Schools

Framingham School Superintendent Off to China, Again

This will be Scott's and Diaz's second trip to China in two years. When both were employed with the Dracut Public Schools, they participated in The College Board's trip in Nov. 2011.

Next month, Framingham Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott and the district's Director of Educational Operations Sonia Diaz will travel to China.

Scott, Diaz and Framingham School Committee member Eric Silverman will be participating in a program sponsored by The College Board, the same group that oversees SAT tests.

The week-long program in China helps educators start or strengthen their district's Chinese programs and partnerships. Participants will be guests of the Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters in China.

This will be Scott's and Diaz's second trip to China in two years. When both were employed with the Dracut Public Schools, they participated in The College Board's trip to Harbin and Beijing in Nov. 2011.

The Framingham School Committee approved of Scott's trip to China, last month.

Between Nov. 6–14, Scott, Diaz and Silverman will:

  • Visit Chinese K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions, meet with Chinese educators, observe classes and interact with students
  • Establish meaningful partnerships with Chinese education institutions and network with U.S. colleagues
  • Attend presentations on best practices and gather resources to build and support Chinese language and culture programs
  • Experience China firsthand and marvel at the rich traditional culture set against stunning modern development

Participants are responsible for a $900 non-refundable registration fee, and U.S. domestic travel to a designated international hub airport, international travel insurance and any passport fees.

The program pays for international round-trip air tickets to Beijing from designated U.S. hub cities, travel costs in China, including hotel accommodations, group meals, tour guides and admission tickets and local and inter-city transportation costs and Chinese tourist visa fees.

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When Scott and Diaz traveled as employees of the Dracut Public Schools, the School Committee initially denied the request to travel to China but later approved it, reported The Lowell Sun newspaper. 

Scott traveled to China with the then Dracut's Chief Academic Officer Diaz, the head of the district's language department Christine Lord and the chair of the Dracut School Committee.

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After Scott returned from that 2011 week-long trip, he told the School Committee he wanted to introduce Chinese language and culture studies into the Dracut school system.

"They put some very exciting options on the table," said Scott reported The Valley Dispatch newspaper. "They talked about times when our students could access their teachers online. They could do brief lessons online in Mandarin."

During the 2012-13 school year, Dracut Public Schools applied for an was awarded a fellow from China to teach Mandarin at Dracut High School. 

Li Li from China was awarded a fellowship from the U.S. Department of State to participate in the 2012 Teachers of Critical Languages Program Li was one of 24 teachers who ​were ​selected from China and Egypt for participation. She ​taught ​Mandarin at Dracut High School.​For the 2013-14 school year, Dracut High was awarded a second fellow. The new fellow is scheduled to teach Mandarin I and Mandarin II at Dracut High.Scott & Diaz had to apply by Aug. 2 to be considered for the 2013 Chinese trip.
"The District costs are less than a standard conference in the U.S. program costs are underwritten by the Chinese government," said a press release from the Framingham Public Schools.

"This venture can also help to jumpstart the Chinese language and culture courses at Framingham High School," said a press release from the Framingham Public Schools. 

The program, lectures and school visits will focus on educational practices and goals in China. School leaders will have opportunities to build relationships that can lead to collaboration for the U.S and China, said the press release.

According to the College Board, the Chinese Bridge Delegation has enabled more than 3,000 U.S. educators to visit China to observe schools and cultural sites, participate in workshops and encourage Chinese and U.S. educators to form educational ties. 


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