思想的力量, 理想的光芒。京领全球领军校长系列，旨在全球范围内挖掘领军校长，用领军校长的思想力量引领行业发展，用领军校长的理想信念点燃奋斗激情，培养更多拔尖创新人才，用教育改变世界，用人才创造未来！促进社会进步，推动人类发展！年华易逝，但思想不灭；世事变迁，但理想永存。

The Power of Thought, the Light of Ideals. The "KingLead Global Leading Principals" series aims to discover leading principals worldwide. Lead the development of the industry with the ideological power of leading principals. Ignite the passion with the belief of leading principals and cultivating more innovative talents. Promote social progress and promote human development! 

Time flies, but human thoughts are immortal. Things change, but ideals remain forever.

本文为北京市京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic的领军校长专访。

Following is an exclusive interview with Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic，Head of school at WAB. 

北京京西学校创办于1994年，是北京首批批准设立的外籍人员子女学校，学校坐落于北京朝阳区来广营。经过多年发展，学校始终坚持并保持着育人为本的教学理念和温馨关爱的人文环境。凭借先进的国际化教学授课模式和手段，时刻贯彻全员终身学习的教育使命，励精图治，砥砺前行，现已发展为拥有来自52个国家和地区约1400名学生的外籍人员子女学校。

北京京西学校是一所全IB学校，教学课程分别采用国际文凭（IB）组织的小学、中学和高中阶段的教学大纲，不仅是北京领先的IB世界学校，而且已成为全球7所IB首选培训学校之一，是IB学校中的典范。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：我最初并不是在国际教育领域工作的。我一开始在本国的教育领域工作，是一名大学教授，但后来由于我丈夫的工作，我们一家需要在世界各地生活，所以我的孩子开始上国际学校。

接着，我发现了国际学校在助益孩子教育方面具有巨大潜力。我希望用我在教育方面的专业知识为国际教育领域做出贡献。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：我认为每一种教育都应该是国际化的教育。国际教育的美妙之处在于，当真的把国际化教育做好的时候，这种教育能关注每个孩子的整个身心发展。它不仅仅关注孩子某项潜能的发展，而是关注孩子学业、运动和艺术，乃至社会情感等方面的发展。

国际教育试图在学校里不把各科目分开来教。我认为国际化的教育不仅能够让孩子意识到世界上的一切都是相互联系的，还能够在教育的过程中，让孩子们知道他们所做的一切都在影响着他们自己、社会以及这个世界。

此外，当国际教育试图教育学生某一概念或者话题时，会将他们置于世界背景中。因为我们的孩子在未来将会进入这个广阔的世界，去生活，所以，对他们来说，如果他们了解并掌握了世界如何运作的知识，了解在大环境下发生过的，正在发生的以及将来可能发生的事情，那么他们就能够为在未来世界里更好地生活做足准备。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：正如我在上一个问题中提到的，我的理念是全面教育。此外，要知道世界上没有任何一所学校能教给孩子们该教的一切。

教育，最重要的是帮助学生发现自己是学习者，并帮助他们学会如何学习。这样，无论他们在校外或是校内，他们都有对学习的渴望和热诚。我的教育理念是全面教育，以及关注孩子作为学习者时如何理解他们自己。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：我认为京西学校自27年前成立以来并没有太大的变化。现在，全面教育可能不算是一个新的理念，然而，当WAB在1994年成立的时候，我们设定的目标就是成为一所以学习者为中心的兼具多元化和包容性，并且能够不断创新，做不同的事情的学校。WAB并没有改变其核心教育理念或核心价值观。在过去的15年里，京西一直秉承着“融合、激励、挑战、贡献”的宗旨。

我认为京西的所有变化都是渐进式的。我们一直坚持我们的核心价值观，这是我们学校的一大优势。我们知道我们是谁，我们知道我们想要实现什么。我们周围的世界正在不断改变。在某种程度上，我们改变的是我们做事的方式，从而在这个不断变化的世界里始终忠于自己。对于我们来说，这是一个循序渐进的变化，我们不断关注世界上正在发生的事情，以及我们的学生需要什么才能在世界上取得成功。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：让我印象深刻、感触最深的是自疫情以来，我们的学校及社区始终是顽强的，并且依旧保持创新和发展，在疫情阶段依然愉悦。我们每个人在这里的目的都是为了学生以及他们的学习。所以我认为，在疫情时期持续发展而不停滞是一个巨大的成功。

除此之外，我们也取得了一些额外收获。例如，我们连续两年被评为中国最具创新力的学校。我们组织了两次国际学校领导和老师的大型国际会议，我们的学生在其中发挥了很大的作用。

我认为下一个战略计划的制订也是我们最大的成就之一，它为学校接下来在可持续发展方面做出了明确的指引。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：首先，是在学校中树立正确的精神。值得庆幸的是，京西从创立之初就拥有创新这一文化。在创新方面，对学校来说非常重要的是要有合适的资源，例如财政资源，但更重要的是要有合适的人。所以京西非常注重聘请教育领域最优秀的人才。

不仅是教师，学校其他职能部门的员工也应该具有创新精神，应该经常思考如何以不同的方式做事，思考如何跟上世界及该领域的最前沿发展。

我们的招聘过程非常严格。我们聘用那些相信京西并将为京西的使命做出贡献的人。一旦我们把这些人招入学校，我们就会不断地为他们提供职业发展的机会。我们的老师是终身学习者。

与此同时，京西的文化是允许尝试新事物。最好的创新发生在多次失败之后。所以如果你尝试新事物，并不是每件事都能成功，但我们会从失败中吸取教训。如果我们从不尝试新事物，这对学生来说是非常不利的。我们都是非常负责任的教育者，但还需要突破一点边界，然后从错误中吸取教训。

我们营造这样的氛围，是为了让我们的老师从教育科技到校园环境都能得到良好的资源支持。支持他们自由去尝试新事物，去学习，永远做最好的自己。我们的员工是我们最大的资源。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：我认为这是因为我们在继续我们迄今为止所做的工作。我们继续专注于学生的全面教育，我们必须在已经选择的领域继续创新。但与此同时，要非常关注校园之外的世界正在发生的事情，这样我们就可以根据学生在世界上取得成功所需要的素质和能力而随时调整。在京西，我们说创新不仅仅是在学校里有计算机或者机器人项目。所有这些都很重要，但最重要的是不断改进，不断尝试把事情做得更好。我们必须继续努力，尽可能做到最好。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：首先，京西学校拥有数百个不同的学生社团，其中大多数是由学生自己选择或建立起来的，然后由教师提供支持。通过这种方式，我们允许学生在他们感兴趣的领域发展。我们将继续支持这些社团，并通过社团活动来培养学生。

我们也在考虑如何加强教授每一门科目，从语言，到计算机科学，到设计，到数学。我们也一直关注其他学校的动态，企业里的变化，以及我们需要做什么来让我们的学生为未来做好准备。

所以，永远不要认为我们现在所做的就是我们明天也应该做的。我们也经常重新反馈，审核我们的课程：我们教了什么？我们应该做些改变吗？另一件我们非常密切关注的事情，不仅是企业在寻找什么样的人才，而且大学更希望录取什么的学生，这样我们就可以为学生申请他们所选择的大学做更充足的准备。

你问我们怎么知道我们做得很好? 京西学校是由几个国际组织认可及授权的。他们每隔3到5年定期来评估学校，与我们进行沟通，并询问下一步发展计划。我必须说，每次他们来的时候，都会给我们一些建议，但与此同时，我们也因为我们开展的工作得到了很多赞扬。

再次强调，充分利用我们拥有的每一种资源并努力做得更好，这就是我们一贯行为准则。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：就我们已经开始的新项目来说，我们正在发展进一步的设计和科技项目。例如，我们在小学就将设计作为一门学科，这样学生们就能在很小的时候习惯这种设计思维。

我们的机器人项目发展得很好。我们有一个大而美丽的校园，我们比以前更多地利用户外空间来学习。我们继续在空间使用方面进行创新。目前已经完全重新设计了学校的科学和艺术教学楼，当然还有化学、生物、物理，以及电影、戏剧和戏剧空间。

另外，我们最新的关注重点还有环境保护的可持续性。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：正如我之前所说的，领导方式很重要， 大家各司其职做好自己的板块。拥有真正优秀的团队，可以发展我刚才提到的所有工作的各个方面。有些人热衷于可持续发展，有些人热衷于技术，等等。给员工足够的空间，让他们了解该领域并不断进步，同时也发展成为能够领导他人的领导者。一个人绝对不能做所有的事情。我们拥有非常非常强大的团队，团队了解我们学校的现状和我们想要达到的目标。

我们也会深入家长的社区，诚邀家长们用他们的专业知识为学校的发展添砖加瓦。例如，我们有很多家长在帮助学校发展可持续发展项目。充分发掘，利用学校的潜能和人才，比如我们的学生，对学校来说是巨大的资源。我必须说，每次我们给学生空间和机会，让他们发挥领导才能，组织不同类型的活动的时候，都会为年轻人所能做的事情所折服。

北京京西学校校长Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic：总得来说，我认为在我们谈话的一开始，我就说过学校不是在真空中运作的。要做一所好学校，就要嵌入到所在国家的大背景中去，融入到整个世界的微观大背景中，融入到世界的宏观大背景中。国际学校在中国乃至全世界的发展，一定程度上将取决于国际学校以外世界的发展变化。但我认为，国际学校在能为学生提供什么方面有非常好的价值观。

如果学校能很好地沟通传递这一关键，我相信世界，大学以及工作的不断发展变化将越来越清晰地表明，作为终身学习者成长起来的学生是最具竞争力的。

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB： I didn't start working in the field of international education. I started working in the field of national education. I was a university professor in the field of education, but then due to my husband's work, our family started living all over the world, and my children started attending international schools.

Then I discovered the great potential of international schools in terms of what good they can bring to children's education. And I just wanted to contribute with my expertise in education also to the field of international education.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB：I believe that every type of education should be international education. The beauty of international education, when it's done well, is that it focuses on the whole child. It doesn't focus only on developing certain aspects of the child's potential, it focuses on the academic, athletic, and artistic development, and the social-emotional development of the child. 

International education tries not to teach the subjects at school as separate silos. Everything in the world is interconnected and I think international education takes the opportunity to show children that everything they do has influences on themselves, but also the world, beyond them.

Also, when international education tries to present certain topics, then it tries to contextualize them in the world. Our children will be the ones who will be going into this big, vast world. So, for them, if they are equipped with the knowledge of how the world works, why some things happened in the past, why they are happening today, and what might be happening tomorrow, then they will be better equipped to do very well in that world.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB：As I mentioned in the previous question, it is holistic education. Also, what's important to know is that no school in the world can teach children everything that can be taught.

What is important is to help students discover themselves as learners and help them learn how to learn. So that once they leave school, and even while they are at school, they have this desire and eagerness to learn outside of the school. Holistic education and education that focus on children understanding themselves as learners - that's my educational philosophy.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB： I would say that not a lot has changed for WAB since the school was established 27 years ago. Now, when you talk about holistic education it’s maybe not such a new idea. However, when WAB was established in 1994, our goal was to be a learner-centered diverse and inclusive school that wanted to innovate all the time and do things differently. WAB hasn't changed its core educational philosophy or its core values. The mission of WAB is connect, inspire, challenge, make a difference, and this has been with WAB for the past 15 years.

I think all the changes at WAB have been just gradual changes. We have kept true to our core values, and that's a big strength of WAB. We know who we are and we know what we want to achieve. The only thing is that the world around us is changing. So in a way, what we have changed is how we do things so that we have stayed true to who we are in this changing world. For WAB, this has been a gradual change, constantly looking at what's happening in the world and what our students need to be successful in the world.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB： First, is having the right spirit in the school. WAB is lucky to have had that culture of innovation embedded from its very beginning. Then what's super important for the school in terms of innovation is also to have the right resources, the financial resources, but even more so to have the right people. So WAB is very much focused on really hiring the best people in the field.

Not only teachers, but also people who work in other school functions should be innovative and always thinking how to do things in a different way. Thinking of how to follow the best developments in the world and their areas.

We are very rigorous in our hiring process. We hire people who do believe in WAB and contribute to WAB’s mission. Once we get those people to WAB, we then continuously give them opportunities for professional development. Our teachers are lifelong learners.

At the same time, the culture of our school is allowing people to try new things. You know the best innovation happens after a lot of failures. So if you try new things, not everything will work, but then we learn from what has not worked. If we never try new things that will be very bad for the students. We are all very responsible educators, but you need to push the boundaries a little and then learn from the mistakes.

Creating that atmosphere so that our teachers are supported with good resources from educational technology to a beautiful campus. We give them the freedom to try new things, to learn, and to always try to be the best of themselves. I think our people are our greatest resource.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB： I would say that over the last few years where we have innovated the most is really on personalizing student learning. Allowing every student to have different choices in their learning and to also help them and allow them to shape their learning.

For example, every day, we have a 45-minute block which is called flex time where students can do different things. And a lot of that time is also very much devoted to mentor time. Each teacher is a mentor to about ten students and then that teacher is following the students and discussing things with students both as a group and one-to-one in terms of how they feel at school, how they are progressing as academically, how their social interactions are, and so on.

So that's one aspect of giving students time to personalize their education and having adults who can support that personalization.

Then every Day-9 in our school is the so-called un-scheduled day when all students in middle school and high school can choose what they will do. For example, teachers are offering different types of workshops and offering the possibility for students to do some extra studies, to do some extra sports, or catch up with some science projects that they are working on. Also, during Day-9, teachers get together and do a lot of interdisciplinary units. We have fantastic units that are happening across different subjects, such as design, mathematics, science, and so on, but students can choose and not everyone does the same thing. This is a type of personalization that we give to students.

Then in terms of spaces, we've changed a lot of spaces in our school. If you walk into our campus, there is nothing like a traditional classroom, a lot of our classrooms and the whole campus look more like a living room. Our students when they come to school, they don't want to leave and go back home. All the classrooms look very inviting, there are larger spaces, and differentiated space, and the key thing in that differentiation is that they are flexible. In between classrooms, we have doors that can open and close, then we can create larger classrooms. Meanwhile, we also have very small classrooms or spaces, specifically designed for smaller group work or individual work.

We've done a lot to differentiate the spaces. Students can sit on bean bags, they can work on high tables and regular table allowing students to choose how they work, in which position they work, and also who they work with.

For example, in our mathematics classes in middle school, the students can decide whether to work with one teacher or a different teacher, whether to work with their peers, or whether to work individually. All of that means a lot of freedom and choices for students. At the same time, we are very focused on observing and following what the students are learning, so that we can also support the students and help them shape their journey and learning. 

We are also empowering students to become leaders. There have been a lot of opportunities for students to lead different student clubs, and to present at different conferences such as leadership conferences, teacher conferences, and national and international conferences.

At WAB, the students have also taken a lot of responsibilities in developing our strategy for the school, working with the teachers, with other students, and with the board of trustees. I would say student leadership is maybe the third big innovation that we've done.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB： I would say, again, it's people. You can't do anything without people.

I'm thinking everyone who works in the school, we need the best people who will keep the fun, beautiful campus functioning, and keep it inviting for learning - from the architects designing the campus to people who are keeping it clean. We need the best educational technology, and we need people who are willing to learn again and try new things. 

School leadership is very important too. Leaders are there to also continuously look at what's happening outside of the school, what's happening in the world, and what's happening in the world of international education and education. In general, you can't led the school without the right people. What's important for school success and what's needed for innovation is distributed leadership so that everyone feels that they can contribute their voice in developing and leading the school.

WAB has also done a lot of work in developing the leadership capacity, not only in our students, but also in our teachers, and really to be that inclusive school where everyone feels they can contribute with their ideas.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB：We are hearing nowadays a lot of teachers are leaving China because of Covid and I think we still have a lot of excellent new hires for our school. I think our biggest competitive advantage will be the quality of our teachers. 

I think the other big advantage for us will be that we are still a very diverse school and a very inclusive school. We are the school that is attracting diversity by having true international education and by really trying to expose our students to everything that is happening in the world and help them develop these good perspectives and the opportunities to learn and to develop as learners.

I think we talk a lot in the news stories from our school about these aspects. How we can attract the right type of educators, innovative educators, and attract innovative families who do believe that education today cannot look like the education when they went to school.

I would say our whole community, our teachers, our students, and our parents, are the greatest competitive advantage of WAB. We are a nonprofit school and I think that is very important, which means that everything including all the resources that we get from tuition and so on will be invested in the education of our students. We constantly think about what else can we do to make education better.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB： I think it’s because we continue what we've been doing so far. We continue focusing on holistic education, we have to continue to innovate in the areas that we have already chosen. But at the same time be super focused on what is happening in the world outside of WAB, so that we can always adjust to what our students need to be successful in the world. At WAB, we say innovation is not only about having computers at schools or having a robotics program. All of that is important, but what is most important is continuously improving things, continuously trying to do things better. We just have to continue to strive to be the best possible.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB： First of all, I think what WAB has is several hundred different student clubs, most of those clubs have been chosen by students or established by students and then supported by adults. And through this, we are allowing students to develop in the areas they are passionate. We will continue having those clubs and developing students through them. 

We are also then looking at how to enhance every subject that we teach from languages, to computer science, to design, to mathematics. We always look at what are other schools doing, what is happening in companies, and what we need to do to prepare our students for that world.

So again, never thinking that what we are doing now is what we should do tomorrow. We constantly also review our curriculum; what we are teaching? and should we make some changes? Another thing we are looking very closely at is not only what companies are looking for, but also what universities are looking for so that we can prepare students well to apply to their chosen universities after WAB. 

You asked how do we know that we are doing things well? WAB is accredited or authorized by several international organizations. They come on a in regular intervals every 3 to 5 years to evaluate what the school is doing, to have a dialogue with us, and to ask about what needs to happen next. I must say whenever they come, they give us some suggestions, but at the same time, we get a lot of praise for what we have been doing.

So again, utilizing every resource that we have and trying to be better, that's how we are approaching the results at WAB.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB： For the newer things that we've started, we are developing further design and technology programs. For example, we introduced to design as a subject in elementary school already so that students are getting used to that design type of thinking at an early age.

Our robotics program is developing nicely. We have a big and beautiful campus and we are using the outdoors even more for learning than before. We continue to innovate in terms of spaces. We have completely redesigned the Science and Art spaces in the school, then spaces for Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and also Film, Drama, and Theatre.

In addition, the latest thing is our focus on environmental sustainability.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB： Again, as I said before, distributed leadership. Having really good teams who can develop certain aspects of all the work that I've spoken about. Some people are passionate about sustainability, some people are passionate about technology, and so on. Really giving people space so that they can learn about all of it and develop, and also develop as leaders to be able to lead the others. One person definitely cannot do everything. Having, very, very strong teams, teams who understand where we are as a school and where we want to go.

We are also tapping a lot into our parents' community to see how they with their expertise can contribute to the development of the school. For example, we have a lot of parents who are working in the areas that can help the school develop our sustainability program. Harnessing the potential and talent within the school, like our students is an enormous resource for the school. I must say every time where we have given space and the opportunity for students to develop as leaders and to lead different types of initiatives, we were always impressed with what our young people can do.

Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School at WAB： In general, I think it was towards the very beginning of our conversation where I said that schools do not operate in a vacuum. To be a good school, you have to be embedded in the context of the country, the micro context and macro context of the whole world. The development of international schools in China, but also in the world will partly depend on the developments that will be happening outside of international schools. But I think that the international schools have a great value proposition in terms of what they can offer to the students.

I hope that if schools communicate that well, I'm sure that developments in the world, in the universities and the work will show more and more that the students who are developed as lifelong learners are the ones who are the most competitive.