Chinese Educators Visit Montclair To Study Education System

Seeking to learn more about the American education system, 18 middle school principals—as well as their superintendent—visited Montclair from China earlier this month.

Nina DeRosa, the Montclair school district superintendent's executive secretary, said the visitors from China's Pinggu District wanted to find out about the possibilities of setting up a pen pal arrangement with a Montclair middle school.

DeRosa said she also spoke to the foreign guests about the town's student exchange program last summer.

"We talked about the possibilities for Chinese students to visit and stay with American host families," she added.

DeRosa said that Montclair school officials also shared information about the town's magnet system, new developments in teacher evaluation, and the elements of including electives in a student's schedule along with core subjects.

Last summer, eight days in Montclair, invited by former Mayor Jerry Fried, former Superintendent Dr. Frank Alvarez, and the China-Montclair Friendship Committee.

It marked the . In 2010, 22 students and two teachers from Fuling and DeYang (cities visited by Fried during one of his visits to China) visited Montclair.

Unfortunately, the program wasn't able to continue this year.

"I had [an exchange] all planned as I was the coordinator of the one done in 2011. We were going to do an exchange at Glenfield Middle School and our program was great with art, dance, science, and more," DeRosa said. But "the Chinese didn't have enough participants. We were very disappointed but I am keeping the lines of communication open with them and speaking about possibilities for summer 2013."