CTHSS goes to China:  Kaynor Tech starts new sister school project
with Shandong counterpart
CTHSS staff members travel to the other side of the world

Kaynor Tech Principal Robert Axon and Mary Skelly, CTHSS Social Studies Consultant were among a delegation of educators from Connecticut that visited China in April.  The purpose of the visit was to establish an ongoing relationship with the school system of Shandong Province and to share information and perspectives Chinese educators about the future of education.  It was funded by a  Fulbright grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

China is on the verge of great change. US News and World Report notes in its May cover story that the Chinese middle class has grown to 100 million people and will likely increase to 200 million in three years. The economy is skyrocketing and the education system is being challenged. China now graduates ten times more engineers than does the U.S. The more we know about this emerging economy and its people, the better off we will be in the years ahead.

The delegation was assembled by the state Department of Education.  "It was a great opportunity both for us as educators and for our school system," said Mary Skelly. During the visit, Kaynor was able to formalize an agreement with Linyi Vocational Polytechnic High School to establish a sister school program.   The students at this school are from the rural areas.  As part of the sister school program, each school will share information about curriculum, school projects and activities and perspective about life and work in each country.  

Bob Axon said:  "I discovered that China is a unique mixture of old versus new.  When you travel in the booming cities with high-rise buildings, busy city traffic, you also see the old China mixed in with horse pulled carts, bicycles and poor living conditions. The people of the cities and the wealth is rising at a very fast pace, and what appears to be growing gap between the haves and the have-nots.  This was especially evident as we left the cities and traveled through the rural areas.  The poverty and the differences of these rural areas compared to life in the city were shocking.  This appears to be a growing challenge that the Chinese government must face in the near future.  China 's growth is evident as you travel from city to city. Construction projects are underway everywhere and especially in Beijing with its preparations for the 2008 Olympics.  

Skelly added, "I was impressed with the friendliness and hospitality of the people we met. The Chinese were very eager to speak to us and keen to have the opportunity to practice their English speaking skills. The school gave us a wonderful welcome including a superb, very professional student and teacher musical program. The performances gave us insights into the Chinese culture - past and present as well as an opportunity to see how enthusiastically supportive the students and teachers are of one another.

At both the national and provincial levels we were told that technical education is an important part of the Chinese education system because of its important role in training productive workers. The Chinese have set a goal to graduate as many technical graduates as regular high school graduates. The sheer numbers are amazing due to China 's large population. The task of educating students in the impoverished rural areas is momentous.

In Shandong province alone there are over 1000 technical high schools. The school W.F. Kaynor is partnered with has the distinction of being a state provincial vocational school. Linyi Polytechnic Vocational High School has as enrollment of 2000 students in grades 10 - 12. The students come from the rural areas of the Linyi City district and are housed on campus in dormitories. Though the school is a National Model School in Garment Design, Computer and Digital Controlling and Preschool teacher-training, the facilities and equipment need a substantial amount of updating and innovation. Teacher quality and training is an ongoing challenge.

Axon and Skelly will be developing a presentation for interested staff and will develop an informational site on the Kaynor Tech Web page.