by Dr. Justine Su, ELPS and China Institute
Since spring 2011, China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), the international arm of the Chinese National Ministry of Education, and one of CSUN's education partners in China, has sent five large groups of Chinese school principals, education bureau chiefs, and special-grade teachers to CSUN for training workshops on American school reform. The China Institute and the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies have played major hosts to these distinguished education visitors. The Chinese educators were warmly welcomed by CSUN administrators and faculty. They attended numerous workshops by CSUN faculty on the topic of educational leadership, supervision of curriculum and instruction, equity and diversity, special education, and various teaching strategies for core subject matters. They also visited several public schools in our local area, including the renowned Vaughn Next Century Learning Center. They developed friendship and understanding between Chinese and American educators and established new ties for future collaboration.
When asked what are the most important things learned in the U.S., the Chinese school principals and teachers cited the following: dedication and hard-working spirit of American teachers and principals; emphasis on developing critical thinking skills; prominence of issues on equity and diversity in American schools; attention to students with special needs; rich variety of hands-on experiences in American classrooms; and American educators' courage to face the tremendous challenges of school reform. They also found that they shared same concerns as American educators: lack of funds and support for education; low status and inadequate benefits for teachers; and the instability of the teaching force. The training programs provided a comparative perspective for both Chinese visitors and CSUN hosts on the similarities and differences in American and Chinese education and schooling.
