Schooling
Making a Good Choice
In a city boasting thousands of expatriate families from all over the world, there is one thing that unites nearly all of them – the desire to find a school that will provide an excellent education for their children.
Shanghai has a large number of international and local school and kindergarten options from which to choose. Sorting through all of the choices can be an overwhelming and sometimes intimidating task. However, there are two basic strategies most people seem to use to make the decision less complex and even enjoyable. The first is to know what kinds of schools are available in Shanghai, where they are located and what are the basic strengths and weaknesses of each. The second is to understand the available resources on offer and then sort through the choices and make a final decision.
Shanghai Schooling Options
Schools in Shanghai can be characterized in different ways. The most obvious is whether the school is an “international” or a “local school”. International schools are predictably organized by groups located outside of mainland China, although a handful are operated as a joint venture with a local partner, and can be for-profit or nonprofit operations. Nearly all charge tuition that is significantly higher than that of a local school. In most International schools in Shanghai the curriculums are nearly always related to one particular country or language (American, British, French, German Japanese or Singaporean, for example) but every school has a mixture of students from different countries and adds curricular elements that make the campus experience attractive to a wider cultural market. Local schools can be government–operated or private. Some have “international divisions” which are open to the enrollment of foreign students. All of the local schools can be characterized by the fact that the curriculum is developed and controlled by the central government. More often than not the highly desirable goal of Mandarin language development can (and does) help expatriate families feel comfortable with placing their children in a local school. This decision is frequently supported by the lower tuition charged by local schools.
The international schools in Shanghai each have their own distinct “flavor”. While all schools claim, and most achieve, a high level of academicexcellence, campus location, size, type of curriculum, environment, and faculty and student body composition are all factors that influence a decision differently for different families. Some schools offer special support for students whose native language is not English (ESL) and some do not. Some schools have mature and robust high school programs and some have new and developing programs. Some have campus environments that have the feel of a small town community. Others have large and diverse environments with distinct subgroups or communities. While all of these factors can be confusing and overwhelming, the positive side is that Shanghai should have a school that “fits” both your child and your family best.
How to Choose The Right School
There are several ways that might help a potential expatriate family to sort through the many school options in Shanghai:
• Get the information from your friends and colleagues whose children are in school ages. This is arguably the best and most balanced source of information about a particular school. Most parents are fairly even-handed in their assessment of a school, noting both its strengths (why they are there) and its weaknesses (what they would like to see changed).
• Websites can, and do, say much about a school and what it has to offer. Most of the International schools in Shanghai have websites and these can be discovered using conventional web search engines.
• School visits: Nothing can replace the chanceto see the school in person. For high school students. Especially, this is a critical step which will not only help them understand the move to Shanghai, but give them something positive to which to look forward.
With rare exception, Shanghai has good school options for your child. The choices are many but by using some basic resources and having an understanding of the overall school environment in Shanghai, decisions can be reached with little stress. Parents who've been thought the process before say finding the perfect match starts with answering and asking some key questions.Before you pick up a single brochure or set foot on a campus, ask and answer these three key questions: what’s my price range; where does my child want to attend university; and what kind of environment does my child thrive in?
Who’s paying for school, and how much are they willing to pay?
• Tuition at most of Shanghai’s foreign-run private international schools ranges from about 20,000 USD to 30,000 USD per year. If budget isn’t a concern, then jump ahead to the next two questions. If 20,000 USD and up a year is a concern, you still have choices. Read on. Several selected local “key” schools offer an international division. These separate divisions of local Chinese schools feature western and Chinese-basedcurriculums taught by international and local faculty. And tuition runs roughly one-third that of the foreign-run international schools.
Where does my child want to attend university?
• If your child is in high school, then knowing which country your child wants to head to after graduation will help determine which curriculum is best suited for them. Of course American universities will be familiar with British curriculum and vice versa. However, if your child will be attending university in the U.S. then having them attend a school with a certified American curriculum streamlines the admissions process. At present, Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS), Shanghai American School (SAS), and Shanghai Community International Schools (SCIS) are the only schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Students who plan to study in the UK or in Asia (outside of mainland China) are best served by preparing for and taking IGCSE exams in Year 11. Likewise, though Canadian and Australian students have a bit more flexibility, most parents prefer to educate their children in the British curriculum. British International School Shanghai (BISS), Britannica International School, Dulwich College, and Yew Chung International School (YCIS) are the big players here and all offer IB options (either the more intensive diploma program or the certificate program) for years 12 and 13. Of course, an IB diploma is portable and both American- and British-system schools offer IB.
• What’s his personality like?
• What kind of learning environment fits your child best?
• Does she thrive on cooperation or competition?
• Does he perform better in a smaller or larger situation?
Ultimately, selecting a school comes down to personal taste. It’s tempting to try to generalize, but the fact is a large student body doesn’t automatically mean a school is impersonal. Likewise, a small student body doesn’t automatically mean it may lack in course or activity options.
Making the Most of Your School Visit
Once you’ve answered above questions, you should be able to create a “short list” of schools. From there, plan your visits. Facilities will vary – from dazzling to work-a-day. It’s tempting to judge the proverbial book by its cover, but you’ll do best to put looks aside and make a list of priorities and related questions with your child. For example, perhaps an excellent theater program is a priority for your student. If so, then along with academics you’d want to ask questions such as how many and what kind of productions the school puts on each year and if graduates have been accepted to university theater programs.
Here are some additional questions that parents report are helpful when gauging a school:
• What is the average class size in my child’s grade?
• What is the annual turnover rate of teachers?
• What percentage of teachers is certified to teach in their home country?
• What AP and IB classes are available? Which are the most popular?
• What foreign languages are available, and are students required to study Chinese?
• Where do graduates go to university? (Ask for specifics)
• What extracurricular activities are available?
• What community service opportunities are available?
Also, feel free to ask to talk directly with teachers from your child’s grade, too. Schools will do their best to accommodate you. Though don’t be discouraged if your admissions contact hesitates. They’re not trying to hide something from you. It’s just that teachers are busy with their current students and schools may sometimes try to protect their time. Still, ask anyway. Just be sure you’re serious about the school, specific about what teachers you want to talk to (i.e., the 10th-grade art teacher), and then be respectful of people’s time.
Relocating overseas doesn’t necessarily mean depriving your children of a quality education, and Shanghai has some of the best International Schools available in the country. Here is a partial list of the International Schools. Please contact individual schools and institutions for information regarding enrollment requirements and tuition.