Valerie Layne

International Leadership of Texas

International Leadership of Texas (ILTexas) is a free, public charter school serving K-12 students across 24 campuses in the DFW, Houston, and College Station areas. The mission of ILTexas is to prepare students for exceptional leadership roles in the international community by emphasizing servant leadership, mastering the English, Spanish and Chinese languages, and strengthening the mind, body, and character. Additionally, ILTexas bridges international relationships with schools in China to facilitate the exchange of teachers and students. ILTexas employs native language teachers from Spain and China, and currently hosts more than 50 Chinese students at the high school level to ensure students not only learn the language, but also the Chinese culture, and most importantly, build long-term professional relationships. The Chinese students and American students earn their diplomas side by side in a college-preparatory environment. It is our goal to team every three American students with one Chinese student to facilitate relationship building and expedited learning. Additionally, American students are given opportunities to visit and study in China. Our intentional, innovative approach creates a unique learning opportunity that sets ILTexas on the path to change education and with it, the world.