As a global education network that has an active presence in 20 countries on five continents, SABIS^® values accountability and prides itself on helping all students, regardless of which SABIS^® Network school they attend, achieve their full potential. The main factor enabling the consistent delivery of a high-quality education is the SABIS^® Educational System™, which is constantly evolving in order to keep up with the demands of a changing world. To ensure that school directors and senior administrators in SABIS^® Network schools are informed about the latest the system has to offer, SABIS^® holds an annual, global Directors’ Meeting.

The 2017 SABIS^® Directors’ Meeting was held from July 3-8, 2017, in Athens, Greece, where close to 100 attendees, including SABIS^® school directors, senior SABIS^® personnel, and SABIS^® Board members, learned about new developments, networked, and prepared for the coming year.

Attendees at the meeting took part in presentations and participated in interactive sessions that reinforced an important theme: Accountability: The Key to a High Performance Culture.

In welcoming those in attendance, SABIS^® Co-Founder Leila Saad laid the foundation and focus for the meetings ahead. “Accountability starts with us, and our actions should be a model to emulate,” she said. “Set the bar high and let everyone see that the set target is achievable. Accountability and high expectations will bring out the best in people.”

SABIS^® President Carl Bistany echoed the co-founder’s sentiments in his keynote speech to kick off the meeting. "Accountability is inherent in our core values," he said, "and it drives us to achieve our core purpose. It is key to our success, and as school and SABIS^® leaders, you all hold the key. The key you hold is comprised of many different elements, all of which have to work together in order to create a high performance culture that unlocks the potential of our students.”

Plenary and regional breakout sessions followed over the course of four days and culminated in a three-hour, interactive training session conducted by Linda Galindo, accountability consultant, speaker, and author. Galindo gave SABIS^® and school leaders insight into how to use accountability to empower themselves “to speak the truth, to focus on what matters, and to achieve the results they agree to produce.”

Feedback from those in attendance at the meeting was overwhelmingly positive:

“The accountability theme was very appropriate and meaningful. As a result of the training, I have a set of tools that I am ready to use to make sure my team is working to its fullest potential.” – Jacobus Gericke, Director of SABIS^® SUN International School, Baku, Azerbaijan

“The choice of topics and flow of this year's meeting contributed to a very positive experience overall.” – Karen Reuter, Director of SABIS^® International Charter School, Springfield, Massachusetts

Attendees left the meeting prepared for the year ahead and with clear action plans to instill accountability in their schools.

For more information about SABIS^®, visit sabis.net.