History and School Mission

The History of Kang Chiao International School

Founded in 1988, Kang Hsuan has always been active in Taiwan’s educational community. Over the past 30 years, it has grown to become one of the largest textbook publishers in Taiwan developing textbooks for elementary and junior high school education. Kang Hsuan is in a position where it sees prevalent trends among students and the shortcomings of Taiwan’s educational system. One of those trends is the tremendous pressure that junior and senior high school students face in getting into prestigious institutions. Consequently, parents who are concerned with their children's academic competitiveness take their children to supplementary learning institutes starting from elementary school.

Schools have focused far too much on student performance on high-stakes tests, and it is indeed sad that these scores are the primary measure to evaluate students’ abilities and talents. As a result, students are unmotivated to learn and the intense workload also leads to stress, limiting students’ potential for creativity and curiosity. This is the reason why Kang Hsuan had always wished to establish a K-12 elementary, junior, and senior high school as a way to test its curriculum and contribute more specifically towards education reform.

To realize this educational philosophy, Kang Hsuan established Kang Chiao Bilingual School in 2000. The site of the Kang Chiao Xiugang Campus was finalized at the end of 2000; the 4.5-hectare site is located on Xiugang Hill on Huacheng Road, Xindian District. In 2002, the preschool and elementary school started to accept students. The junior high school was registered and started to accept students in 2004. In 2009, the senior high school was also officially established, announcing the completion of Kang Chiao's K-12 curriculum. Thanks to the leadership of Superintendent Chang and his team's effort, Kang Chiao has established a solid reputation in bilingual education in Taiwan. The school has received a plentitude of acknowledgment and support from the parents of our students ever since.

In order to provide an excellent educational environment and allow more children to receive a high-quality bilingual education, a new campus site was purchased in the community of Qingshan Township in 2007. Following its construction, the preschool and elementary school were relocated to the Qingshan Campus in 2010.

It was also in 2009 that Kang Chiao International School was established. It serves to provide an international education for local and expatriate families. The primary goal is to cultivate internationally-minded students who are able to achieve their fullest potential, equipped with the skills necessary to prosper in a global environment. The curriculum was designed to eliminate the traditional emphasis on standardized testing and foster in the students a love of learning and our curriculum serves as a vehicle for them to discover and hone their talents and skills.

Kang Chiao International School places great emphasis on ensuring that students are completely bilingual and offers a bespoke multidisciplinary curriculum that emphasizes the importance of a balanced lifestyle, through physical, emotional, and academic success. Kang Chiao developed a comprehensive and rigorous exploration program that sees our students climb the summit of one of Taiwan’s highest mountains, swim across Sun Moon Lake, and cycle the entire coastline of Taiwan. Through these mental and physical challenges, Kang Chiao students develop perseverance and tenacity while learning to appreciate the beauty of their homeland.

The past 20 years of continuous growth and refinement have led to Kang Chiao obtaining the International Baccalaureate World School (MYP and DP) authorization, AP and AP Capstone authorization, and WASC accreditation. These successes have spurred the Kang Chiao community to continue to pursue excellence. With the leadership of Chairman Mike Lee, the KCIS community is ready to face and meet the challenges of the future with even greater success. In this way, we will guide our students towards Kang Chiao’s vision: a truly beautiful future.

Mission

Kang Chiao International School is committed to delivering the highest quality education that meets the needs of our students and equips them with the skills and knowledge to be successful in the global community. Thus, KCIS seeks to provide students with:

the tools to communicate and to listen effectively and empathetically
an understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity
a desire for active involvement; socially, academically, and physically
the ability to consider, question, and create solutions
the skills, moral strength, and motivation to bring about personal growth and positive social change

Schoolwide Learner Outcomes

At Kang Chiao, we believe all students are capable of greatness, and our Schoolwide Learning Outcomes (SLO) focus on developing these attributes. Kang Chiao students are:

Global Participants, who...

Respect their own culture, as well as those of other individuals and communities.

Have an informed understanding of issues that have local and global significance.

Assimilate easily into new cultures and societies.

Responsible Citizens, who...

Focus on protecting the environment and reducing their own ecological footprint.

Ensure their actions and the consequences that accompany them bring no harm to others or the environment.

Make positive contributions to their community.

Effective Communicators, who...

Are able to fluently converse in more than one language.

Are able to present their own perspective with clarity and confidence, while respecting the right of others to be heard.

Are confident and adept at using technology to enhance communication and collaboration.

Active Achievers, who...

Challenge themselves both intellectually and physically to achieve their personal best.

Identify and hone their individual strengths.

Develop a passion for learning and the ability to be motivated, self-directed learners.

Thoughtful Leaders, who...

Develop skills of reflection and organization to achieve short and long term goals.

Propose creative and positive solutions to local and international problems.

Demonstrate insight, creativity, and integrity in their academic pursuits.