Bilingual Secondary Education in Beijing

[xzguy]

Truthfully for the money we are shelling out I am thinking Renmin Unversity High School (their international division) and Tsinghua HS is also another one.

I think if my kid can test into the normal Beida school I would rather he go there, after all he gets the same diploma if he graduates from the regular BDFZ 0r it's international division (in other words there is no recognition that it is from the international division if he graduates). The summer taking drama courses at Hotchkiss hardly justify the significant price increase. I heard from the woman who told me about BDFZ that they actually have a separate program in BDFZ where the students learn American history , multiple English classes, prepare for the SAT's etc.

I think my distrust of non-licensed teachers comes from having taught in public and private schools back home. I would hope the two years I spent specifically studying curriculum development would make me a little more qualified than someone who has a BA in Journalism in doing the same task. Admittedly I taught with a teacher with only a BA in Religion and she was a great social studies teacher. I also met public school teachers who should never be teaching anyone anything even though they are licensed.

Which is why I am saying it is good now, but it is not quite there yet.

When it comes to Jiang I get rubbed the wrong way by him. I am going to be respectful of the very good conversation and keep my opinions to myself.Although admittedly I never would have found out about this website if I weren't trying to find academic papers (and not just opinion pieces) by Jiang. So in that respect he has been useful.

I am really appreciating all the information I have gotten just from this discussion thread. It has saved me a lot of time (I crossed off Hujia after the "Grammer" remark)

[xzguy]

Here is an article about Jiang's previous endeavor at Shenzen. This is his account, which no doubt leaves out the gory details (and he seems to forget it when he talks about what a success it was) When my wife asked him specifically about it IE why was it a famous program he was at a bit of a loss to explain why. The only proof I could find that it indeed ever existed was his blog with his assignments (which where quite good, if the students could accomplish them)

A new questions to move the discussion along:

What is everyone looking for in their international program? Have there been any that we should save our time and skip altogether?

[knickherboots]

I made a brief call to the SMIC school （中芯学校）in Yizhuang, Beijing. They run English and Chinese sections, but these only go up to 8th and 9th grade, respectively, and, contrary to information on their website, there are no immediate plans to open classes in higher grades. There are only around twenty 7th graders in total, about ten each in the English and Chinese sections. Admissions staff told me that they were very selective about students, but I think our son would do better with a few more classmates. I have no idea why the upper grades are so small. Maybe the point is for the school to basically serve SMIC employees.

[gato]

SMIC, the company, is not doing that well financially, so maybe they are trying to cut back on these commitments outside the core business.

[knickherboots]

We decided on the International Section at the Tsinghua University Affiliated High School, which goes by "THIS", a somewhat unfortunate acronym. It came down to four schools: ISB, Dulwich, THIS, and the International Section of Peking University Affiliated High School (PKUHS). We only had our son apply to the last two, and he was accepted to both. The International Section of PKUHS just completed its first academic year and is recruiting their second crop of tenth graders. They had plans to recruit students for seventh grade, which is where our son is headed, but had very few applicants. Although our kid was accepted there, we were told that a final decision on whether to open a seventh grade section might not be made until the end of August. Because THIS obviously needed an earlier commitment (and tuition payment), the final decision was made for us. THIS is also a very new school, which will be entering its third year.

Unlike PKUHS Intl. Sect., which is open to all nationalities (but, as far as I know, last year only enrolled PRC nationals), THIS students are required to hold a foreign passport. (I don't know if a Hong Kong ID card also works.) It appears that many THIS students are the children of returnees who were educated abroad. The THIS teachers are mostly Americans, and also some Chinese who were educated in the United States and have teaching experience there. I like that THIS maintains some Chinese aspects--it doesn't appear as "bubble-like" as ISB or Dulwich. I think that the American teachers there have had more exposure to Chinese culture before arriving at THIS than the typical international school teacher. Although many international school teachers have an interest in the local culture, they often don't know much about it before they arrive, and then they leave again for a new post in a few years. Pedogogical leanings and curriculum at THIS are clearly American.

ISB, with its cafes and students prancing through the halls, has a relaxed, club-like atmosphere. Having said that, I'm sure that there are many diligent and intelligent students there. Dulwich seemed more academically-oriented, but it was hard to tell if it was very selective. Matriculation data from neither is very impressive. They do send a few students to outstanding schools, but I don't think that their placement compares to top prep schools in the United States. (I'm not familiar with UK schools.) My sense is that they would fall around the midway point of prep schools in the United States. I recall tuition at ISB being about RMB 170,000, and Dulwich almost RMB 200,000. Tuition at THIS is RMB 100,000. The curriculum offerings at THIS are not as broad or deep as either ISB or Dulwich, but neither does it have as many students. The THIS website lists all sorts of "people in charge", so it's a little unclear about who actually runs the school. Also, there evidently were some "issues" during its first year--I don't know the details--but it seems like the school functioned more smoothly this past year. Cost was an issue, but not a clearly decisive one. If tuition were the same at all three schools, would we still send our kid to THIS? I don't know. Maybe not. Maybe Dulwich.

If PKUHS Intl. Sect. had been an option, we may have had him go there. Mssrs. Jiang and Wang, heads of the Intl. Sect. and PKUHS itself, are very self-consciously blazing a trail in secondary education in China by focusing on critical thought and a student-centered, dialogue-based approach to teaching. While a lot of schools in China--primarily elementary schools--were given the tag "experimental school" (实验学校) a long time ago but are indistinguishable from other schools, PKUHS under Wang and the Intl. Sect. are actual experiments in educational reform. Jiang is a charismatic leader who doesn't mind--and even appears to revel in--being provocative. (See the newsletters on the Intl. Sect. website (in Chinese) to get a sense of his style, though I don't know if those are an accurate reflection of his in-person persona.) One thing that didn't make too much sense for us there was the focus on developing a high level of functioning English skills. As a native English speaker fluent in Chinese, our son's background would have made him a bit of an odd duck. Now, going to an English-curriculum school, we want to make sure that he can continue to develop those skills, especially in written Chinese. We don't know how rigorous those Chinese classes will be and will probably have to supplement with outside work or instruction.

[gato]

One thing that didn't make too much sense for us was the focus of the PKUHS Intl. Sect. on developing a high level of functioning English skills. now that he's moving to a school where the curriculum is taught in English, with the exception of Chinese classes. We don't know how rigorous those Chinese classes will be.

Yes, it does seem that the perfect solution does exist yet. Maybe if Jiang came over and ran THIS and change it to an Chinese-based instruction....

[roddy]

Thanks for all write-up!

[msittig]

Excellent write-ups in this thread. It all resonates with what I see in Shanghai, and have read about Jiang/Wang at PKU. I echo Roddy's post.

Next week I will be starting a new position in the International (IB) Track of an ambitious Chinese private middle/high school here in Shanghai proper. It will be interesting to compare it to what has been discussed in this thread.

[limcy69]

Knickherboots -- I understand you have decided on THIS. How's your kid doing there after the first two months? My girl currently goes to Daystar. I like what Daystar is doing with the Chinese curriculum, but unfortunately the school does not cater to children beyond Sixth Grade. As I have decided to stay in Beijing for a long while, I am now conisdering for my kid a transfer in September next year to another school which would provide continuity to her learning up to A Level/IB.

Dulwich (IB), Harrow (A Level), and British School of Beijing (A Level) are the schools under consideration. I am planning to visit all of them and may choose one which offers the best Chinese curriculum. I am really struggling mentally now, as I know my girl's Chinese learning will be hindered once she enrols into a pure international school...but I guess one cant have best of all worlds...sigh.

[knickherboots]

So far, so good. Our son's experience at Huijia was mixed, and we think the move to THIS has been a good one--at least so far. Our son seems much more engaged in his classes and is required to be think more critically and creatively about the material that is presented. He's getting along well with classmates and recently said he was pleasantly surprised that he found no evidence of bullying. There are two levels of Chinese class for his grade, and, thanks to his efforts (and that of his teachers) at Huijia, he is in the advanced level. Because the rest of his coursework is in English, and he still has a preference for written English, we are still trying to figure out ways to help him develop his Chinese reading and writing skills. But we at least know that the strong Chinese skills of many of his classmates can allow the Chinese teachers at THIS to work at a challenging level. THIS follows an American-style curriculum.

Of the three schools you mention, I only really know Dulwich. In the context of international schools in China, it seems like a very good school.

[limcy69]

We visited THIS before but decided on Daystar. We plan to visit the British schools next. Some people in other forum have recommended WAB and ISB...so perhaps I will visit these two too. That said, I am still inclined to choose a British school.

[knickherboots]

One-year update.

Our son's first year at THIS was a major improvement over Huijia, but his skills in reading and writing Chinese have suffered. This is to be expected when moving to a school where the main language of instruction is English. It's been hard for me to evaluate the Chinese classes at THIS, but I think he has benefited from being surrounded by a lot of kids who are native or near-native speakers. On the other hand, this has meant that he hasn't been particularly challenged in English courses. Math has been rather slow too. He had great science, English, and social studies teachers.

As he's gotten older, however, our little darling has become less willing to discuss life at school with his parents, who are trying to negotiate these changes, so it's gotten more difficult to assess his performance and abilities. He's doing that typical American teenager thing--trying to get his parents off his back as he develops more independence.

Unfortunately, Jiang Xueqin is no longer running Peking University High School International Section, and now resides in Toronto. I don't know anything else about what is happening at that school.

[gato]

Thanks for the update, knickherboots.

Is your son in 8th grade now? Can you give us a little more detail on the type of material that your son is studying in his various classes (e.g., algebra/geometry in math? 红楼梦 in Chinese, Harry Potter/Dickens in English? Magna Carta/Chinese civil war in social studies, evolution / anatomy in science, etc.).

Just wanted to see what level they are teaching in these types of schools here. I wonder how the difficulty level compares with the local schools and schools in other countries.

[knickherboots]

Yes, 8th grade. History is some sort of premodern world history, where the class has covered different civs so far, e.g., Incas, West Africa, Japan. Math seems rather basic--U.S. level and nothing like the work he'd do at a local Chinese school. Chinese is divided into three levels, and he's in the second level, for students who are very fluent but not not native in reading and writing. (Or native-level but lazy.) They're using an advanced text aimed at, I think, overseas heritage learners. (The Chinese teachers seem to be seconded from Tsinghua High School.) His science teacher last year was outstanding--they covered biological science. This year it's closer to what I'd call physical sciences, including some chemistry concepts. The English readings escape me now, other than The Outsiders. (One of last year's readings was The Hobbit.)

Although only around a dozen or so students graduated last year, placement was surprisingly good, certainly comparable to ISB and Dulwich, though I'd like to see if that holds up with a larger sample. The school is offering more AP courses this year, which is a good sign.

One problem is that the English skills of some students are still too weak, and this limits the pace and depth of the coursework.

[gato]

Interesting, knickherboots.