We interviewed education thought leader Malcolm McKenzie about his experience setting up Keystone Academy, an international school in Beijing. Malcolm has been Principal of three schools — Maru-a-Pula School in Botswana, The United World College of the Atlantic in Wales, and The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. We asked him about what kinds of insights he’s learned, why he’s excited about being part of China’s educational landscape, and what’s changing in education right now.
About Malcolm McKenzie:
Malcolm Mckenzie grew up in South Africa, and studied at the Universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Lancaster. He has degrees in Literature, Philosophy and Applied Linguistics. He was also the first Bicentennial Fellow at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. Mr. McKenzie started his academic career as a university lecturer, but moved into school teaching, and school leading, nearly 30 years ago. He has been Principal of three schools, Maru-a-Pula School in Botswana, The United World College of the Atlantic in Wales, and The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, U.S. Mr. McKenzie has also served on the Board of the Round Square Association, which numbers approximately 100 schools worldwide. He was a co-founder of the Global Connections Foundation in 1997 and is now Director of this confederation of schools. Although he is a hands-on school leader, who loves spending time with students, Mr. McKenzie still writes extensively on education.
**NB** Throughout this conversation, Malcolm refers to the IB middle years program and the IB Diploma Programme. It’s important to note that Keystone Academy, as an IB candidate school, is still in the process of gaining authorization from the IB for these programs.
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