The Power of Collaborative Partnerships in Learning and Development
Shanghai Singapore International School (SSIS), have experienced firsthand the transformative impact of a strong partnership with PD Academia, focused on strengthening bilingual and multilingual learning across their school community.
The collaboration has been focused on building internal capacity, confidence, and capabilities—empowering the school to drive meaningful change.
Rather than simply providing a training solution, PD Academia’s approach has been to work alongside SSIS leaders and educators, co-designing strategies that support multilingualism in every part of the school.
By building leadership capacity and equipping project champions with practical skills, SSIS have created an environment where multilingual learners are celebrated and supported, allowing them to flourish.
Key Elements of the Partnership
#1 Strategic Mapping for Change
We worked with SSIS to align their goals with actionable, strategic plans that connect their existing expertise to the changes they wanted to implement. This wasn’t just about knowing what to do—it was about setting clear, structured steps to bring those changes to life.
#2 Building Internal Capacity
PD Academia’s approach is not just to impart knowledge and leave. We foster the skills and confidence necessary for change makers to manage and sustain change on their own.
#3 Ongoing Evaluation for Continuous Improvement
A critical aspect of our partnership was starting to build in micro evaluation cycles into the change process. This allows SSIS to assess progress, adjust strategies, and ensure that changes can be sustained and refined over time.
#4 Continuous Collaboration
This partnership has been about more than just training—it’s enabled SSIS to lead the charge in developing and implementing their own solutions for multilingualism, that make the most sense in their context and for their community.
#5 Sustaining Change
Through targeted professional development, SSIS staff have gained the tools to embed bilingual and multilingual learning into their teaching practices and the wider school culture. Project champions have built their own skill sets in learning how to monitor and assess the change efforts against desired outcomes that faciliate the school’s strategic priorities.
Why This Matters
The gap in educational change often isn’t about the pedagogical or curricula content or expertise—it’s about the systems that support it.
By focusing on the processes of project management, implementation, and evaluation, we help schools like SSIS ensure that their change initiatives are not only impactful but also sustainable.
This collaboration has shown us that the key to lasting impact lies in empowering schools with the strategic tools, leadership capacity, and confidence to drive their own transformation. Through our partnership with SSIS, we’re proud to have helped create a framework for long-term success in multilingual learning—one that can be expanded and adapted across the entire school community.
Claire Peet
Contracted ACAMIS Leadership Facilitator and PD Coordinator
Managing Parner, PD Academia
claire@pdacademia.com
Want to bring this impact to your school? Get in touch to find out how!👇🏻