BESPOKE IN-PERSON AND ONLINE COURSES: 2026-2027 now available!
We define Middle Leaders as teachers and coordinators in schools (Preschool-Grade 12) who have a specific area of responsibility that involves leading and collaborating with teams. Middle Leaders are the change agents of a school; they work with teachers to ensure great learning happens.
Effective professional learning builds on the competencies of Middle Leaders to support their roles and responsibilities within the context of their schools. These programmes are sustained and multidimensional to meet the array of needs of a Middle Leader. ECIS proudly provides a variety of courses designed to enhance the leadership abilities of Middle Leaders.
The objectives are to:
Provide differentiated approaches to meet the needs of middle leaders within our international school community to positively impact student learning and teacher practice
Create a culture of learning which promotes peer collaboration and connection, to elevate pedagogies that positively impact student learning and teacher practice
Establish a platform for continuous professional learning, avoiding the typical “one size fits all” approach
Highlight ongoing research that expands Middle Leaders’ understanding of effective leadership practices and team effectiveness
Elevate mentoring possibilities to empower Middle Leaders to make sustained and transformative changes within their schools
Upon successful completion of each course, participants earn a Middle Leader Certificate. Once FOUR individual certificates have been completed across any combination of course offerings, the participant qualifies for the ECIS Middle Leader Award, a recognition of sustained professional learning and leadership development.
These sessions are aimed at building the capacity of middle leaders and supporting a sustainable, ongoing professional learning journey. Additional development opportunities include access to a dedicated Middle Leader LinkedIn group, Middle Leader Cafés for informal dialogue, and a structured mentoring platform for ECIS member schools and affiliations.
AN EXCEPTIONAL OFFER FOR OUR ECIS MEMBER SCHOOLS
Make an impact, build capacity, and increase retention by signing up your Middle Leader team to our top-rated Middle Leadership Certificate. If you want to hit the ground running, check out our fantastic new special offer for schools.
10 CERTIFICATE PLACES: £9,750
05 CERTIFICATE PLACES: £4,875
Learn more about each course below. For further details, please contact nancy@ecis.org.
Plus: A Course With Distinction
Cost Per Online Course
Non-ECIS Members £390
ECIS Level 1 Membership £351
ECIS Level 2 Membership £331.50
ECIS Level 3 Membership £312
ECIS proudly introduces the Middle Leader Certificate of Distinction, an advanced certification created in response to feedback from Middle Leaders eager to continue their learning journey and gain additional insights as leaders in their schools. This advanced certificate builds on the foundational ECIS Middle Leader Certificate, requiring participants to complete an additional three MLC courses, for a total of seven. Importantly, educators who have already completed more than four courses towards the ECIS Middle Leader Certificate will have those courses counted towards this new distinction. Enroll now to advance your leadership skills and make a lasting impact on your educational community.
Nancy Lhoest-Squicciarini
Teresa Belisle
Keryn Dowling
John Mikton
Helen Morgan
Jimena Zalba
Yasmine Aslam-Hashmi
Michael Neumann
Nancy Lhoest-Squicciarini
Nancy Lhoest-Squicciarini is the Head of Middle Leadership, hosts the #ISLECISLoft, and facilitates the Middle Leader Cafés. With over 35 years of experience in international education, her previous roles have included Head of Community Relations, Assistant Principal, and Director of Teaching and Learning.
As a skilled facilitator, she has spent over a decade as a trainer for the Principals’ Training Center, was a trainer for the Council of International Schools Evaluator Course and is a member of the International Association of Facilitators. Nancy is a passionate advocate for women in education, serving as a Trustee and Global Strategic Leader for @WomenEd and co-leading @WomenEdLuxembourg. In both 2022 and 2024, ISC Research named her an #Edruptor for her influential social media presence in the international school community.
Teresa Belisle
An energetic, tenacious, strategic and evidence-driven change agent, leader and challenge seeker, Teresa Belisle is passionately curious about learning, creating cultures of possibility, and having a positive impact.
Through her career, Teresa is grateful to have taught, facilitated and led educators from early childhood through adult levels in France, the United States, Mexico, Egypt, Thailand, the Czech Republic, and online. Her experience has been in public and private school sectors, both nationally and internationally, as well as with not-for-profit and non governmental and accrediting organisations.
After 11 years at the International School of Prague and 38 years as an educator, Teresa is taking a year to rethink and reconsider how best to live, learn, and lead in today’s world as she re-envisions and refocuses the final chapter of her career.
Keryn Dowling
Keryn Dowling is a dynamic and accomplished international school leader with over 25 years of se: experience in teaching and leadership across diverse international schools. Currently a senior leader with Dipont Education in China, she believes in being an instructional leader first, championing inclusive, high-achieving learning environments that empower both students and educators.
An experienced ECIS consultant as well as IBEN PYP & MYP workshop leader, Keryn brings deep expertise in Adaptive Schools and Cognitive Coaching. Keryn leads impactful professional learning experiences, equipping educators with practical strategies they can implement immediately. Passionate about driving meaningful change, Keryn is committed to shaping thoughtful, future-focused learning environments that support every learner’s success.
John Mikton
John Mikton has three decades of experience in education and media technology, and currently serves as Digital Learning Facilitator at the International School of Geneva – La Châtaigneraie. With a career spanning leadership roles such as IT Director, Director of eLearning, Head of Education and Media Technology, and Deputy Principal, he has worked in international schools across Africa, Asia, and Europe, always with a focus on integrating digital fluency into meaningful teaching and learning practices.
John is an experienced facilitator, coach, and course designer currently serving as a Course Facilitator with the ECIS Middle Leader Certificate Programme, supporting aspiring middle leaders to develop essential leadership competencies in AI and digital literacy. He works as a coach and mentor with school leaders, and is a trainer at the Principal Training Center, guiding schools in strengthening digital strategy and leadership.
Helen Morgan is Head of Leadership Development and Learning at ECIS. In her role, she collaborates with schools, groups and organisations to design and deliver impactful training, coaching and consultancy. She has a track record of building strong relationships with some of the most innovative and influential international schools in the world.
Prior to her role at ECIS, Helen worked extensively as an independent Educational Consultant with a range of international schools and organisations. These include Cambridge International where she was a Lead Training Consultant, and High Performance Learning where she successfully set up the Fellowship of World Class Schools.
Helen is also an accredited Senior Practitioner Coach with the European Coaching and Mentoring Council, empowering executive leaders to drive improvement. She has a master’s degree in education and holds the National Professional Qualification for Headship.
Jimena Zalba
Jimena Zalba is an experienced and accomplished educational leader with over 19 years serving international schools in the Czech Republic, Romania and Cambodia as a PYP coordinator, Associate Elementary Principal and Elementary Principal. During her tenure as a school leader, Jimena has, in close collaboration with other educators, led the design and implementation of innovative school improvements with a high impact on student learning. When teachers and colleagues describe Jimena, they use words such as ‘caring’, ‘change agent’ and ‘systems thinker’. Jimena leverages these qualities to build and sustain thriving school cultures with a relentless commitment to learning and wellbeing for all. In addition to being a transformational and constructivist leader, Jimena is a passionate and avid learner. She holds a Masters in Education, a Post-Master’s in Educational Leadership and a Doctorate in Education (EdD) in July 2021. Her EdD research focused on developing the professional capacity of educators in international schools.
Yasmine Aslam-Hashmi
Yasmine Aslam – Hashmi is an international school educator with over 18 years of experience. She has taught in Canada, South Korea, Vietnam and Switzerland where she currently resides. She has taken on multiple roles within schools as an educator, department head, curriculum developer, instructional coach, and academic and action researcher.
Yasmine holds specialists in creating equitable and inclusive schools, special education and teaching English acquisition to multilingual learners. She has taught middle school Mathematics and Science, Secondary Learning Support and English Acquisition, in addition to IBDP Theory of Knowledge. She is currently a Secondary Mathematics Teacher at the Inter-Community School Zurich, Switzerland.
Yasmine is an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion both within education and the greater community. A trained United Nations (UN) Human Rights Defender, she was an invited speaker to the UN Human Rights Council with a focus on injustices within indigenous communities, and race in Switzerland. She worked with UNICEF on the Goal Area 2: Every Child Learns – Global Annual Results Report. She was the co-chair with International Schools Services (ISS) Diversity Collaborative – Data Committee. Currently, Yasmine is one of the co-facilitators for the ECIS DEIJ Leadership Development Cohort.
Michael Neumann
Michael Neumann is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Coordinator at St. George’s International School in Luxembourg and a co-facilitator of the ECIS DEIJ Leadership Development Cohort. He has worked across primary and secondary settings in roles including homeroom teacher, IT specialist, curriculum coordinator, and assistant principal. His work focuses on supporting inclusive school cultures, developing staff capacity, and integrating equity and belonging into everyday practice.
Michael is particularly interested in using qualitative and narrative approaches to explore school culture, identity, and systems. His practice is grounded in inquiry and shaped by a commitment to collaborative, sustainable change. He works to support schools in moving from individual efforts toward structures that foster belonging more broadly.
A commitment to continuous learning
Middle Leader Cafe
Based on the needs of Middle Leaders
Encourages collaboration with international colleagues to develop a network of Middle Leaders
Relevant to the roles and responsibilities of Middle Leaders
Applicable to impact teacher practice and student learning
Sustained overtime recognising that significant shifts in practice take considerable time and work
Check our events page for the next Middle Leader Café, we’d love to see you there!