Skywalker Curriculum Summit
Representatives from the Center visited the Skywalker Ranch in California for a four-day summit to develop a Dual Language International Early Learning School. Experts from Asia and the United States worked together to create the framework for a research based state of the art learning experience. Representatives from Sesame Workshop, Leapfrog, Oracle, Chinese Education Ministry, Sun Wah Education, and the George Lucas Education Foundation were in attendance. The meetings at the Ranch were complemented by visits to two dual language emersion schools in the San Francisco area. These visits, along with productive discussion, resulted in a series of ideas that will form the framework for the first Dual Language Preschool to be opened in Beijing in September 2005.

Advisory Board Meeting
On February 10th, the US-China Center hosted its first annual advisory board meeting at MSU. Members from the advisory board convened for a full day of discussions centered on the work of the Center. Questions addressed included:

1) What are the topics and issues that the Center may want to study over the next 1-3 years?
2) What are possible venues, events, and opportunities the Center may enlist to disseminate ideas and facilitate communication?
3) What other organizations, partners, and sponsors might we consider aligning ourselves with that may serve as a catalyst for progress towards goals?

Advisors representing the World Bank, Michigan State University, Council of Chief State School Officers, American Institutes for Research, the Atlantic Philanthropic Service Company, and the Asia Society were in attendance. The discussions were both informative and helpful to focusing and planning the work of the Center.

Summer Conference Announced
The US-China Center, in collaboration with the Office of K-12 Outreach at Michigan State University, announced a Conference Series on Secondary Education Reform to begin this summer, from July 18th-20th 2005. More than 100 Chinese educational leaders are expected to attend as well as a contingency of their American counterparts. Keynote speakers will include Susan Sclafani, Assistant Secretary, Office of Vocational and Adult Education and Brian J. Caldwell, Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne. For more information, visit http://www.msu.edu/~yangwen/home.htm .

X-Pacific Launches International Forum
The X-Pacific project launched a forum in January that will allow participants from Nanki Middle School and Beachwood Middle School to communicate with each other directly in a virtual space. Students, teachers, and principals will all be able to comment on each others’ school and learning experiences. The forum will facilitate greater communication between the schools and foster relationships that relate to the main goals of the project.

New Personnel Join the Center
Graduate students David Kirkland, Gaoming Zhang, and Steve Wojcikiewicz all joined the Center this past January. They each bring unique expertise and experiences which will greatly contribute to our future endeavors.

Upcoming Activities & Events

• The book on government’s influence on education is to be published.
• Research briefs on “teachers and teaching,” “learners and learning,” “curriculum,” “leadership,” and “family and community” will be translated into Chinese and published in China.
• The Center is creating literature reviews on Teacher Induction and Teacher Research in China.
• New Chinese national K-9 math and science curriculum standards are being translated into English.
• X-Pacific project focuses on Beachwood this month by exploring three topics: “winter vacation,” “parent-teacher conference” and “final exams.” The same topics will be studied with Nankai in March.
• “Hot Topics” has invited more subscribers and has adapted its focus to practice in teaching, learning, curriculum, leadership and parenting according to readers’ interests.