History and Mission
SHARE Education Services grew out of the expressed needs of families living overseas
After Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union became open to expatriates in the early 1990s, families began moving into these countries. However, life was difficult and there were few support services; so many families returned home, frustrated and disillusioned.
A group of international educators met together at a conference and realized that they were all attempting to resolve similar educational issues for the families in their agencies. Focusing on the needs of expatriate families living in Europe, and Central Asia, several of these educators formed a committee to study how the needs could be met. The Middle East was added in the early 2000’s as another region that SHARE serves.
This led to the formation of SHARE Education Services, established as a non-profit organization in 1994, to assist parents in their daunting task of providing for their own children’s education. SHARE is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) educational organization incorporated in the State of Michigan.
SHARE is a cooperative organization co-sponsored by a partnership of international agencies
A group of international agencies agreed to serve as sponsors of SHARE Education Services. Each agency pays a nominal annual fee that entitles its personnel to reduced-fee services. The SHARE board, comprised of representatives of agencies meets semi-annually to conduct SHARE business following the policy governance model of leadership.
SHARE’s Mission is serving overseas families
The Mission of SHARE Education Services is to provide education support, assisting families serving cross-culturally in meeting the education needs of their children.
SHARE’s Vision is helping families to thrive
SHARE will design strategies and provide programs primarily focused on English-speaking families living in Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East to:
- Help parents identify needs, assess options, and choose education strategies for their children as they live cross-culturally
- Evaluate and recommend appropriate education resources
- Provide parents with information to help them evaluate their children’s learning and measure their progress through appropriate assessment and/or personal consultation
- Support secondary students in career guidance for selection of post-secondary work and/or education
- Assist families with cultural integration, socialization, and transition issues
- Provide SHARE Sponsoring Agencies with specialized services and discounted rates