On February 9-19, 1997 over 40 International School Leaders representing 10 nations participated in presentations, discussions, visitations, and working sessions at a five day conference hosted by St. Stithians College, Randburg, South Africa. The agenda included sessions on the transformation of secondary education in South Africa, examination and discussion of educational and civic school leadership worldwide, creating opportunities for global networking, and identifying opportunities for student/faculty interchanges.

The second half of the conference was hosted by the Maru a Pula School in Botswana and the Tiger Kloof Educational Institute in Vryburg, South Africa. Participants devoted the remaining five days to visitations and discussions with academic staff and students and a day at the site of the former school's environmental camp on the Limpopo River.

The conference was a continuation of a 1995 informal meeting of school heads, hosted by John Ratté, then Head of the Loomis Chaffee School and facilitated by Peter D. Pelham of Pelham Associates. The discussions led to a more formal 1996 NAIS conference workshop on Global Perspectives and ultimately to the South Africa seminar.

"Reactions to the meeting were extraordinarily positive," said Peter Pelham. Perhaps the most distinctive, and unanticipated, dimension of the seminar was the synergy established not just among the international school heads but between local and regional schools and institutions. The seminar became the catalyst through which professional and programmatic dialogues were initiated between independent and government, advantaged/disadvantaged schools and school leaders.

The success of the 1997 International School Leaders Seminar resulted in agreement to meet again in 1998. This meeting will be hosted by the Geelong Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia and the Sydney Church of England Co-Educational Grammar School (SCECGS) in Redlands, March 18 - 25, 1998.