Fall 2013

EXCHANGES The CEI Newsletter

Updates from The China Exchange Initiative Happy Holidays from the China Exchange Initiative! We are

thrilled to announce the successful completion of the fall

portion of the 2013-2014 Administrator Shadowing Project

(ASP)! This year we focused our efforts on establishing new

partnerships in Pennsylvania and Oregon. Pennsylvania was

paired with schools in Hebei Province and Oregon with

schools in Shaanxi Province.

We held our hosting orientation meetings on September 12th

in Pennsylvania at the Berks County Intermediary Unit and on

September 27th in Oregon at the Confederation of Oregon

State Administrators. At the meetings we first introduced

everyone to CEI and to the education system in China. Then

we prepped everyone for hosting, going over what to include

in the shadowing week and dos and don't’s for hosting a

foreign guest. At the end we even had time for a quick

Chinese lesson!

On Sept 11 we also held an ASP reunion in Pennsylvania at

the BCIU. Participants traveled from all across the state to

take part. Steve Gerhard, Michelle Saylor, and Joe Padasak

gave presentations on the progress their schools have made

since participating, and discussed future goals and plans.

In addition to the Chinese administrators from Shaanxi and

Hebei, we also hosted a group of administrators from Handan,

Hebei this fall. These administrators were paired with

American schools in Massachusetts during the 2012-2013

ASP, but were unable to travel last year due to visa difficulties.

Their American partners traveled to China last April.

In this issue:

Updates from the China Exchange Initiative

Review of ASP, Fall 2013

Notable Next Steps

ASP 2013-2014 Program Participants

2

Review of ASP, Fall 2013

During their first week in the U.S., principals attended lectures and seminars in the Boston area to

give them an overview of the U.S. education system. At the Boston College Lynch School of Education,

Professor Irwin Blumer pushed the principals to expand their definition of a strong leader, while

simultaneously demonstrating how American teachers lead a participation-based seminar. Principals

discussed how they lead and encourage cooperation in their schools and techniques for improving their

effectiveness. At the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Professor Katherine Boles talked about

her research on how to create effective teacher teams in schools to improve instruction and create a

Dr. Julia Phelps gives a presentation at the DESE

school environment and culture

that fosters collaboration.

In order to learn more about

the role the state government

plays in education, the

delegation attended lectures at

the Department of Elementary

and Secondary Education

(DESE). Dr. Anping Shen and

Dr. Julia Phelps presented on

the role of the DESE and on the

Massachusetts Comprehensive

Assessment System (MCAS),

Massachusetts’s standardized

state exam.

In addition to lectures and seminars, administrators also visited local schools to learn more about

the distinction between public and private schools in America. They were very impressed by the warm

welcome they received at the Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart (NCD), a private

Roman Catholic all-girls school. We drove up to the building to find that the entire middle school had

lined the driveway, waving Chinese and American flags to welcome us. We were then whisked to the

auditorium, where headmistress Sister Rogers gave a formal welcome followed by a student

performance of scenes from the musical, The Pajama Game. NCD even prepared a translated

synopsis so their Chinese guests

could follow along. Principals

then attended a panel where they

learned about the differences

between private and public

schools and about the mission of

NCD.

Principals also visited

Newton South High School,

where Principal Joel Stembridge

gave them an introduction to the

school followed by a panel

discussion with the principal, vice

principal, chair of school board, a

department head, and a house

master. Each member introduced

Students at NCD line up to welcome the delegation of Chinese principals

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Review of ASP, Fall 2013

their role in the school, giving our guests a clear understanding of the governance structure of a typical

American public school.

To get a taste of Boston’s history and culture principals visited various sites in the city, including

Copley Square, Faneuil Hall, MIT, and the John F. Kennedy Museum. They even got to experience an

American dinner party when they were welcomed into the home of CEI cofounder and Brookline local

Charlotte Mason.

The Chinese delegation

also got a taste of Boston’s

sports culture when they

attended the Boston Celtics

game against the Charlotte

Bobcats at the TD Garden

stadium. While the principals

may have stood out in the

crowd in their business attire,

they quickly made friends with

the other fans. During half

time, everyone enjoyed the

cheerleading performances

and several principals caught

token mini basketballs that

were thrown to the crowd.

Principal Ma and Principal

Sun even made an

appearance on the

JumboTron three times! By

the end of the game they

were quite famous and

several fans asked to take

their pictures. Other Boston

notables were also at the

game, including Red Sox

player Mike Napoli. The close

score kept spectators on the

edge of their seats and, even

though the Celtics lost 83 to

89, the principals were still

thrilled to have this once in a

lifetime chance to attend an

NBA game.

Principal Cao poses at the Boston Harbor

Principal Yang and Principal Lu make friends with two Bostonians at a Celtics game.

The Chinese principals also had a spectacular time visiting their respective partner districts in

Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Oregon during the second week of the program.

In Pennsylvania, guests were picked up at the airport and taken to Nudy’s Café where they had a

traditional American breakfast with their partners, interpreters, and our regional partners, Connie

Skipper and Beth Kozloski. Afterwards, the group split up and headed out to their respective districts.

4

Review of ASP, Fall 2013

Many schools went all out with their

welcome ceremonies, gathering the entire

student body for speeches, student

performances, and gift presentations. At

the Tacony Academy Charter Schools,

students sang a Chinese folk song and

danced with Chinese fans at an assembly

for grades first through eighth. In Oregon,

Clara Brownell Middle School rolled out a

red roll-paper carpet decorated with

“welcome” in Chinese for their guest.

Several other schools prepared

performances by their a cappella groups,

and at Foxborough Regional Charter

School Massachusetts State

Representative Jay Barrows delivered a

welcoming speech.

A student dances at the welcome ceremony for Mr. Zhao at Tacony

Academy Preparatory Charter Elementary School

Schools also made special arrangements to give their partners a comprehensive introduction to

their school. In Oregon, Heather Cordie had a potluck at her home with the board of directors. The

board moved their monthly meeting so that Mr. Li could attend and even presented him with a plaque.

Mr. Li also had the opportunity to tour city hall and meet with the City Manager and Police Chief.

Principal Sun watches a worker tend to a hundred-year-old saddle

On Wednesday, our regional

partner Colin Cameron arranged

for the group to meet in Salem and

tour the capitol building, the

Department of Education, and

Willamette University.

Dianna Veleke and Jon Mishra

brought their partners to the

nation’s oldest western store,

where they spent the afternoon

touring the facilities, trying on hats,

and watching craftsmen take care

of saddles made hundreds of years

ago.

Several administrators also

used this opportunity to teach their

Chinese partners a little about the

history and traditions surrounding

Thanksgiving. Lee Loving in Oregon held a special early Thanksgiving dinner for his partner, Principal

Ma. In Pennsylvania, Beth Ann Haas also arranged for the Culinary students at Reading Muhlenberg

Career & Technology Center to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner for her guest, Principal Han. Kathy

Metrick, also in Pennsylvania, held a Thanksgiving Community Potluck with 70 people attending! In

Massachusetts, several administrators brought their guests to Plimoth Plantation where they learned

what life was like for the Wampanoag tribe and early English settlers in the 17th century.

5

Notable Next Steps

Participants in the Director Training Program ride bikes on the city wall in Xi’an

Several administrators from

the 2012-2013 ASP have been

very quick on their feet to

establish their own exchange

programs. Four participants

have already made

arrangements to send and/or

host students during the spring

of 2014.

The speediest of all was

Ron Griffin from Massachusetts,

who had already established

plans for the inaugural student

trip months before his Chinese

partner, Mr. Wang, had had

even set foot in America! Their

student exchange program will

start with one Chinese student

visiting Foxborough Regional

Charter school in March and

one American student visiting

The Handan No. 1 Middle

School in April.

Joe Padasak,

superintendent of the

Chambersburg Area School

District, and Wes Foltz, an

American History teacher, are

planning an exchange trip for

teachers in June and have

invited teachers from

surrounding towns to join as

well. Their goal is to increase

interest and understanding of

China and Chinese culture

among teachers, who will then

pass on that exposure to their

students.

Chambersburg has also

created a partnership with

Shippensburg University,

creating a China Field Studies

program open to students at all

levels from high school through

graduate. Participants will visit

several cities in China and spend

time at the Shijiazhuang No. 25

High School, Chambersburg’s

partner school.

Several other participants

have taken advantage of a

unique opportunity CEI offered

last summer, sending

representatives from their

schools to participate in CEI’s

first U.S.-China Exchange

Director Training Program. The

goal of this program is to train a

teacher champion in the day-to-

day responsibilities involved in

running an exchange program

in an effort to jump start

programs in their districts. The

results have been quite fruitful.

Deborah Jumpp (ASP 2012-

2013), principal of the Bodine

High School of International

Affairs selected Melanie Keiper,

an English teacher, to

spearhead her school’s efforts.

Together they have made plans

for eight students and two

teachers to visit their partner

the Shijiazhuang No. 4 High

School in April, 2014.

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Notable Next Steps

Janice Nuzzo (ASP 2012-

2013), Director of Student

Achievement for the

Allegheny Valley School

District, sent Nicholas

Spehar, a teacher at

Springdale Jr. and Sr. High

School. They have arranged

for ten students and two

teachers from their partner,

the Shijiazhuang No. 42

High School, to visit

Springdale High in early

February. Students will stay

with host families and spend

time shadowing students at

school. They will then go on

to visit Philadelphia and

New York before returning

home.

Karen Krisch visits a class at her partner school

Heidi Ondek (ASP 2011-2012), assistant Superintendent of Quaker Valley School District,

selected Susan Gentile, principal of Edgeworth Elementary school to participate. Their district has just

started a Chinese program, beginning with a 9-week exploratory course for 6th graders and then

offering Mandarin as a year-long language option starting in 7th grade. They also have two Chinese

students attending their high school this year, who will receive Quaker Valley diplomas. In the future

they hope to start a two-week exchange program for students, teachers, and administrators.

Nick Spehar takes an art class with Chinese students and American administrators

Karen Krisch, Principal

of Bellefonte Area Middle

School, represented the

Wilson School district on

the program for Michelle

Saylor (ASP 2010-2011),

Wilson’s Director of

Curriculum, Instruction and

Professional Development.

They plan to host a group

of teachers and

administrators from their

sister school, the

Shijiazhuang No. 20 Middle

School, in the fall of 2014

and hope to send their first

student to China in either

the fall of 2014 or spring of

2015.

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2013-2014 U.S.-CHINA ASP MATCHING LIST

Pennsylvania Hebei Burdette Chapel, Principal

Chambersburg Area Senior High School

Chambersburg

Xu Shaochuan, Principal

Yongnian County No.1 Senior High School

Handan

Sterling Rayvon Garris, CEO and Principal

Tacony Academy Charter School

Philadelphia

Kuishu Zhao, Principal

XunZi Middle School

Handan

Dr. Beth Ann Haas, Supervisor of Curriculum and Professional Development

Reading Muhlenberg Career and Technology Center

Reading

Ergang Han, Principal

Shijiazhuang Vocational Education Center

Shijiazhuang

Ernest Holiday, CEO and Principal

Delaware Valley Charter High School

Philadelphia

Xianping Yang, Principal

Shexian No.1 High School

Handan

Katherine Metrick, Superintendent

Kutztown Area School District

Kutztown

Zhaotang Wang, Principal

Handan No.23 Middle School

Handan

Barbara Wolf, Principal

Grandview Elementary School

Chambersburg

Wang Kuishen, Principal

Experimental Primary School of Hanshan

Handan

Oregon Shaanxi Kelly Carlisle, Director of High Schools

Salem-Keizer School District

Salem

Geliang Yang, Principal

Fengxiang Senior High School

Baoji

Heather H. Cordie, Superintendent

Sherwood School District

Sherwood

Jianhua Li, Principal

Fugu County Senior High School

Yulin

Lee W. Loving, Principal

Ridgeview High School

Redmond

Xin Ma, Principal

Puji Senior High School

Xianyang

Jon Mishra, Director of Operations and Business Services

Hermiston School District 8R

Hermiston

Aiping Lan, Principal

Yan’an Senior High School

Yan’an

Bob Stewart, Superintendent Gladstone School District

Gladstone

Gaoyuan Lu, Principal

Xi’an No. 89 Middle School

Xi’an

Matt Thatcher, Principal

Cascade High School

Turner

Baikang He, Principal

Mian County No. 1 Middle School

Hanzhong

Dianna Veleke, Principal

Clara Brownell Middle School

Umatilla

Jianguo Sun, Vice Principal

Changqing No. 2 Middle School

Xi’an