II. SUIS: Instructional Programs

SUIS has critical choices to make about what will be taught and by what methods. The school’s customer base is mainly expatriates conducting business in China who along with an adequate understanding of the Chinese language, want their children prepared for success in college. This requires instructional programs that can meet the school’s educational standards and be carefully monitored for improvement.

Class sizes are about 25 students each – neither small nor large. Students spend between seven and eight hours a day in school Monday to Friday. The school year is ten months long.

The SUIS curriculum is divided between core academic subjects and non-core subjects. Core academic subjects are those which must adhere strictly to SUIS policy: English, Chinese, math, music, and international curriculum. Non-core subjects such as PE, art, and extra activities are given considerable leeway by the school’s leader.

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English and Chinese are taught as straightforward language courses with particular emphasis on reading and speaking. The Chinese language curriculum is mostly handled by the local stream while also taking into careful consideration input from the international stream. Therefore, school leaders who are weak in Chinese will have little to no influence in this area. However, they have much more control over the English curriculum including considerable say in which programs are selected so long as SUIS objectives are met.

Math and music highlight some of the more unique aspects of the “East Meets West” curriculum. These subjects are shared between international and local stream teachers using different methods to obtain different results. Since Chinese teachers are accustomed to teaching large classes, they use whole class methods and rote memorization. When students switch to their English teachers, they will be instructed more individually and through progressive methods such as inquiry learning. School leaders will be required to monitor student progress from one stream to the next.

International curriculum (not to be confused with the SUIS international stream curriculum which embodies everything) is any renowned instructional program designed for an international perspective deployed by the school. These programs include an array of subjects such as history, geography, science, and social science. The first program to be adopted by SUIS is the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) for its global reputation. However, since a number of renowned international curriculums are available, SUIS permits school leaders to select the one they feel best suited to their school (other programs currently in use are The International Curriculum of England (ICE) and the International Primary Curriculum (IPC)). Because international curriculum is solely executed within the SUIS stream, school leaders are held entirely accountable for the program’s rate of success. This also includes proper staff training and mandated accreditation.

Finally, the SUIS non-core subjects - art, PE, and other activities are bound by less policy making them more malleable to the school leader’s desires. PE is also available in the local stream, so some SUIS schools divide it between Chinese and English as done in math and music. Sections called “other activities” are blank slots that the school leader may fill with programs of his or her choosing that will advance the school’s mission. For instance, the SUIS Shang Yin School has implemented a "Third Language Program" which offers native tongue instruction to students whose first language is not English or Chinese. This program has been so successful among Japanese and Korean students that it may soon elevate to being a part of SUIS’s core curriculum.

The SUIS international curriculum is both rigid and flexible. Rigid in the sense that the entire curriculum is bound by the “East Meets West” mission which includes mandatory cross-collaboration with the local stream, and certain core subjects with stated objectives and accreditation. Flexible in the sense that many programs can be drafted and executed as the school leader sees fit including the creation of new programs. Highlighted are the facts that the school leader must be highly sensitive to the school’s instructional methods, yet also enterprising as the job requires innovation, resource management, and staff loyalty.

Staffing the curriculum is a large part of the school leader’s job. With the added complexity of local stream collaboration, school leaders must have finely tuned communication skills in order to ensure that all staff are following the school design and performing at its standards. Reporting lines are therefore a fundamental aspect of how well a SUIS school is operating.