International Council of Holistic Education & Learning

Introduction

Accreditation from the International Council of Holistic Education and Learning provides an avouchment of an institution's intention as expressed in their mission and goals, its action and its community. An organization or institution is accredited when the professional community of educators aligned with ICHEL have confirmed that the applicant institution’s purpose and performance are achieved through community engagement, performance portfolio and peer review. The International Council of Holistic Education and Learning Accreditation Standards and Requirements of Membership are described in the FOLLOWING SECTIONS. This document is intended to serve as a practical guide for those institutions pursuing membership, accredited institutions engaged in program development, and those accredited institutions involved in self-review and peer evaluation. Consistent, ongoing demonstration of these standards and requirements is an expectation of all accredited organizations and institutions. Compliance and improvement of performance with these standards and requirements, to conduct their activities will be measured by practical observation and policy review. These standards were developed in concordance with the mission of the International Council of Holistic Education and Learning to provide functions, methods and mindfulness, and authentic assessment toward whole-learner development and a balance between cognitive, social-emotional, physical/environmental, and spiritual health as well as a path to continuous improvement. The ICHEL standards and affirmation through accreditation are designed to honor the creative response to diverse needs of all learners as addressed uniquely through the individual mission and goals of each institution. These standards emphasize the continuous development and reflection of process and learner/mentor/environment relationships rather than the structures within various educational environments honoring a relevant and responsive educational and operational excellence. Each standard is expressed in a short description and followed by criteria. These criteria outline the qualities and attributes that embody the standard. Institutions and evaluators will work together with these criteria as they address the standards in relation to each institution’s mission and purpose to achieve compliance.

Requirements of Affiliation

To satisfy and maintain accreditation through the International Council of Holistic Education and Learning, an institution must demonstrate that it meets the conditions stated here for Requirements of Affiliation. Compliance is mandatory and must be sustained. These requirements will be evaluated periodically and are likely (but not solely) to accompany institutional self-study and inquiry of the institution’s eligibility. Upon satisfying these requirements, an institution is obligated to maintain and demonstrate compliance to the ICHEL Standards for Accreditation so long as accreditation is awarded.

1. The institution is authorized or licensed to operate as an educational institution in the institution’s place of operation.

2. The institution is functioning, with students actively enrolled in its programs.

3. For institutions pursuing Candidacy or Initial Accreditation, the institution must demonstrate enrolment of a graduate cohort or current class set to graduate from the program and provide proper documentation of students having achieved or on track to achieve appropriate learning outcomes.

4. Representatives have the means to communicate with ICHEL both orally and in writing in the mother tongue of the institutions constituency. ICHEL will work individually with institutions to secure appropriate translations.

5. The institution complies with applicable ICHEL policies and procedures as outlined on the ICHEL website: www.ichel.org

6. The institution adheres to its expressed mission statement and related goals, approved by its board, responsible for framing all purposes within the scope of regenerative practices and holistic design.

7. The institution routinely reevaluates its programing and transparently demonstrates its process toward satisfying its stated purpose.

8. The institution's learner/mentor programs, events and opportunities are characterized by regenerative intention demonstrating high standards that stem from toilsome efforts to remain coherent to the spirit of holistic design. Due assessment and documentation of learner achievement throughout their experiential development is expected, regardless of certificate or degree level.

9. The institution demonstrates discourse, reflection and planning that connects goals for personal and institutional growth and improvement, relevant to the goals within the relationship of student and educational community fostered by the institution.

10. The institution has documented a holistic spectrum of resources, (human innovation, fiscal, ecological, in kind etc.) and plans for development of such a portfolio, including those from any related individuals, enterprises and entities (including without limitation to private, public, religious, corporate or cosmic) competent to buttress its educational mission, purposes and programs and to ensure regenerative stability. The institution maintains a public record of responsible social, ecological and fiscal management, and can demonstrate a budget relevant to the current year, as well as external financial/ humanitarian, and ecological audit on an annual basis.

11. The institution makes public all legally constituted governance structure(s) including any related individuals, enterprises and entities (including without limitation to private, public, religious, corporate or cosmic) . The governing body(s) of the institution charged with maintaining merit and integrity of the institution and constitution to ensure regular achievement of the institution’s stated goals with regard to its purpose.

12. Essential to ICHEL's description of holistic design and regenerative practices is an adherence to strict codes of conduct including but not exclusive to conflict of interest policies that assure impartiality regarding board members and ensure the integrity of the institution. The institution’s leading executive representative chief shall not serve as the chair of the board.

13. The institution and its governance provide ICHEL access to accurate and entire documentation on the institution’s operation, procedures and results that reflect the nature and success of the institutions ability to adhere to ICHEL standards. The authorities of the institution ensure that the institution describes itself in equal and like terms to any and all stakeholder and governing agencies and freely disclose information (including compensation packages, environmental impact statements and government discourse) relevant or required by ICHEL in order to satisfy its accrediting obligations. The institution must demonstrate sufficient responsibility and expertise in order to assure the sustainability of the endeavour and the coherence of all programs, intentions, events and opportunities.

Standard I

Mission and Goals

Criteria

An accredited institution is hereby understood as one that holds and /or consistently evinces the following characteristics or activities:

Manifest a mission and goals that:

1. are created and implemented through the collaborative intention and effort of the majority of those partaking of the institutional process, development and improvement;

2. support local and individual institutional matters with an awareness informed by global and cosmic external constituencies;

3. are sanctioned and supported by the institutional leadership and overseeing board;

4. mentor all participants of the institution towards holistic and regenerative decision-making related to personal development, community betterment, ecological stewardship, academic, practical and spiritual program and curricular development, and the definition and documentation of its institutional outcomes;

5. are informed by, produce and make public scholarly inquiry and innovation, relevant to the institution and broader communities to both internal and external stakeholders;

6. are periodically assessed

Standard II

Ethics, Integrity, Responsibility and Stewardship

Criteria

An accredited institution possesses and demonstrates the following attributes or activities:

Manifest a mission and goals that:

1. a commitment to academic freedom, intellectual freedom, freedom of expression, and respect for intellectual property rights; ;

2. a respect for intellectual property, authorship and innovation across historical political milieus honoring cultural value in tandem with or appropriately beyond market value with the understanding that cultural values may remain obscure to those outside of the local community;

3. an environment that fosters respect and growing relationships among all learners and mentors, administration and other staff members from a range of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, approaches, behaviors, ancestral inheritance, ideas, and perspectives;

4. a quarrel or disagreement protocol that is documented and disseminated to address all differences conveyed as complaints or grievances raised by members of the institution. The institution's policies and procedures are to be fair and impartial, and all contending matters should be addressed in a fair and pronto manner;

5. absolute abstention from conflict of interest or the appearance of such conflict in all activities and among all constituents;

6. transparent and comprehensive equality and impartiality concerning all aspects of hiring and separation of employees, as well as all pertinent evaluation, promotion and disciplinary measures. Advertisement, recruitment and/or all matters of a public relation nature will uphold to honest and truthful practices. This will also take place for internal communications

7. according to the mission and purpose of ICHEL, programs, initiatives, and activities will:

a. promote accessibility across cultures, geographical barriers, socioeconomic challenges and any other obstacles relevant to the current affairs and individual interest;

b. respond to individual learning traits;

c. Maintain a high level of physical, mental, environmental, academic and social/ spiritual challenge;

d. Avoid compromising rigor and quality for relaxed standards;

e. Secure a variety funding sources and financial options, in-kind contributions, alternative currencies of value, and methods to make informed decisions about incurring debt, and promote a trajectory toward regenerative lifestyle;

8. compliance and cooperation with all relevant government and Council reporting codes, regulations, and requirements to include documentation regarding:

a. the full transparency of institution-wide assessments, titles awarded, graduation and attenuation statistics;

b. the institution's compliance with the Council’s Requirements of Affiliation; changes therein, and greater community members, individual, institutional or otherwise;

c. institutional governing documents and supporting documents are provided in a timely manner (30 days unless otherwise stated in the policies and procedures of accreditation);

9. Periodic/ routine reflection and revision of ethics and integrity as modeled in institutional practices, and governing policies and procedures, both in planning and implementation

Standard III

Intention, Design and Execution of the Learning Experience

Criteria

ICHEL accredited institutions possess and demonstrate one or more of the following attributes or activities:

1. Certified programs from all age-groups starting from early education into third age groups which may lead to formal degrees or other recognized educational credentials, of a length appropriate to the objectives of the degree or other credential, designed to foster an enriched learning experience and to promote dynamic paradigm shifts;

2. Learning experiences that are designed, delivered, and assessed by Certified Mentors (full-time or part-time) and/or other appropriate professionals who are:

a. qualified and experienced guides and admirable models of holistic learning;

b. Contributors to the institutional community of instructors and learners;

c. Supported in their work through sufficient staffing, opportunities for growth, and appropriate resources;

d. Held accountable to mutually understood expectations, policies and procedures;

3. programs of study from both academic and non-traditional approaches to learning that are clearly and accurately outlined in official publications of the institution in a way that learners are able to understand and follow program and degree requirements and expected time to completion;

4. ample learning opportunities and resources to support both the institution's programs of study, individual learning progress, community integration of growth and an ongoing enrichment of the environment in which learning is taking place;

5. at institutions that offer undergraduate education, a general education program, free-standing or integrated into academic disciplines, that:

a. offer a sufficient scope to draw learners into new areas of intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual experience, expanding their cultural and global awareness and cultural sensitivity, and preparing them to make well-reasoned judgments outside as well as within their academic field;

b. offers a curriculum designed for learners to acquire and demonstrate essential skills concerning all fields of multiple intelligence including a committed relationship towards both oral and written eloquence, with an awareness of scientific and quantitative reasoning but not limited by these, critical thinking, technological competency, and literacy in all of its manifestations. Consistent with mission, the holistic educational programs must include an honest and intentional undertaking of values, ethics, and diverse perspectives manifestly experienced within each community of learners;

6. Institutions that offer graduate and professional education provide and encourage ample opportunities for the development of research, scholarship, exploration, and independent thinking, provided by mentors and/or other professionals with credentials appropriate to graduate-level curricula;

7. thorough institutional oversight and consent on any and all learning opportunities designed, delivered, or assessed by third-party providers;

8. cyclical assessments that encourage, foster and measure the effectiveness of programs providing dynamic learning experience.

Standard IV

Intention, Design and Execution of the Learning Experience

Criteria

An accredited institution possesses and demonstrates the following attributes or activities:

1. Clearly stated, environmentally and socially ethical policies and procedures to recruit, engage, and collaborate the success of learners and cultures whose interests, concerns, prosperity, abilities, creativity and goals provide a tangible expectation for transformation and achievement and are in concert with the institutional mission, including:

a. appropriate information concerning funding, expenses, financial aid (including work study and alternative currency exchanges), scholarships, grants, loans, processes for repayment, and refunds;

b. a scope and sequence for identifying learners who do not meet the criteria for successful pursuit for program goals and either academically, socially, or emotionally, to satisfy the prerequisite skills and move forward with the program without compromising the rigor and integrity of the learning design for the sake of an unprepared student;

c. proper introduction and guidance through the course of study to integrate the learner with the community and foster a lifelong relationship with the learning community;

d. processes of enriched integration and equity building designed to augment the achievement of learners’ educational and life goals including rung, certificate and/or degree completion, and continued interaction in the community, including employment opportunities, beyond the scope of the program;

2. policies and procedures regarding evaluation and acceptance of transfer credits, and credits awarded through experiential learning, prior non-academic learning, competency-based assessment, and other alternative learning approaches; 3. policies and procedures for the handling of student information in a safe and secure manner that is up to date with industry technology/ standard;

4. any extracurricular activities or fringe programing are regulated by the same institutional governance (fiscal, philosophical or otherwise);

5. when applicable, relevant and comprehensive institutional review and approval of student , cultural and environmental support services designed, aided or deployed and/or assessed by third-party providers; and; and

5. regular assessment, reflection and improvement of the effectiveness and value of programs supporting the mission and learners’ goals.

Standard V

Educational Effectiveness Assessment and Research

Criteria

ICHEL accredited institutions possess and demonstrate the following attributes or activities:

1. clearly stated learning rungs and thresholds at all levels in accordance to each institution which are sensitive towards other programs and their interconnectedness regarding holistic standards and goals;

2. Cyclical assessments, conducted by mentors and/or appropriate professionals, observing and documenting learner achievement of institutional and degree/program goals. Institutions should:

a. State defined curricular objectives with standards for evaluation that can be clearly defended and which can demonstrate whether learners are reaching the stated goals;

b. Express the various ways in which learners are prepared in accordance with their mission for lifelong learning that becomes manifest as regenerative lives full of meaning and purpose. Documentation should be made available of this process;

c. support and sustain assessment of learner growth and communicate the results of this assessment to all interested parties and communities in which the learners growth may have an impact;

3. documentation of results stemming from observation and assessment must take place on an ongoing basis. Careful cross-referencing of ancestral understandings of physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual development to balance out new developments assessed. Stemming from the institution's mission, such uses may include all or a combination of the following:

a. guiding learners into improving their self, mentor/apprentice, peer-to-peer, environmental and synchronistic learning skills;

b. improving pedagogy and curriculum;

c. reviewing and revising academic programs and support services;

d. standardizing the documentation of counter-academic approaches to learning as those that take into consideration Regenerative Practices and Holistic Design;

e. planning, conducting, and supporting a range of holistic and regenerative development activities;

f. planning and budgeting for the provision of holistic and regenerative programs and services;

g. informing appropriate constituents about the institution and its programs;

h. improving key indicators of learners’ growth, such as retention within both long-term and short-term cycles, program completion (ie: graduation), transfer, and placement rates;

i. implementing other processes and procedures designed to improve Holistic and Regenerative programs and services within the institution but also in an empathetic and cooperative manner that serves all ICHEL accredited bodies;

4. Regular review and revision of assessment approach, scope, and intention.

Standard VI

Regenerative Planning, Creative Resourcing, and ongoing Institutional Revision and Refinement

Criteria

ICHEL accredited institutions possess and demonstrate the following qualities and activities:

1. resource allocation and management is informed by clearly and eloquently expressed institutional objectives which are aligned in breadth and depth with stated mission and goals;

2. revision and refinement process is inclusive of all institutional voices, informed by a local, regional, and international awareness, and guided by assessment feedback;

3. all financial planning and budgeting processes must be coherent to each institution’s mission and goals while also aligning to ICHEL’S standards of regenerative resourcing and cross collaboration through alternative currencies. Furthermore these must clearly interject the institution’s strategic plans and objectives;

4. a commitment to ingenuity in addressing fiscal, technical, and human resource deficits;

5. clearly defined procedures concerning decision-making and well-defined assignments of responsibility and accountability;

6. a regenerative approach to facilities management and investment, which creates opportunities for personnel at all organization levels to personally invest in physical space;

7. a once-a-year autonomous audit affirming the financial viability of the institution including clear response to any and all manifest concerns;

8. self-evaluation procedures for assessing institutional efficiency and discovery of opportunities for “loop-closing” of resource allocation/creation;

9. cyclical observation and analysis of the efficacy of planning assessment of resource spending, institutional renewal procedures, and availability of resources.

Standard VII

Authority, Elderhood, Leadership, and Stewardship

Criteria

ICHEL accredited institutions possess and demonstrate the following attributes or activities:

1. a governance structure which is designed to serve and provide accountability to its constituents through transparency and designated responsibilities at each level of organization;

2. a legally constituted governing body of elders which:

a. is attuned to the institution's function in the broader community and cosmos, and buffers it from forces of myopia which would deteriorate the call of its mission and goals;

b. is sufficiently autonomous, responsible to the institution, and impartial to outside influences to ensure the integrity of the accredited institution;

c. does not serve to interfere in the day-to-day operation of the institution, either as a body or individual members;

d. governs at the policy and curriculum level the quality and holism of teaching and learning, approval of degree programs and granting of degrees, establishment and enforcement of personnel policies and procedures, passing of bylaws, and fiscal management. This may include a regular review of audited financial statements and/or other documents related to the fiscal functioning of the institution;v e. appoints, elders, and assesses the performance of the Chief Executive Officer;

f. is led in all practices and functions by principles of eldership;

g. institutes and maintains compliance with a written conflict of interest policy which ensures the impartiality of the body by addressing matters such as payment for services, contractual relationships, employment, and family, financial or other interests that could pose or be perceived as conflicts of interest;

3. a body of stewards:

a. that follows well documented guidelines for supporting the CEO in meeting all institutional mission, goals and purposes;

b. sufficient in number to support the CEO;

c. duly certified to carry out support tasks and duties;

d. uninhibited by concerns of skill, time, assistance, technology, and information system expertise required to perform their tasks and responsibilities;

e. that engages and fosters healthy relationships with other mentors, learners and members of the organization towards the advancement of all goals and objectives;

f. able to design and execute systematic procedures for evaluating administrative units and for using documented assessment data to enhance operations; and 4. a Chief Executive Officer who:

a. is appointed by, evaluated by, and reports to the body of elders and shall not chair the body of elders;

b. has life experience and visionary perspective consistent with the mission of the organization;

c. has earned the authority required to fulfill the responsibilities of the position, including developing and implementing institutional plans, staffing the institution, identifying, creating and distributing resources, and guiding the institution toward the goals and objectives set forth in its mission;

d. has the assistance of qualified stewards, sufficient in number, to enable the Chief Executive Officer to carry out his/her duties effectively;

5. Ritually renews and improves its systems of leadership and governance on behalf of the stated mission and constituency.