Transcript
Today we’re joined by Zachary Berezowski, Director of Student Support Services at The KAUST School in Saudi Arabia, a proud SENIA Member School. With over 16 years in education, Zach is a passionate advocate for inclusive practices and student-centered learning. At KAUST, he leads the school’s commitment to “finding the yes”—partnering with families and staff to ensure every student has a pathway to belonging and success. Located on the Red Sea within the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology community, KAUST serves nearly 2,000 students from more than 70 nationalities and offers the full IB continuum. With its vibrant diversity and focus on inclusion, KAUST stands as a model of personalized learning and cultural connection.
Lori Boll
Well, hello, Zach, and welcome to the podcast.
Zachary Berezowski
Hi. Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Lori Boll
Well, super happy to have you here. You are part of our Inclusion Spotlight series, the Kaust School in Saudi Arabia, and you are one of our large member schools. So the last interview that we had was with a small school. So it’s going to be really cool to hear the differences and everything. So first off, please share. Who are you?
Zachary Berezowski
Who am I? I’ve been in education for about 16 years now. Prior to that, I actually worked at the Bank of Nova Scotia. So I wasn’t always a teacher. I did that for a little while, but got into teaching because it was what I wanted to do. And I’ve been lucky to live in a lot of different countries around the world. My family with me and my kids have grown up overseas. I’m a huge advocate for student learning and the development of all the students, regardless of what their needs are.
For me it’s about really establishing these MTSS frameworks within the international schools I’ve been at over the past few years, which has really led me into being an advocate for a lot of students and parents and teachers and structures within schools that are innovative and really supporting all students. So I’m very deep into that as my own personal journey in education, really trying to make sure that schools are keeping up with what kids need, wherever they are in their learning journey.
I’ve also done a lot of research work and educational things on my own, a lot of lifelong learning. I’m always busy, but always invested in education and really trying to make sure that I can also stay up on everything too, to make sure that I’m supporting my schools with best practice and moving forward in the right direction.
Lori Boll
Well, thank you. Thank you for all that hard work. We need many advocates out there and you are one of the strong ones. So let’s hear about your school. Just give us a big picture of your school size, structure, what inclusion means in your community.
Zachary Berezowski
Sure. So the KAUST School. And just for everyone, if they’re not familiar, KAUST is actually an acronym. It stands for the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. We are the school that supports this university. We’re a unique international school in the sense that we’re not like every other school. We’re the only game in town.
We are in a community enclosed with the university. Everybody lives in the community. Everybody is here—they work at the university, they’re studying at the university, they’re researching—and then our school supports those people and their families. We’re really the heart of a highly diverse international community. We have people from all over the world working and attending the university.
That brings a vast cultural experience to our community and our school. Because of that, we’re a bit like four schools in one. We have this quadrant idea developed through our strategic plan, identifying that we are like a community school, a public school, a university school, and an international school. So we have all these components mixed into our environment that bring both opportunities and challenges.
We also have four divisions: early years, elementary, middle school, and high school. Unlike other international schools where student numbers dwindle at secondary, our middle and high schools are massive and growing. This allows us to tailor our approach to each developmental stage while maintaining a cohesive community vision.
Our population fluctuates with the university. We’re not a standard international school with fixed enrollment and fee times. Our numbers can range from 1,800 to 1,900 students, but it changes as researchers and families come and go. Our students represent over 70 nationalities. The community is vibrant, and we always have things going on.
We’re also proud to offer the full IB continuum—PYP, MYP, and DP. For us, inclusion goes beyond integration of students. It is a fundamental commitment to providing a safe and secure learning environment where we look past academic attainment to focus on the individual growth and development of every student.
Lori Boll
Wow, that is a big school. And you have so many different identities going on. It’s really fascinating. So what core beliefs drive your approach to creating that inclusive, student-centered environment?
Zachary Berezowski
Our core beliefs are rooted in personalized learning and nurturing the whole child. We know that students come from all over the globe, with varied educational experiences, and many families are experiencing an international school for the first time.
We focus on personalized learning so students can fit into our educational structure and be successful regardless of their needs. By emphasizing cultural competence and social-emotional well-being, we create an environment where every student feels known, valued, and safe to learn and take risks.
SEL and ATL skills are huge drivers, especially in secondary. We want students to succeed academically and personally, learning about themselves and how they represent themselves in the school and larger community. Our mission is to empower students to become resourceful, responsible global citizens.
Graduates go to universities all over the world. We want them to carry an identity as global citizens, able to succeed in diverse contexts. With such diversity, our environment is truly inclusive. The standard deviation in our classes varies, but we support all learners through a foundation of personalized learning, SEL, and cultural competence woven into curriculum and daily interactions.
Lori Boll
Zach, you mentioned that you are the only game in town. Can you remind me where Kaust is located?
Zachary Berezowski
Kaust is about an hour outside of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, right on the Red Sea. It’s like a mini town with over 8,000 people. We have a grocery store, a movie theater, a bowling alley, rec centers—it’s a full community. Because we are the only school, our inclusive nature is essential. We must support all students.
Lori Boll
Sure. And how long has your school been around?
Zachary Berezowski
This is year 16. Last year we celebrated our 15th. Still relatively new, but we’ve developed quickly.
Lori Boll
And has the inclusive nature of your school been around since its inception?
Zachary Berezowski
Yes, though it has grown and changed as the university and school expanded. We started small, but as the university developed, so did the school. Our inclusive structures and support practitioners have grown alongside.
Lori Boll
I am really curious about, with so many students and staff, what intentional steps help every child feel known and valued at your school?
Zachary Berezowski
We focus on cultural identity and an inclusive nature that doesn’t single out students. Support is open and integrated. Teachers, principals, and directors are constantly in classrooms. Over time, this built a culture where all needs are normalized.
We also personalize learning for high-achieving students, offering university classes or online work. Cultural integration is also vital. We ensure our Saudi students, who are the largest group, feel their identity is valued. We invest time to make sure they feel they can be Saudi in an international school.
Lori Boll
Yeah. Oh, that’s so important. And you mentioned earlier that you have someone on staff just for that. Tell me a little.
Zachary Berezowski
Yes. Our school is heavily invested in Saudi’s Vision 2030. We have a Saudi advancement lead whose role is to connect us with the Saudi community. She organizes workshops, conferences, and training opportunities for local teachers.
We also run the Elevate Program, a two-year initiative to train Saudis in teaching within our school context so they can go on to teach across Saudi Arabia. This deepens our connection to local culture and national development.
Lori Boll
Wow, that’s great, Zach. Okay, well, let’s get into the weeds here a little bit. Tell me a little bit about your MTSS system at your school and how it’s organized.
Zachary Berezowski
When I arrived four years ago, the school was already large. We’ve since refined our MTSS framework, but it isn’t an off-the-shelf model. We’ve customized it to fit our context and diverse student body.
We do use the tiered structure, but we’ve adapted it to be more flexible and responsive, guided by data. We have a data and assessment coordinator who helps us identify needs and inform supports. Our framework ensures targeted, meaningful support across the school.
MTSS and UDL are deeply intertwined. MTSS guides us diagnostically, and UDL shapes personalized learning. Together, they help us design multimodal, flexible instruction.
Lori Boll
I’d love to see it all in action. Sounds fascinating. I’m curious, what structures or routines you have to keep professional learning around inclusion meaningful?
Zachary Berezowski
Kaust invests heavily in professional development aligned to our strategic plan. We use deep dives as school-wide focus areas and bring in consultants to guide growth. Divisions also run professional development sessions tied to whole-school goals.
Teachers create professional learning plans for themselves, but we also pursue whole-school inquiries to ensure cohesive growth. We’ve invested heavily in adaptive schools training, with multiple teacher cohorts over the past three years.
Lori Boll
That’s great. Well, tell me about a success story, a recent success story, maybe a student journey or a school-wide initiative that really captures what inclusion means at your school.
Zachary Berezowski
One success was splitting our secondary school into middle and high school, which let us tailor support structures for each. Out of that came our Learning Foundations program, first in high school and now in middle school.
It provides targeted support in small group settings with learning support teachers, focusing on ATL skills and independence rather than just passing classes. Students became more confident and successful, and teachers noticed big improvements.
Another success is our admissions approach. As a non-fee-paying school tied to the university, we partner with parents to find ways to say yes. Our commitment to “finding the yes” has created a truly diverse, inclusive environment from the very beginning.
Lori Boll
I love that and I love that saying—a commitment to finding the yes. Did you all make that up?
Zachary Berezowski
It came out of conversations with school leadership.
Lori Boll
What a great attitude. Let me ask you about challenges. What barriers do you face as a large school working toward inclusion?
Zachary Berezowski
Our greatest strength—our diversity and inclusion—is also our greatest challenge. The sheer size of our school and wide range of needs is logistically difficult. For example, in early years there are nine sections in each of pre-K, K, and grade one, and eight sections in grades two through five. Those students then move into middle and high school, making secondary huge.
Meeting all needs is challenging, and scheduling is another ongoing barrier. We continue refining support systems and adapting MTSS to anticipate and address barriers systemically. It will always be a challenge, but we’re finding frameworks that make it manageable.
Lori Boll
Right. Well, let’s talk SENIA for a moment. You’ve been to many conferences and presented at several. How has your school used SENIA as a resource to strengthen inclusion and support?
Zachary Berezowski
We’ve used SENIA in multiple ways. For example, some of our TAs took the SENIA TA course last year, and it was very successful. We’re looking at expanding those opportunities.
I’ve also encouraged my team to present. At SENIA Cambodia, three or four of my support staff presented, and this year even more are planning to.
I’ve been working to spread SENIA’s reach in the Middle East, encouraging connections around student support and special education. I try to share SENIA with other directors and schools that may not know about it.
Lori Boll
Great. Hopefully with our conference being in Dubai, that will be a call to action for our Middle East colleagues.
Zachary Berezowski
Yes, I am spreading the word.
Lori Boll
Well, Zach, thank you for your time today. We’ve learned so much from you and the great work the Kaust School is doing, thanks to you and those before you. I love your attitude toward inclusion—that commitment to find the yes.
Zachary Berezowski
It’s wonderful. The school is on a great trajectory. We try our best to give every student what they need, with large support teams behind them.
Lori Boll
Well, thanks, Zach.
Zachary Berezowski
Thank you.
