The Power of Adult Systems: Building a High-Functioning IB School
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Over the past 25 years in education, like many of us, I have worn many different hats—teacher, coach, Student Council Advisor, High School Principal, Extended Essay Coordinator, Theory of Knowledge teacher, Department Chair, mentor, club advisor. In each of these roles, I found myself thinking about school systems, always with the mindset of students first, students first, students first. And that meant, literally do stuff directly for the students. But over the past five years, as I’ve worked with hundreds of educators and administrators around the world, my thinking has evolved. I still believe that a high-functioning school must serve students well. That has never nor will ever change. But what I’ve come to realize is that the shortest path to a truly exceptional student experience is through highly functioning adult systems. If the systems that govern how teachers, administrators, IB Coordinators, and Supervisors work together are clear, structured, and predictable, the result is a school that runs smoothly. And when the adults in the building operate within effective systems, students benefit immensely. This realization became clear to me through my work with Kurt Supplee, IB Coordinator and Assistant Principal at The International School Nido de Aguilas in Santiago, Chile. Together, we created systems to better manage the IB Core at our school. Looking back, I now see that while we were thinking about the students, what we were really doing was designing highly functioning adult systems. Better Management of the IB Core A major part of running a strong IB program is effectively managing the IB Core—Extended Essay, Creativity, Activity & Service, and Theory of Knowledge. But here’s what we discovered—and it’s just another way of thinking about it. Theory of Knowledge itself contains three separate tasks—teaching the Theory of Knowledge course content, teaching the Theory of Knowledge Essay, and teaching the Theory of Knowledge Exhibition. We call all five of them the “five tasks” that every IB Student has to complete:
Sure these are tasks the students must complete to get their IB Diploma, but they also are tasks and IB Coordinator must properly manage. That means an IB Coordinator is not just overseeing three major elements of the Core. They are managing five distinct tasks, each of which requires clarity, structure, and support. When these systems are in place for adults, the IB Core operates seamlessly, and students experience a cohesive, well-managed program. At Nido de Aguilas, we learned that when we created a structured system for managing the IB Core, everything became more predictable, efficient, and streamlined. This clarity didn’t just help coordinators—it reduced stress for students and made their IB experience more cohesive and supportive. Result: A better student system too. Running the Extended Essay Process One of the most complex processes in the IB Core is the Extended Essay. It’s a months-long journey that spans two academic years, involving students, Supervisors, Theory of Knowledge teachers, Extended Essay Coordinator, and the IB Coordinator. The Cohort Model is designed to bring structure to this process by uniting all faculty and students involved in the Extended Essay. The system defines a clear role for the IB Coordinator in overseeing the process, a structured role for TOK teachers in guiding research and reflection, and a defined role for supervisors in subject-specific guidance Instead of running the Extended Essay process in an ad-hoc, year-to-year manner, the Cohort Model aligns all adults in the building. When faculty have clarity, students have clarity. When faculty work within a structured system, students thrive within that system. At Nido, we implemented a structured, school-wide approach to managing the Extended Essay, and the difference was immediate. Supervisors, TOK teachers, and Coordinators were no longer operating in silos—everyone knew their role, which resulted in better student support, improved pacing, and a smoother overall process. Result: A better student system. Helping Extended Essay Supervisors Too often, educators assume that the success of an Extended Essay is determined by the final grade. But the real measure of success is whether every Supervisor in the school understands their role in the system. A strong Extended Essay Supervisor is not just someone who reads drafts and provides feedback. They are part of a larger system with clear responsibilities, including:
When every Supervisor understands these responsibilities and sees themselves as part of a larger, structured system, students consistently receive better support. One of the biggest shifts we saw at Nido was when we provided clear training and expectations for Supervisors. Instead of feeling like they were working in isolation, they became part of a structured, well-communicated system, which meant that students received more consistent guidance, better feedback, and ultimately, stronger essays. Result: A better student system too. Why Adult Systems Create Better Student Systems This has been a transformational realization for me. If we want to serve students well, the most effective thing we can do as educators and school leaders is to create highly functioning adult systems. A great school experience for students doesn’t happen by accident—it happens when teachers, administrators, coordinators, and supervisors operate within predictable, well-designed systems. When adult systems are strong, student systems follow. When student systems are strong, the entire school community benefits. And that’s how we build schools where students don’t just succeed—they thrive.
So, think about the adult systems at your school. Would improving them create a better student experience? The answer for me at this point in my career, is yes. Always. See you next week. Whenever you are ready, here are 4 ways I can help: IB Core Workshops - Join my colleague Kurt Supplee and me for four different IB Core Workshops designed for IB Coordinators, EE Coordinators, TOK Teachers, and Extended Essay Supervisors. Our upcoming workshops include The Cohort Model for the Extended Essay, Strategically Managing the IB Core, and our most popular workshop, Effectively Supervising Any Extended Essay. Custom IB Faculty Training - Reach out and let me know how we can help work together to build a more robust and well-structured IB Programme at your school. We’ve worked with teachers and coordinators from hundreds of schools around the world. IB Economics Online Courses: Join 25,000+ students and teachers who have purchased these online Economics courses: Introduction to Economics, Microeconomics, Market Power, Macroeconomics, and The Global Economy. IB Economics Teacher Workshops - Join me for both my live and on-demand teacher workshops which cover all aspects of the IB Economics curriculum including the Internal Assessment, Extended Essay, Understanding IB Assessments, and content-based courses on Teaching Macroeconomics, Market Power, and The Global Economy. |