Interview with Alexandra Burchard von Kalnein, former president of CAPEEA

1. As a former CAPEEA president, could you tell us what was the importance of CAPEEA for you and what is the importance of CAPEEA for us parents? Why should we follow CAPEEA?

CAPEEA has been created from parents and for parents in 2016 with the goal to reunite the parent representatives of all accredited schools. Unlike our “sister” association InterParents there was no formal instruction from Brussels to do so nor was it part of the “convention” that guides the cooperation between traditional European schools and the relevant bodies. This history shows the strong will and motivation from parents to cooperate among each other as well as to represent the voice of all parents for the benefit of our students. My first encounter with CAPEEA was in 2020 as parent rep of the European School Rhein Main and member of the CAPEEA board  during the first COVID lock down. It was apparent that a network of parents across Europe needs to facilitate physical meetings and a lot of communication to perform, which was difficult during the COVID time. We managed to speak to each other through virtual means, regardless, but there has not been any annual AES conference until 2024, 4 years later! Despite the absence of physical encounters, the spirit remained and the exchange between the most engaged schools was intact. It was difficult to bring more schools on board though and that effort only started after COVID. 

It was with immense pleasure and pride that I accepted the CAPEEA board presidency election in 2023 and I could head the effort for the past 2 years. The most important goals were to extend our network to at least 15-20 accredited schools and therefore bringing more parents on board, to increase our presence and voice within the European School system (Joint Teaching committee, working groups) and to harmonise our efforts with Interparents, strong representative of the 13 traditional schools. 

Within my “own” school the knowledge through CAPEEA of other schools practices, developments, positive experiences was a great add on as we could learn from others and also exchange best practices among parents. I would wish for future CAPEEA members to exchange as much as possible within their home schools about what is happening at European level. Because accredited European schools are considered “national” schools and are managed locally, applying the European School curriculum and delivering the BAC exam there are many differences in the day-to-day business. But schools can learn from each other and exchanges in various fields (sports, music, science etc) beyond the official exchange in S5 can be enriching for students and parents alike.  

2. Yours kid’s journey in the AES System came to an end. Can you say the same for yourself?

It is with a sad and a happy eye that both of my boy’s journey at the ESRM has come to an end. It has probably been the most intense education experience for us parents as any future studies of our children will not involve parents anymore. It has been a rewarding experience and one that has probably shaped our family in many positive ways as we have experienced 4 different school systems for our children ( German, US, UK and International School). I am a strong believer in lifelong relationships specifically for this generation that seems to have more trouble being lonely and is too much exposed to social media making “real life relations” even more challenging. Which is why I would like to engage myself into our school’s Alumni initiative as well as the CAPEEA alumni activities wherever I am needed. 

3. Based on your experience, what are the major pros and cons of the AES System? 

The biggest Pro is the European curriculum that combines a very good mix of language skills with science and social skills while respecting European values. Also the focus on inclusion and well-being is rare in today’s world but pivotal in educational matters. While using modern AI skills in the classroom and learning latest technology in a safe space. The regular updates by the central office in the curriculum depending on what knowledge/skills are needed in the work place is a big plus of the European system compared to many national systems. The  con of the AES system is the “grey zone” it is operating as it relies on the national educational authorities as well as the European pedagogical guidelines. Which makes it sometimes very challenging for schools to perform the BAC. The lack of harmonisation can lead to differences in teaching quality specifically in lower classes. Having said that a number of changes have been implemented and the AES have proved very resilient in adapting to new paradigms. 

4. Could you say that AES paved the way for your kid to get into university or it is something that would happen either way? 

The ESRM/AES has clearly paved the way for our children to get into European universities, outside of Germany. I am confident that they would have been accepted in German universities as well but that was not their first choice. It was very reassuring to see the high acceptance level of the European BAC by all universities we have applied. 

5. Do universities around Europe take under consideration the reputation of the school from which the student has graduated ? 

No, my understanding is that they look at the BAC grades only and assume that these have equal value regardless of the school in which the student has delivered the results. 

6. How does your kid feel about AES? Was it a positive experience overall?

It clearly was a positive experience as both boys have found a solid and stable group of friends that conquer Europe together going forward. Obviously some subjects during school time were more difficult and challenging than others; but the quality of teachers was high and the overall experience has been very positive 

Below you can watch Alexandra’s past message to CAPEEA members in her capacity as president of CAPEEA: