China to Build China-America Incubation Sites for 100,000 K-12 Education Researchers and Teacher Trainers

The forum highlighted the current and future challenges and reforms facing China's teacher leaders (formally referred to as "education researchers and teacher trainers" in the field of China's education), who work at 2,800 city-level educational bureaus and assist nearly 20 million K-12 Chinese teachers with their professional development. Attendees discussed how to address the growing demand for transformation of K-12 education. It was the first time the organizer engaged the representatives of American educational organizations in this unique type of academic exchange.

Yuexia Liu, chair of the forum, deputy director of NCCT and head of the China K-12 Curriculum and Textbook Experts Committee, said that 100,000 education researchers and teacher trainers have contributed greatly to the successful management of nearly 20 million teachers as well as over 200 million primary and middle school students all around China for the past over 60 years. They work at nearly 300,000 local, provincial and national level schools, providing multi-level professional teacher education management services throughout the whole education system. They manage the unique aspects of China's education system, including assisting teachers with their professional development, making educational evaluations, and monitoring educational management efficiency in schools and regional education systems.

Yuexia Liu said, given the trend that both the Chinese and US governments are strengthening their cooperation on cultural and educational exchanges, the NCCT is looking forward to collaborating with their American counterparts to introduce training programs, educational standards, evaluation systems, and the technologies to conduct evaluation and monitoring, for education researchers and teacher trainers. In particular, this collaboration will actively bring STEM curricula to China while introducing Chinese cultural curricula and training Chinese educational researchers and teacher trainers in America.

Under the coordination of IEEA, NCCT is outlining cooperation with leading American education institutes, including the AACTE, in the following key areas: (1)establishing incubation sites in Shanghai (China) and California (America) to improve education researchers and teacher trainers' comprehensive competence in curricula development and management, teachers' leadership, application of information technologies and collaboration, etc.; (2) setting up experimental schools and districts in America for Chinese cultural curricula; (3) improving regional education evaluation and educational monitoring technology; (4) installing STEM curricula and teaching models in China and America incubation sites.        

The NCCT also plans to introduce the participation of industry leading social philanthropy funds to explore sustainable funding and management models. To reach these goals, the NCCT has decided to set up a specific project committee of top Chinese and American educational institutes as well as business investors to lead the project. 

Yudong Liang, a keynote speaker and manager of the China Internet Education Industry Investment Fund, stated, "Under the guidance of the NCCT, authoritative Chinese and American educational institutes jointly reach the cooperation. We will come together with reputable Chinese and international funds, listed companies, financial institutions and family foundations in a bid to conduct programs and establish education researchers and teachers' training bases, which will lead educational development. And we will provide financial support for the establishment of 7 major Chinese education researchers and teachers' training bases." 

Emily Hu, coordinator for the establishment of China-America incubation sites and President of IEEA (China), said after many years of effort by IEEA, China-America incubation sites have been established with the guidance and promotion of NCCT. The sites will focus on training of education researchers and teacher trainers and the improvement in education evaluation and monitoring technology.

The sites will serve the following purposes:

First, the sites will greatly facilitate the deep cooperation with American universities, teacher colleges, professional education associations and schools, to conduct programs for education researchers, teacher trainers and education leaders.

Second, the sites can drive cooperation with advanced American educational technology companies, educational evaluation and monitoring technology organizations, big data analysis and application institutions, to develop and promote the use of AR and VR technology in educational field.

Third, the sites will deepen the cooperation with American STEM education institutes and organizers of international STEM competitions.

Fourth, the sites will facilitate the promotion of American educational evaluation and accreditation systems in China, and drive the introduction of curricula, educational programs, mode, and technology into China.

Sharon P. Robinson, the specially invited guest, noted, "As the President and CEO of the AACTE, an organization with more than 850 institutional members and 158 years of history in promoting teacher training and development as well as influencing education policy in the US, I am very interested in introducing the Chinese teacher trainer system to my colleagues in the US and promoting research and learning in this area as well as introducing ways for Chinese curricula to meet US standards so that more US students enjoy the benefit this cross-culture exchange. I would also be more than happy to introduce our Chinese colleagues US STEM curricula, standards for teachers (pre-services and in-service), education measurement instruments for individual teachers and educational organizations and would be pleased to be able to collaborate with the NCCT, East China Normal University and other Chinese education institutions and organizations to continue to deepen our work together and build a brighter future for students in both countries."   

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SOURCE Shenzhen Innovation Corporate Social Responsibility Development Center