Debra Rader is an American/British dual citizen and lives in Lucca, Italy. She has worked  as a teacher, principal and educational consultant for over 30 years. Debra has taught special educational needs, and primary and middle school children in the United States and England, was Primary and Middle School Principal at Southbank International School in London, Junior School Principal at the International School of Florence, and the Founding Director of Teaching and Learning of the Bilingual School of Lucca. Debra is experienced working with enquiry-based learning, the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP), US curriculum and dual language approaches to education.

Her own mobile experiences and her work with internationally mobile children, families, and colleagues have inspired and informed her work with transition and mobility. Debra developed a Model of Transition Education (1998) and is a specialist in this field. She is a strong advocate for supporting children, their families, and school communities in transition. Debra presents at international conferences and works with students, parents and faculty on developing transition education, transition programmes, and intercultural understanding and international-mindedness in schools.

Debra is the author of Teaching and Learning for Intercultural Understanding: Engaging Young Hearts and Minds (Routledge, 2018). She is co-author of New Kid in School: Using Literature to Help Children in Transition (Teachers College Press, Rader and Sittig 2003) and was a contributing author (‘Addressing Transition and Mobility Issues with English Language Learners in the Early Childhood Years’) in Welcoming Linguistic Diversity in Early Childhood Classrooms: Learning from International Schools (Multilingual Matters, 2011). She has also written for the International Schools Journal, International School magazine and the Journal for Research in International Education.

Debra is a licensed Qualified Administrator (QA) for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), a developmental assessment tool used worldwide to measure group and individual capacity for intercultural competence and promote its further development.

Education has been a lifelong passion and Debra is deeply committed to ensuring optimal learning for all children, developing their unique potential, nurturing their creativity, and actively developing intercultural understanding and international-mindedness. Debra is dedicated to promoting the wellbeing of children and adults, and to creating caring, compassionate and inclusive school communities.