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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, March 13 Blooms coming too early for Rogue Valley's bees App Finder: Best outdoors apps Medford cites 'conflict of interest' in study on Coquilles' proposed casino Pot issues leave Medford council dazed Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, March 13 Medford Little Feet Children's Shoes burglarized in downtown Emergency services: March 12 Drug search warrant leads to two Medford arrests Rogue River man convicted of kidnapping, assault Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state Ashland: Budget increase, swimming pool funding discussion on council agenda Judge upholds Phoenix's moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries Education Medford School District calls foul on teachers union Supporters rally to back beleaguered principal St. Mary's reaches out to China Work your body to save your braaaaains Inert grenade spurred White Mountain Middle School evacuation Environment Blooms coming too early for Rogue Valley's bees Low snow closes Mt. Ashland bunny hill chairlift DEQ issues fines over illegal White City dumping site Catastrophic wildfires expected in Southern Oregon this summer The new normal under climate change? State News Lebanon High School sharpshooters aim for national titles Man languishes in Oregon jail, hasn't commit a crime Judge sides with Oregon, sends Oracle case to state court Strippers make case to Oregon legislators for work improvements Brown ends contract with Kitzhaber adviser-business owner Nation - World Obituaries Shiela Marie Death Notices Death Notices Norma Catherine Morgan Marlene Milliron (Smock) Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society Sports Latest Stories La Salle ends Crater's championship hopes North Medford topples Klamath Falls for title Duke cruises past N.C. State, 77-53 Irving erupts for 57 in Cavs' triumph Ducks get defensive, roll into semifinals Varsity 541 College Sports Duke cruises past N.C. State, 77-53 Ducks get defensive, roll into semifinals West's last-second score gives SOU upset Beavers fall to Buffaloes at Pac-12 tourney Two Beavers seeded for NCAA Championships Pro Sports Irving erupts for 57 in Cavs' triumph Ferrell bats, fields, coaches in Arizona Allred tied for second with opening 65 Mariota draws scrutiny at Ducks' pro day Eagles land All-Pro running back Murray Community Sports Business Latest Stories East McAndrews Road sees a resurgence in commercial projects Alaska, United Express boost Medford airport to record February Jackson County jobless rate falls to 7.7 percent Blog: Manufacturing leads Oregon's export expansion Disruptive forces: Coming to a business near you Real Estate News East McAndrews Road sees a resurgence in commercial projects Business briefs: March 7 New construction prices jump 18.2 percent in Jackson County People In Business People in Business: Feb. 28 People in Business Transportation Alaska, United Express boost Medford airport to record February CEO Rieder leaving Erickson March 31 Lodging gains bode well for travel industries Agriculture Harry & David announces new president Warm winter has fruit growers poised for action Briefcase: Business briefs for Feb. 21 Opinion Latest Our View: Daylight saving bill another waste of time Letters to the Editor, March 13 Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Our View: Medford native Dave Frohnmayer leaves legacy of distinguished service Letters to the Editor, March 12 Editorials Our View: Daylight saving bill another waste of time Our View: Medford native Dave Frohnmayer leaves legacy of distinguished service Our View: Medford council shouldn't over-regulate backyard pot gardens Our View: Atkins a safe choice for secretary of state Our View: Driving voter turnout is no sure thing for Oregon Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, March 13 Letters to the Editor, March 12 Letters to the Editor, March 11 Letters to the Editor, March 10 Letters to the Editor, March 9 Columns Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US George Will: The Export-Import Bank's tenacious grip Dana Milbank: Republicans set up a breakaway nation Kathleen Parker: Adolescent senators dunking the president Kent Bush: Things will never change unless we change them Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report GUEST OPINION: Police, community should work to prevent profiling Guest Opinion: Don't overregulate Oregon's hemp industry Guest Opinion: Predatory banking practices bilk citizens Guest Opinion: Is less education the answer? Lifestyle Latest stories Religion briefs: Friday, March 13 Fishing Report: Friday, March 13 Looking Up: Amazing age of discovery Hunting's Second Season Drawing for youth turkey hunts March 31 Food Community blog: Fewer and fewer of us eschew brilliant beets Season Stepp: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with authentic Irish recipes Page H. Onorato: The 10 commandments for the Southern cook Page H. Onorato: Try out this hot stuff in your kitchen on a cold night Serra storms Seattle Home and Garden Using universal design Dear Monty: Successful rezoning property requires a plan Garden Cameos: Time to give your garden a new look Carol Link: Eradicate weeds completely, use edgers to help keep thrift on slope Paul Rogers: Daylight Saving, full moon hopeful signs for spring Health Health Watch: Living smart to protect your heart Community blog: Can Twentysomething Depression Be�Healed? Dr. Murray Feingold: What’s your excuse for being late? Community blog: The Future is Now Dr. Murray Feingold: Cognitive-behavioral therapy shown to help hoarders Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs: Friday, March 13 More religion events in the Rogue Valley Religion Briefs Religion briefs, Feb. 27 Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 20 Milestones and Achievements Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Engagement: Workman-Wright Anniversary: Hofer Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Agave offers gourmet tacos, tamales, ensaladas and more Kites & Crows, Ryan Marchand and Mercy Duo face-off this weekend at Rising Stars music competition in Jacksonville Randall Theatre presents playwright Bernard Slade's comedy Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Warren G. performs at the Historic Ashland Armory Theater Randall Theatre presents playwright Bernard Slade's comedy Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' TMTO's 'Bye Bye Birdie' takes flight Brava! Opera presents classic Mozart and Poulenc Review: 'Fingersmith' a twisting thriller with love Music Kites & Crows, Ryan Marchand and Mercy Duo face-off this weekend at Rising Stars music competition in Jacksonville Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Warren G. performs at the Historic Ashland Armory Zepdrix! 'Shook, Rattled and Rolled' Community Events Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup OSF Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jesse Lawson and Joe Moxley host 'Barkeeper' Third Fridays showcases local artists Dining Agave offers gourmet tacos, tamales, ensaladas and more Serra storms Seattle Sakura Japanese Sushi Restaurant opens in new location Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, March 1 Great Outdoor Grill offers healthful options Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Daylight saving bill another waste of time ... Blooms coming too early for Rogue Valley's bees ... Drawing for youth turkey hunts March 31 ... Our View: Daylight saving bill another waste of time ... Blooms coming too early for Rogue Valley's bees ... Drawing for youth turkey hunts March 31 ... EDUCATION St. Mary's reaches out to China Medford school will open its sixth dual-diploma program there this year By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 5:18 pm Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 5:42 PM By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 5:18 pm Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 5:42 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> In 2008, the Chinese Ministry of Education established its first North American Confucius Classroom at St. Mary’s School. This fall, the private Catholic secondary school will launch its sixth international program in China. St. Mary’s is already partnered with high schools in Shanghai, Wuhan, Shunde, Pinghu and Guiyang, and it has plans to open a branch at a high school in Zhengzhou, the capital of the Henan Province, in September. Frank Phillips, St. Mary's head of school, has been working with Boston-based consulting firm KnowledgeLink to establish these international partnerships. Since 2008, Phillips has taken the more than 13-hour flight to China 26 times — 11 of those since 2012, when the first dual-diploma international program, St. Mary’s-Shanghai, was established. On these trips, Phillips visits each of the campuses to host open houses for interested parents, observe classes and provide administrative support to the 38 American teachers and principals and make sure the curriculum is being implemented properly. In China, Phillips explained, education is mandatory through the ninth grade, at which point students take their high school entrance exam, or “zhong kao,” to determine whether they can advance to high school. “If they don’t get a qualifying grade for high school, then they’re done … and will probably end up making things in a factory somewhere,” he said. Students who pass are placed in schools, ranked by the Chinese government, according to their exam score. “In China, students are excruciatingly aware of their class ranking,” Phillips said. High school students take as many as 11 classes a day, and many attend bootcamps on the weekend to prepare them for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and China’s national college-entrance examination, the infamous "gao kao." The latter test is offered only once a year — it doesn't matter if you have the flu — and determines which students will go to college and the colleges to which they can apply. According to an article published in The Huffington Post, 9.15 million Chinese students were competing for 6.85 million college openings in 2012. Every year, Beijing University, which Phillips refers to as the “Harvard of China,” receives about 300 qualified applications per seat available. “People who can afford to opt out of the Chinese university system do so,” Phillips added. And students who study English in high school or participate in a foreign exchange program have a better shot at getting into an American college. “Many students from China fare poorly at American colleges because their English isn't good, they haven’t been trained for discussion-based classes, and they don’t know how to write essays," Phillips said. Enter St. Mary’s. This year, 68 international students, including 55 from China, attend St. Mary’s. In 2015-16, St. Mary’s will serve about 800 Chinese students at its six international branches. Those students will take electives taught by American teachers, in addition to classes required for a Chinese diploma, and will graduate with a Chinese and American diploma, increasing their odds of being successful at an American university. Phillips said it costs between $15,000 and $20,000 for a student to enroll in an international program on their home campus, compared with $50,000 to participate in a foreign exchange program on St. Mary’s Medford campus. For its role in the partnership, St. Mary’s receives $500 per student per year. This revenue stream, which will be about $400,000 next year, goes toward scholarships for local students to St. Mary’s. Every year, the school awards about $1 million in scholarships, and about 40 percent of the students in the school are receiving at least a partial scholarship. The international programs provided enough revenue during the economic downturn for the school to maintain its financial commitment to local students, Phillips said. Phillips said he would ultimately like to establish international programs in a dozen Chinese schools and facilitate opportunities for local students to study at those schools. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 5:18 pm Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 5:42 PM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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