Chinese educators here to study U.S. education

EDITORS: Throughout their stay, the Chinese visitors will be available for pictures and interviews. For more information on the program or to arrange an interview, contact Lesley Harding at lionles@aol.com or (248) 360-9415.

ANN ARBOR—As China’s educational system undergoes a major reform, 32 Chinese educators are spending their summer “hitting the books” at the University of Michigan. In cooperation with the School of Education, they’re studying America’s educational system in hopes of implementing some of American practices and principles into their own school systems.

The group is from Tianjin, China, one of the country’s largest cities. The Tianjin Education Commission is sponsoring the trip and chose which educators would be included in the group. Sixteen of the educators are K-12 administrators, the remaining 16 are university administrators. The School of Education has tailored lectures and outings for the two separate groups of faculty based on information that’s most relevant to their professions.

“They really want to understand the American system,” says Louis Yen, assistant research scientist, Division of Kinesiology. “They’re interested in the philosophy behind American education, how teachers and students interact, and they’re interested in how the American system is structured to make education available to students at all learning levels.”

The group arrived June 1 and will stay through mid-August. Throughout the weeks, they are brushing up on their English, visiting local schools, exploring the U-M and Ann Arbor, and attending lectures on U.S. educational practices. “These lectures are delivered primarily by faculty in the School of Education,” says Roger Goddard, assistant professor. “They are attending talks on a range topics including educational technology, special education, math education, science education, and curriculum development.”

“I hope they walk away with a better sense of the U.S. educational system and some sound practices to take back with them,” says Janet Lawrence, associate professor in the School of Education, “but we’re also building relationships so that we can share information and learn from their practices.” One of the Chinese educators says, “We will try to take back as much know-how in higher education administration as possible and implement it in our daily work. We also hope to establish projects that we can partner with the University of Michigan and our schools.”

This is the second year of the program, but the first year the K-12 administrators have been included in the visit. Their visit was delayed in May when their visas were denied. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, U-M International Center, Vice Provost for International Affaires Michael Kennedy, School of Education Dean Karen Wixson, and other U-M administrators wrote letters to the embassy explaining the importance of the visit. Their visas were approved after they re-applied.

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lionles@aol.comSchool of EducationLouis YenRoger GoddardJanet LawrenceDebbie Stabenow