Asia Society Confucius Classrooms Network

2. The Confucius Classrooms Network is an innovative project aimed at developing a national network
of 100 exemplary Chinese language programs. It includes 100 schools in 27 states and the District of
Columbia.
Darker shadings correspond to larger number of schools in a region

3. 35,000 students across
100 Confucius Classrooms in
27 states and Washington, DC
Partner schools in China across
14 provinces, 4 municipalities, and
1 autonomous region
School-to-School Partnerships
For each Confucius Classroom in our network, Asia Society helps to pair it with a sister school in China to
form an international school partnership.

4. Our Activities . . .

5. The Asia Society Confucius Classrooms Network provides
teachers and leaders with the opportunities to participate in
a few signature events, including:
• National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC)
• Teachers Institute
• China Studies Seminar
• Confucius Classrooms Forum
• Confucius Classrooms Summit in China

6. National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC)
Co-organized by Asia Society and the College Board, NCLC aims to engage policymakers, to
offer support to schools seeking to establish and sustain high-quality Chinese language
programs, and to explore critical issues in the field.
From 2014 NCLC (May 8-10, 2014, in Los Angeles)

7. Each NCLC features leaders in education, policy,
technology, and the arts.
(Above) In 2011, State Councilor Liu Yandong, the highest
ranking female politician in China, spoke on the
importance of language and culture learning and the
future of the U.S.–China relationship.
(Right) In 2014, the former Prime Minister of Australia,
Kevin Rudd, gave the keynote speech at the 7th
NCLC held
in Los Angeles.

8. NCLC offers participants the chance to network and discuss big ideas in the language
field such as technology and innovation, China across the curriculum, teacher
development, student engagement, and more.
From NCLC 2014: Panel discussion on “The Art of Bringing Chinese Literature to the World.”
From left to right: Jonathan Stalling, Sylvia Li-chun Lin, and Howard Goldblatt

9. Performance by students from Los
Angeles County High School for the Arts,
2014 NCLC
Abigail Washburn, 2014 NCLC
Art and cultural performances at the NCLC range from opera singers, musicians, and
authors, to lion dance and student performances.

10. 8th
National Chinese Language Conference
The largest convening for preparing U.S. students for China
and the premier platform for:
Models & Best Practices Thought Leadership Networking
Past highlights 2014 highlights
Kevin Rudd: Keynote Speaker
Abigail Washburn: U.S.-China through banjo & music
L.A. students perform China’s Cinderella story
Mo Yan & Howard Goldblatt: bringing Chinese literature to the world
China on the American screen: House of Cards
People-to-people exchange and global careers: Crazy Fresh Chinese
Liu Yandong Orville Schell Rush Holt
Chuck Hagel Jon Huntsman James Fallows
Richard Daley Kurt Campbell Tian Haojiang
John Negroponte Gish Jen Judith McHale
Zhou Wenzhong Evan Osnos Zhang Yesui

11. Professional Development Opportunities
Each year, Asia Society offers teachers and school leaders in the Confucius Classrooms
Network opportunities for learning and professional development to enhance their
understanding and knowledge of Chinese language and culture, so that they can better
serve their community of learners, and continue to be models for others in the field.
For teachers, our approach is two folds. We recognize that effective and innovative
teaching methodologies are essential to a teacher’s professional development, but it is
just as important for teachers to be up to date with various aspects of China including
China’s current affairs, China’s history and modern developments, so that they can
incorporate these elements into their teaching of Chinese language. Thus, we
purposefully designed professional development opportunities with these goals in mind.
Our annual Teachers Institute aims to help teachers develop skills in teaching and
learning, and our annual China Studies Seminar focuses on the application of current
trends and perspectives in society, arts and culture to the teaching of the Chinese
language.

12. 2015 Teachers Institute
The 5th annual Teachers Institute was successfully held in Houston on January 15-17,
2015. 67 Chinese language teachers from nearly 50 Confucius Classrooms in 21 states and
Washington D.C. were selected to attend this conference themed around “Effective
Chinese Language Teaching in Each Teaching Step.” By organizing school visits,
workshops, and lectures, we offer this professional development opportunity for
teachers to learn from the master teachers, share best practices, and network with peer
teachers.

13. 2014 China Studies Seminar
“Two Nations, One Dream” was the theme of the 2014 Asia Society China Studies
Seminar (July 14–19) held in Shanghai and Nanjing. Twenty American K-12 Chinese
language and social studies teachers from ten states explored the meaning of the oft-
mentioned ‘Chinese Dream’ and its connections (if any) to the “American Dream.”
The seminar aims to help American educators understand today’s China and its
modern history, and these teachers are learning to integrate first-hand observations into
classrooms in ways that will engage students across the US to contemplate the shared
aspirations of these two very different nations.

14. Our Confucius Classrooms Leaders Summit and Confucius Classrooms Forum also
follow a two-fold pattern.
Confucius Classrooms Leaders Summit takes place biennially in China. Participating
leaders and teachers have the opportunity to learn about education reform in the U.S.
and China through a series of workshops and conversations with Chinese experts and
education officials. An emphasis is also placed on best practices in Chinese language
instruction and task design through a variety of activities. American school
representatives also visit their partner schools during this summit.
Confucius Classrooms Forum is held during every year’s National Chinese Language
Conference. At the same time attending the largest gathering in Chinese language
education field, school leaders and teachers from Asia Society Confucius Classrooms
get together to exchange ideas, share experience, network with peers, and talk to
representatives from partner schools.

15. 2012 Leaders Summit in China
The 2012 Asia Society Leaders Summit took place in Shanghai, China. About 40
teachers and leaders from the Confucius Classrooms participated. The summit
provides leaders and teachers opportunities to learn about Chinese education
reform, and participate in face-to-face discussions with Chinese education experts.

16. On various school visits, American school leaders observed how a Chinese classroom is
managed and they explored student projects.

17. 2014 Confucius Classrooms Forum
Focusing on school-to-school partnership building, the 2014 Confucius Classrooms
Forum provides school leaders and teachers with a rare opportunity to exchange
ideas, share experience, network with peers, and talk to representatives from partner
schools.

18. Opportunities for Students in the Confucius Classrooms Network
Students in the Asia Society Confucius Classrooms Network
have opportunities to:
• Meet government leaders
• Participate in exchange activities
• Attend summer camps in China

19. In January of 2011, about 65 Confucius Classrooms students across the nation traveled to Washington,
DC to hear First Lady Michelle Obama speak on the importance of language learning. Many students had
time to interact and take pictures with the first lady.
To watch Michelle Obama’s speech on the 100,000 Strong Initiative, click here: http://vimeo.com/18991021

20. The former U.S. Ambassador
to China Gary Locke with
Chinese language learners
from secondary schools
throughout New York City
that are a part of Asia Society
Confucius Classrooms
Network, on December 17,
2012.

21. Confucius Classrooms Highlights

23. Lake Forest High School, IL
Strawn Dixon, a senior at Lake Forest
High School in Illinois produced short
films of cross-cultural understanding by
documenting the exchange program
between his school and the Chinese
partner school, No.2 Secondary School
Affiliated with East China Normal
University in Shanghai. The documentary
is titled “The Foreign and the Familiar,”
and was presented during the Asia
Society Confucius Classrooms Forum
during 2014 National Chinese Language
Conference.

24. For more Chinese language and culture resources, visit: www.asiasociety.org/Chinese