria. She recently decided to focus her career in the direction of student support after seven years in senior leadership. Martha is motivated towards the positive identification of all students in an international school setting and is focused on the school systems required to put this in place.

During her post graduate studies, Martha focused her research on Inclusion and Intercultural Competencies in four different international school settings. The study addressed teacher motivation levels when connecting with student’s identities and intercultural backgrounds. The data indicated that schools who were intentional in their international or global outlook were higher in intercultural competencies. Educators with exposure to diverse cultures were more likely to initiate connection with students and actively consider a student´s personal context. Whilst all 158 respondents indicated intercultural competence, they were less likely to recognize these connections as a teaching skill. Martha therefore believes in professional development opportunities for educators to promote Inclusion in all schools.

Martha has been the head of Primary School at ISZN, (International School Zurich North), Switzerland, and Amadeus International School, Vienna. She was Deputy Head at Vienna International School, Austria. During her time in Vienna, she volunteered on a UN project for Ethics Education in Primary Schools. Martha is an advocate for Values and Ethics education

Special Interest Group Chair

Chad Wood is the Primary Principal at Vienna International School in Vienna, Austria. Before his time as Principal, he started as a special education life skills and resource teacher in Indiana. He has experience developing inclusive special education programs, and designing inclusive spaces at international schools in Guangzhou, China, and Vienna. He is currently a PhD student at the University of San Diego, he has a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership, and a BSc in early-middle education, and K-12 special education. His areas of interest in research include: teacher agency, inclusion, and minorities in special education