The United Nations International School: a model of diversity

UN Chronicle, Dec, 1991 by Elsa B. Endrst

On the edge of the East River, about a mile south of UN Headquarters in Manhattan, stands the United Nations International School (UNIS), a model of ethnic diversity and scholastic achievement.

Here, approximately 1,300 students of 117 nationalities are instructed by teachers from 45 countries. And, in the opinion of UNIS Director Joseph J. Blaney, the school is "authentically global in spirit, in curriculum, in mission and in its purpose".

About one half of the student body are sons and daughters of diplomats and UN staff members, while the remainder are from families of various backgrounds in the New York City area.

There are two campuses: the Manhattan school with classes from Kindergarten through the 12th grade; and a two-story school in a quiet suburban setting in Queens, with 186 students in Kindergarten to the sixth grade.

The UNIS curriculum is rich in literature, science, mathematics, world history, physical education, biology, chemistry and physics. Languages, not surprisingly, are particularly stressed. Ten are regularly offered--English, French, Arabic, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Spanish and Russian--and taught by native speakers.

But its curriculum is not as nationally oriented as some of the almost 400 other international schools around the world. "We try to use texts from as many countries as possible, especially in humanities. And the teachers bring with them pieces of their own culture, beyond their teaching abilities", says Mrs. Sylvia Fuhrman, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for UNIS.

Another important educational aspect is the International Baccalaureate (IB) degree that is offered. This rigorous pre-university programme for 11th- and 12th-grade students leads to a special international examination which fulfils the requirements of the many national education systems outside the United States. The IB, as it is called, is not based on the pattern of any single country.

First established in Geneva in 1965 under Swiss law, some 400 schools in 57 countries now offer this degree. UNIS in 1970 became the first school in North America to give IB exams.

Normally, at least 50 per cent of UNIS students opt for the programme and some 90 percent of those who do not follow it do take individual IB courses as part of their UNIS education.

A brief history

UNIS was founded in 1947 by a group of UN parents who were aware of a proposal by educators at New York and Columbia Universities for an international school in New York. It had a modest beginning as a nursery school for 20 children of 15 nationalities at the UN site in Lake Success.

In 1950, the school relocated to Parkway Village in Queens, where many UN staff members lived. That school is the predecessor of the Jamaica Estates UNIS of today, whose principal is Adina Vanderpuye of Ghana.

In 1955, UNIS opened a secondary school at what was then a public school on First Avenue in Manhattan. At the same time, a pilot elementary school branch was also opened.

In 1965, the Ford Foundation made an initial grant of $7.5 million, supplemented later by an additional $4 million, towards constructing a new building in New York City. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund also contributed significantly to the new building at its riverside site, off 25th Street.

Finally, in 1973 the building was completed and UNIS moved permanently to its East River location.

The "English as a Second Language (ESL)" programme is of particular importance at this unusual school, as example of how it effectively deals with its multi-lingual, multi-cultural aspects.

"We have students at every age level, from 5 to 16, who came to us with no knowledge of English," says Mrs. Fuhrman.

"With our very strong ESL programme, which I believe surpasses most other schools, our children learn English within six months of beginning."

In a period of two years, she continues, they even "speak New Yorkese. In most programmes, it takes six years to acquire the kind of language skills we provide in less than half the time. This is why people from other countries come to observe us."

Mrs. Fuhrman is quick to point out, however, that the school does not really encourage assimilation. "We encourage the students in their diversity because that is what makes the school so very special," she stresses. In other words, UNIS wants its young people to maintain their cultural heritage while living abroad.

Diverse, challenging

The UNIS brochure notes: "A child who enters UNIS at the age of five discovers an environment that is diverse and challenging, because of the opportunity to learn with friends from different places, with different backgrounds and cultures. UNIS teachers, who also come from many countries, understand and respect these differences."

At the Queens campus, special topics are integrated into a number of classroom curricula. A case in point: during the Gulf crisis, social studies teachers discussed the physical location and the history of the region, while other teachers dealt with the mathematics of rising and falling oil prices, or music, art and other cultural aspects.