Improving Rural Education Through Collaboration With Urban Schools: The Case of the "Head Eagle Project" Policy in China

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: Critically Reexamining School-Community Relationships in Rural America

Abstract

The disparity between rural and urban schools is one of the most critical issues in educational development in China. The national and local governments have been making different policies to narrow down the gap. This study focuses on a case of a local policy in Southwest China which addresses the rural-urban education gap issue through a partnership model between less resourceful rural schools and resourceful urban schools. This study applied mixed method approach to evaluate the policy effectiveness from the perspective of the rural school participants as well as their perceptions about the partnership model. Findings show participants’ relatively high satisfaction level with the policy effectiveness on improving teachers’ professional development. Inconsistency was found between quantitative and qualitative results.

Authors

• Yumei Han, Southwest University

• Wenfan Yan, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Ling Li, Southwest University