Superintendent describes delegation to China, potential teacher and school partnerships

Superintendent Stevenowski told the Richfield School Board on July 14 that he participated in a delegation to China co-sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Education and a consortium of U.S. school systems to explore school partnerships, teacher exchanges and professional development. The delegation visited schools and teacher-preparation sites in Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai, and met with Chinese educators in formal exchanges that included introductions, presentations, token gift exchanges and group photos. Stevenowski said the visits combined formal education-focused meetings and cultural site visits such as the Great Wall and West Lake to provide context for potential student and staff exchanges. He described options for follow-up: participating in a consortium that could host Chinese educator visits in Richfield; pursuing teacher-exchange opportunities (both sending and hosting teachers across subject areas, not limited to Chinese language); and engaging with the UNESCO teacher-education center for collaborative professional development, including online programs. "One of the things...is our most likely Richfield Public Schools step is to participate in a consortium of districts who support a Chinese educator visit," Stevenowski said. Stevenowski said he did not anticipate Richfield creating a Chinese-immersion program but noted the district could support partner districts seeking immersion exchange opportunities. He also said materials and tokens from the trip would be available for the board to review after the meeting. Board members asked logistical questions about travel time; Stevenowski said westbound travel involved about 18 hours of total travel time with stopovers and about 12–13 hours of time difference. No board action was taken; the presentation was informational.