November 18, 2004

I. Teachers and Teaching

1. Breaking out of Professional “Egg Cartons”

Schools of the 21st century must break away from their 19th-century, "egg carton" organization, writes Art Wise. A new paradigm based on how professionals work in this new century is needed. The egg-carton organization, with its identical cells, expects that every teacher will replicate the appropriate curriculum and instruction for 25 students each year, every year, from the beginning to the end of a teaching career. The model, resilient as it is, has outlived its usefulness.

2. Shanghai Schoolteachers Teaching Mathematics in English

Bilingual education has been incorporated into a major 6-year governmental project in Shanghai to meet the city’s development of the international scope.  School teachers in more than 400 schools in Shanghai will teach mathematics and history in English during the length of the project. Efforts are currently underway to train teachers to provide instruction in both Chinese and English.

3. Problems with Chinese Teaching

Two hundred distinguished writers at the Summit of Chinese Teaching Forum argued that Chinese teaching has many problems. They proclaimed that Chinese teaching is inefficient and less attractive to students. These problems are discussed in this story and possible solutions are raised.

II. Learners and Learning

1. The Arts and the Creation of Mind

Although the arts are often thought to be closer to the rim of education than to its core, they are, surprisingly, critically important means for developing complex and subtle aspects of the mind.  Elliot Eisner describes how various forms of thinking are evoked, developed, and refined through the arts.

2. Immersion Language Learning in China

Immersion language learning in primary school helps students become proficient in 3 foreign languages upon graduation. Research indicates that children who learn by means of immersion are more capable in arithmetic and language.

III. Leaders and Leadership

1. Complex Reasons for School’s Real Success

Under principal Mr. McCollough’s leadership, 89 percent of Gainesville Elementary's students passed the state English-language arts test and 94 percent passed the math test. Like the Gainesville school district as a whole, Mr. McCollough uses standardized tests to guide curriculum and hold teachers (and himself) publicly accountable. 

2. Project on Supporting the Reforms of Primary School Evaluation

The Project on Supporting the Reforms of Primary School Evaluation was launched on October 11, 2004. This project aims at organizing and helping teachers participate in national research projects.  The project is coordinated by the Beijing Normal University.

IV. Curriculum

1. The World of Textbook Adoption

Statewide textbook adoption, the process by which 21 states dictate the textbooks that schools and districts can use, is fundamentally flawed. It distorts the market, entices extremist groups to hijack the curriculum, enriches the textbook cartel, and papers the land with mediocre instructional materials that cannot fulfill their important education mission.

2. Stories about Chinese K-12 Education Curriculum Reform

More than 500 cities and counties throughout China will systematically carry on a new curriculum. The MOE claimed that the curriculum reform and quality education are mutually contributive. The curriculum reform includes the adjustment of the school’s strategic plans, the restructuring of the curricular system, the establishment of the national curricular standards, reform in the pedagogy and curriculum implementation, a renewal of the curriculum assessment system, and training of teachers. Therefore, the curriculum reform targets all aspects in the K-12 education in China.  Additional information on this story can be found at: http://www.moe.edu.cn/edoas/website18/info3845.htm  and http://www.moe.edu.cn/edoas/website18/info3829.htm

 V.  Family and Community

1. Free Tips Sheet for Parents

KSA-Plus Communications and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s ENLACE initiative have teamed up to present four new resources with advice on what parents can do at home and at school to help their children become successful learners.  The new resources (in English and Spanish) include a parent primer on education in the United States (designed mainly for immigrant families) and tip sheets on testing, supplemental education services, and reading.  These publications, as well as other parent-friendly resources, can be downloaded for free.  

2. Certificate on Joint School Running in China

On October 15th, the Chinese MOE issued a certificate allowing foreign investors to support Chinese schools.  The State Council is in charge of granting the certificate.