Top Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators

How can U.S. students compete globally? They can start by learning Chinese....

from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/education/07education.html?_r=2

Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators
By SAM DILLON
Published: December 7, 2010

With China’s debut in international standardized testing, students in Shanghai have surprised experts by outscoring their counterparts in dozens of other countries, in reading as well as in math and science, according to the results of a respected exam.


American officials and Europeans involved in administering the test in about 65 countries acknowledged that the scores from Shanghai — an industrial powerhouse with some 20 million residents and scores of modern universities that is a magnet for the best students in the country — are by no means representative of all of China.

About 5,100 15-year-olds in Shanghai were chosen as a representative cross-section of students in that city. In the United States, a similar number of students from across the country were selected as a representative sample for the test.

Experts noted the obvious difficulty of using a standardized test to compare countries and cities of vastly different sizes. Even so, they said the stellar academic performance of students in Shanghai was noteworthy, and another sign of China’s rapid modernization.

The results also appeared to reflect the culture of education there, including greater emphasis on teacher training and more time spent on studying rather than extracurricular activities like sports.

“Wow, I’m kind of stunned, I’m thinking Sputnik,” said Chester E. Finn Jr., who served in President Ronald Reagan’s Department of Education, referring to the groundbreaking Soviet satellite launching. Mr. Finn, who has visited schools all across China, said, “I’ve seen how relentless the Chinese are at accomplishing goals, and if they can do this in Shanghai in 2009, they can do it in 10 cities in 2019, and in 50 cities by 2029.”

The test, the Program for International Student Assessment, known as PISA, was given to 15-year-old students by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a Paris-based group that includes the world’s major industrial powers.

The results are to be released officially on Tuesday, but advance copies were provided to the news media a day early.

“We have to see this as a wake-up call,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in an interview on Monday.

“I know skeptics will want to argue with the results, but we consider them to be accurate and reliable, and we have to see them as a challenge to get better,” he added. “The United States came in 23rd or 24th in most subjects. We can quibble, or we can face the brutal truth that we’re being out-educated.”

In math, the Shanghai students performed in a class by themselves, outperforming second-place Singapore, which has been seen as an educational superstar in recent years. The average math scores of American students put them below 30 other countries.

PISA scores are on a scale, with 500 as the average. Two-thirds of students in participating countries score between 400 and 600. On the math test last year, students in Shanghai scored 600, in Singapore 562, in Germany 513, and in the United States 487.

In reading, Shanghai students scored 556, ahead of second-place Korea with 539. The United States scored 500 and came in 17th, putting it on par with students in the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and several other countries.

In science, Shanghai students scored 575. In second place was Finland, where the average score was 554. The United States scored 502 — in 23rd place — with a performance indistinguishable from Poland, Ireland, Norway, France and several other countries.

The testing in Shanghai was carried out by an international contractor, working with Chinese authorities, and overseen by the Australian Council for Educational Research, a nonprofit testing group, said Andreas Schleicher, who directs the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s international educational testing program.

Mark Schneider, a commissioner of the Department of Education’s research arm in the George W. Bush administration, who returned from an educational research visit to China on Friday, said he had been skeptical about some PISA results in the past. But Mr. Schneider said he considered the accuracy of these results to be unassailable.

“The technical side of this was well regulated, the sampling was O.K., and there was no evidence of cheating,” he said.

Mr. Schneider, however, noted some factors that may have influenced the outcome.

For one thing, Shanghai is a huge migration hub within China. Students are supposed to return to their home provinces to attend high school, but the Shanghai authorities could increase scores by allowing stellar students to stay in the city, he said. And Shanghai students apparently were told the test was important for China’s image and thus were more motivated to do well, he said.

“Can you imagine the reaction if we told the students of Chicago that the PISA was an important international test and that America’s reputation depended on them performing well?” Mr. Schneider said. “That said, China is taking education very seriously. The work ethic is amazingly strong.”

In a speech to a college audience in North Carolina, President Obama recalled how the Soviet Union’s 1957 launching of Sputnik provoked the United States to increase investment in math and science education, helping America win the space race.

“Fifty years later, our generation’s Sputnik moment is back,” Mr. Obama said. With billions of people in India and China “suddenly plugged into the world economy,” he said, nations with the most educated workers will prevail. “As it stands right now,” he said, “America is in danger of falling behind.”

If Shanghai is a showcase of Chinese educational progress, America’s showcase would be Massachusetts, which has routinely scored higher than all other states on America’s main federal math test in recent years.

But in a 2007 study that correlated the results of that test with the results of an international math exam, Massachusetts students scored behind Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Shanghai did not participate in the test.

A 259-page Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report on the latest Pisa results notes that throughout its history, China has been organized around competitive examinations. “Schools work their students long hours every day, and the work weeks extend into the weekends,” it said.

Chinese students spend less time than American students on athletics, music and other activities not geared toward success on exams in core subjects. Also, in recent years, teaching has rapidly climbed up the ladder of preferred occupations in China, and salaries have risen. In Shanghai, the authorities have undertaken important curricular reforms, and educators have been given more freedom to experiment.

Ever since his organization received the Shanghai test scores last year, Mr. Schleicher said, international testing experts have investigated them to vouch for their accuracy, expecting that they would produce astonishment in many Western countries.

“This is the first time that we have internationally comparable data on learning outcomes in China,” Mr. Schleicher said. “While that’s important, for me the real significance of these results is that they refute the commonly held hypothesis that China just produces rote learning.”

“Large fractions of these students demonstrate their ability to extrapolate from what they know and apply their knowledge very creatively in novel situations,” he said

Interest in Learning Mandarin Soars

http://www.economist.com/node/17522444?story_id=17522444&fsrc=rss

Teaching Chinese
Mandarin's Great Leap Forward
Interest soars in learning China’s official language
Nov 18th 2010 | SINGAPORE | from PRINT EDITION



ON A small street in Singapore’s Chinatown Fu Xianling, the founder of a language-education company called New Concept Mandarin, searches for additional office space. Mr Fu wants to expand his business with the lofty ambition of competing with the industry leader, Rosetta Stone. Demand for his product has increased by 20% over the past two years.

As the Chinese economy surges, so does interest in Mandarin. The Chinese government estimates some 40m people study Mandarin outside the country, up from 30m in 2005. A tight job market in the West is partly responsible. According to a survey in September by Rosetta Stone, 58% of Americans believe the lack of foreign-language skills among native workers will lead to foreigners taking high-paying jobs. “The recession has focused people on where growth is going to come from,” says Tom Adams, the firm’s chief executive. Among existing corporate customers logging into the company’s multi-language programme, the number learning Mandarin increased by 1,800% between 2008 and 2010.

Fred Rao, the founder of eChinese Learning, which offers one-on-one Mandarin instruction through Skype, predicts fierce competition. Taking a page from Mr Rao’s playbook, Rosetta Stone recently launched a new way for its Mandarin students to connect via video links to instructors in China.

Asia remains the core market. The Beijing Language and Culture University Press, the largest publisher of Chinese-language textbooks, says South Korea and Japan are its biggest customers. The number of Indonesians studying in Chinese institutions increased by 42% between 2007 and 2009, according to the Chinese embassy in Jakarta. In September India’s education minister proposed Mandarin classes at state schools.

The question remains whether the Mandarin rush will prove a fad. Japanese and Russian also had “hot” periods, only to recede in popularity. And Chinese can be controversial. With some parents fearful of communist influence, a California school district recently turned down $30,000 per year from the Chinese government to pay for Mandarin classes.

Yet Mandarin ought to continue to grow. In America just 4% of schools teach the language. In Britain, though Mandarin is spreading, the most popular languages by far remain Spanish, French and German. There is a long way to go before China’s main language becomes as widespread as its economic influence.

Expanded Advisory Committee

The Chinese Language School of Connecticut Expands Advisory Committee

-- Professionals will work with local business leaders to expand CLSC’s programs and services --

“We’re very fortunate and extremely pleased to have such dynamic professionals working with us to expand our Chinese language learning and program services,” said New Canaan resident, CLSC president and board member, Susan Serven.


Riverside, CT, November 15, 2009 – The Chinese Language School of Connecticut (www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org), the non-profit Riverside, CT-based provider of Chinese language programs and services to students, schools and corporations, has announced the expansion of their Advisory Committee.

Former Greenwich First Selectman Jim Lash explained, "The dramatic growth of the Chinese Language School of Connecticut comes as no surprise given the high quality of their programs and the rise of the global economy. Every child will be better prepared for the new world of work by being exposed to the Chinese language and culture."

Former CLSC Board Chair, Greenwich resident Raymond E. Dunn, said, “We are very excited to gain the benefit of experience and guidance that these leaders and professionals will bring to our school. After seven years of operation we now service about 1,000 students through programs via our regular classes, tutoring, before and after school programs, workshops, special classes and summer camp. CLSC faculty or faculty alumni are now teaching at a number of private and public schools in Fairfield and Westchester counties. The interest we have found in our community for a continued strengthening and broadening of our programs is both exciting and challenging. We believe that CLSC will benefit significantly from the commitment the new Advisory Board has made to help us move our programs forward to better serve existing and future students and parents.

“We’re very fortunate and extremely pleased to have such dynamic professionals working with us to expand our Chinese language learning and program services,” said New Canaan resident, CLSC president and board member, Susan Serven. “Our expanded Advisory Committee will be instrumental in helping us expand our reach in order to allow more children to learn Chinese, and will work with us and local business leaders to broaden our services to the community,” she continued.

Advisory Committee members include:

Jeffay F. Chang, of Pelham, NY, serves as the East Coast Trust Strategist for the Goldman Sachs Trust Companies. He was named Executive Vice President with responsibility over national marketing and sales in 2008. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs in May 2004, Jeffay was a Corporate Vice President in the Private Wealth Services Group of UBS Financial Services where he provided counseling and planning services for ultra high net worth clients in such areas as wealth transfer and philanthropic planning, stock option exercise planning, and hedging and monetizing concentrated equity positions. Prior to UBS Financial Services, Jeffay was a Financial Planner in the Financial Planning Group of US Trust and before that was a Trust Officer in the Trust Settlement Department of US Trust. Jeffay obtained his B.A. from Brandeis University and J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, New York State Bar Association, New York Bankers Association, Estate Planning Council of New York City and the Westchester Estate Planning Council.

Da Chen, of Highland Park, NY, the, NY Times bestselling author of “Colors of the Mountain”, “China’s Son”, “Sounds of the River”, “Wandering Warrior” and “Brothers” arrived in America at the age of 23 with $30 in his pocket, a bamboo flute, and a heart filled with hope. He attended Columbia University School of Law on a full scholarship, and upon graduating, worked for the Wall Street investment banking firm of Rothschilds, Inc.
His most recent book, “Brothers” was nominated for a 2007 Quill award. Please visit www.DaChen.org

Samantha Wu Connell, of Stamford, is currently CLSC Chinese New Year Chair. She was born in Taipei, Taiwan and emigrated to the US as a young child. Sam graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995 with a BA in English and Psychology. After four years in marketing, she enrolled in culinary school and graduated with honors from New York City's Institute of Culinary Education Pastry Arts Program. Sam was an Associate Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living Magazine and has worked as a Food Stylist and Cake Designer. She currently lives in Stamford with her husband, Dan, and their children Quincy and Tobin.

Raymond Dunn, of Greenwich, is a co-founding partner of New York based maritime investment banking and brokerage firm Shipping & Finance LLC. Prior to that, he was an investment banker with UBS Securities for 14 years. He was Vice President of the Asian Business Society while an MBA student at Columbia and following graduation and prior to joining UBS, he was a research consultant at the OECD as a member of the China research team. Subsequently at UBS for several years, Mr. Dunn was head of international equity capital markets in New York with responsibility for both Europe and Asia. He also spent time seconded to UBS' Hong Kong office and worked extensively with Taiwanese companies. Mr. Dunn’s four children have attended CLSC and he is a member of the China Institute.

Laurie Heiss, of Greenwich, brings a successful professional background in the private sector and a deep personal commitment to educational initiatives to CLSC. Her career included high-level sales and marketing positions at GE for over a decade, Gateway Computer and IBM.

Most recently she has served two years as the Co-President of the PTA at Greenwich High School representing those 1400 member families and leading the 300 volunteers who support the operations of this large school. As a middle school parent she helped lead the parent-student effort to offer Mandarin at the high school. Previously, she chaired the Arts-in-Education efforts in the Town of Greenwich, a joint body of public and private school representatives organized as a sub-committee of PTA Council; she also chaired the Fairfield County Performing Arts & Enrichment Council.

She is a founding member of the Redding Preservation Society, a trustee of the Land Trust in Redding, where she owns a farm, and she serves on the board of The Merritt Parkway Conservancy.

She is a graduate of Connecticut College, where she received the Fielding Award base on contributions to class, college and community. She majored in Field Biology and Anthropology.

Susan S. Huang, of Greenwich, is an independent consultant in the asset management business, and is a Trustee on the boards of HSBC Global Investor Funds, United Church of Christ Foundation and Huntington’s Disease Society. She also contributes her financial and fund-raising expertise for other charitable, educational and cultural organizations, and is currently a Director of the Music and Endowment Committees, and a member of the Second Congregational Church Council in Greenwich.

Susie spent much of her career in money management and in developing the investment business in the U.S., Middle East and Asia. Her latest assignment was with Schroder Investment Management, and her other selected clients have included The Beacon Group, Ashmore, Chase VISTA Board, Lend Lease, and State of Alaska Pension Fund. Prior to her retirement from Chase Asset Management where she was Managing Director and Head of Fixed Income, she held senior investment positions at Hyperion Capital, CS First Boston, and The Equitable where she began her career in 1978.

Susie was a concert pianist in Asia and was featured as a soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic before coming to the U.S. in 1972. She holds a piano degree with honors from the Juilliard School of Music, a BA cum laude from Princeton University and an MBA from Columbia University. She is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and Shanghainese, and lives in Greenwich with her husband, Tony Kane and daughter, Shelley. She also sings in the choir at the Second Congregational Church.


Jim Lash, of Greenwich, is currently Chairman of the private equity firm Manchester Principal LLC. He grew up in Pontiac, Michigan, graduated from MIT in 1966 with a degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, and earned his MBA from Tulane University in 1969. Jim has served as First Selectman of Greenwich, CT from 2003-2007.

Jim’s work has involved holding principal and senior operating positions in primarily the manufacturing sector including serving as Chairman and CEO of Reading Tube Corporation from 1982 to 1996. From 1970 to 1976 Jim was a consultant with Touche Ross & Co. where his clients included the government agencies such as the city of Boston, and the country of New Zealand.

Prior to his work in management consulting, Jim’s career included serving as Assistant Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration at Tulane University where he also taught graduate level courses in information technology.

While a student at MIT, Jim joined the Apollo Space Program team working at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory and Lincoln Laboratory between 1962 and 1966. After graduating from MIT, Jim accepted an offer from the Boeing Company in New Orleans to continue his work on the Apollo Program and worked on this mission as an Astronautical Engineer until 1969.

Jim Lash has served the interests of literacy, higher education, performing arts, medical research and international commerce with current and recent Board memberships including the City Center in New York (Chair Finance Committee); Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Member of the Corporation/Trustee, President of the Alumni/ae Association, Campaign Steering Committee); Baker Hughes, Inc. (Board member of Audit and Finance Committees), The East West Institute (Finance Committee); The American Cancer Society (Chairman of the Wayne County Detroit Unit) and the Greenwich Library Board (President).

Jim and his wife Debby Jones Lash moved to Greenwich in 1983. Debby has served the Greenwich community in numerous ways including being Chairman of the United Way Board of Greenwich and former President of the Greenwich Junior League. Jim and Debby are active in sailing and tennis and are members of several clubs including the Belle Haven Club, the New York Yacht Club and the Northeast Harbor Fleet (Commodore) here and in Maine where they have enjoyed many summer seasons.

Deborah Hsu Serianni, of Old Greenwich, is currently CLSC Parent Committee Chair, and was Vice President Global Marketing Personal Care & Wellness of Avon Products Inc., a leading beauty company and the world largest direct selling company. In this position, she was responsible for establishing global goals and strategies, new product development, advertising and print material for all regions around the world. Prior moving to the New York global headquarters, Mrs. Serianni was Regional Vice President Marketing of Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong.

Previously, Mrs. Serianni worked for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Product Group where she most recently served as Vice President Skin Care, Asia Pacific-China. In that role, she established the successful skin care business with a multiple brand portfolio covering Japan, Korea, China, to Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and India.

Earlier in her career, Mrs. Serianni worked at Procter & Gamble Europe where she held increasingly responsible positions in marketing, covering a vast territory including Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, Middle East and Central America.

Mrs. Serianni graduated from Oberlin College, majoring in Chemistry and Economics. She holds a Master sof Management degree from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. She currently serves on the President ‘s Advisory Board of Oberlin College.

Robyn Wasserman, of Old Greenwich, worked in New York for ten years in real estate investment banking and in real estate finance at JPMorgan, Sonnenblick-Goldman and Prime Capital Management. She is a graduate of The London School of Economics where she earned her B.S. in Economics specializing in Accounting and Finance in 1996. She currently lives in Old Greenwich with her husband, Tom Wasserman, who is a Managing Director at Highbridge Capital Management, and her two daughters, Emilie and Sophia. Emilie and Sophia are learning to speak Mandarin.


For information on the Chinese Language School of Connecticut’s language and cultural programs for children and adults, their Before– and After- School programs, special workshops, private tutoring or corporate language programs, please visit www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org or email them at info@ChineseLanguageSchool.org.

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Chinese Workshops Available for Schools

Many schools, teen centers, and community centers are organizing After School Chinese programs for their students and members.


Interactive, age appropriate Chinese programs can help inspire learning and transition middle school students to high school Chinese classes.

For more information on CLSC private tutoring, corporate program, Elementary and Middle School workshops, or other programs please visit www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org or contact them at info@chineselanguageschool.org.