Beijing champions development of student-centric education groups

Beijing is working to strengthen the development of education groups and their K-12 education programs following the commencement of the autumn semester.

In Chaoyang district, 21 education groups — which operate under a school-running model that clusters member campuses under one umbrella to deliver high-quality education — have already been established, with suburban schools receiving support from leading groups within the district.

The Beijing Chenjinglun High School Education Group, one of the largest education groups in the city, has begun to implement a faculty-based K-12 program, according to the group's president, Liu Xuemei.

"Based on standard textbooks, the program integrates academic courses from primary through high school, enhancing their connections and leveraging group strengths and resources. This approach is expected to facilitate students' absorption of knowledge as they progress from lower to higher grades," she said.

This initiative is part of a broader citywide campaign to strengthen education groups and benefit local students.

In recent years, Beijing has advocated for schools at various levels to join education groups led by top schools while these leading schools are encouraged to extend their support to those located in suburban or underprivileged areas.

The Chenjinglun group encompasses 46 campuses in Chaoyang, ranging from primary to senior high schools and from central business district to suburban areas, with a combined student-teacher population of over 30,000.

"From this semester, Chenjinglun has broken down the traditional grade-based teaching boundaries. We are implementing a holistic curriculum research approach for each discipline from grade 1 to grade 12, providing a continuous and comprehensive talent development pathway for students," Liu said. This effort aims to ensure seamless and holistic student development.

"This could help the students benefit from the abundant resources from the group and from different grades," she said, adding that 15 disciplines began such reforms at the onset of the autumn semester.

Previously, schools at different grade levels conducted research separately, a task typically overseen by educational research authorities.

"The education group can consolidate teaching staff, curricula, venues, and students scattered across various campuses and grade divisions. Teaching and research activities will occur at least once a month, granting teachers access to cross-campus and cross-grade learning resources," she said. "This setup allows students to develop their interests and strengths with no interruption as they progress to higher grades."

For instance, sports — a key practical component of the faculty framework — include a wide range of disciplines such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, athletics, swimming, and winter sports.

Students will train at their respective campuses during regular school days and participate in group training sessions organized by the education group on weekends and holidays.

Some trial operations began during this year's winter vacation. For example, 364 students of the Chenjinglun group engaged in intensive training spanning nearly two weeks.

Additionally, the group launched a class tutored by its alumna and volleyball world cup gold medalist Lang Ping and appointed Zhai Xiaochuan, the captain of Beijing Shougang men's basketball team, as its basketball head coach.

At a recent education forum, Li Yi, director of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, said, "The reforms aimed at strengthening education groups and their integrated K-12 education framework represent the city's latest initiative to address challenges in talent cultivation amid the country's advancement of science and technology. This campaign reflects a citywide effort to reform the supply side to cultivate high-quality talent."

Supporting Li Yi's remarks, Li Xigui, deputy director of the Basic Education Teaching Steering Subcommittee at the Ministry of Education and the current president of the Beijing Navigation School, said: "In the era of AI, educational methods and school structures across different grades must undergo significant reforms. At my school, we are implementing substantial academic reforms for K-12 education. For example, if a first-grade student struggles to master pinyin under the previous national education plan, we can now offer specialized curricula to allow them to study pinyin in the second grade or even later."

yangcheng@chinadaily.com.cn