RDF provides local students with a world-class education

《Shenzhen Daily 》2015年4月9日7版报道：

FOR Chinese students in Shenzhen, attending international classes at public schools before applying for prestigious universities overseas is a feasible way to pursue their dreams of studying abroad.

However, the situation changed last year when China’s Ministry of Education decided to put a halt to international curriculum projects in public schools to create more balance in schools and design stronger regulations of such programs.

Public schools in Beijing, Zhejiang and Shanghai responded to the policy immediately by canceling a good number of international curriculum followed by Shenzhen in January. In preceding years, over 20 public schools in Shenzhen had set up international classes, but only three of them are authorized to continue operations at this time.

Therefore, private schools with international curriculum programs are springing up under such circumstance in order to meet the increasing demand for quality international education. RDF International School is one of the schools that come into being for this student cohort.

“Last year, around 2,000 to 3,000 high school students applied for undergraduate programs at overseas higher education institutions, and that number is constantly growing,” said Zhou Suqiong, the manager of EIC Education Shenzhen Branch.

Interestingly, it has been reported that the dropout rate of Chinese students in 14 world-class universities, including Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Columbia, is as high as 25 percent.

Most of the dropouts were outstanding students with enviable results when studying at their Chinese high schools, which poses a problem worth pondering for both parents and education practitioners in China.

RDF International School, a new addition to the city’s international boarding schools, located in Dapeng New Area, hopes to help local students develop the necessary academic, social and linguistic skills they need to study successfully at Western universities.

Based on an American curriculum, RDF International School is setting its sights on offering a four-year program for both local students and those who come from the other parts of the country.

Through a partnership with Washington Academy, RDF students will receive a high school diploma from the Department of Education of New York upon graduation, which may provide an edge over other Chinese graduates applying to U.S. universities.

RDF International School will also cooperate with its American partner on teacher training, curriculum development and student exchange programs.

“What we want to offer to our students is a skill-based and personalized education system that can prepare students for intense undergraduate studies when they enter university,” said Zheng Huiyi, the principal of RDF International School.

With rich teaching experience in Australia and China, Zheng has been a career teacher for 25 years. After earning his M.Ed. from the University of Melbourne, Zheng taught general science and chemistry at both primary and secondary schools in Melbourne. In 2003, he returned to China and joined Shenzhen College of International Education soon after its inception. Twelve years later, he is still there, but will soon leave his post as Pastoral Deputy Principal to lead the preparation efforts of RDF International School as its inaugural principal.

Scheduled to open in mid-August this year, the school is currently seeking qualified international staff. Half of the teachers will be expats who will deliver an American high school curriculum with their Chinese colleagues working in supporting roles.

To adequately support students as they apply for college, RDF International School plans to enlist assistance from a team of experienced and qualified consultants. “Our school will ensure students are fully informed about the university choices available to them, and students will enter a higher education institution from which she or he will benefit the most based on their interests, strengths and career goals.”

“Classroom differentiation and dynamic learning atmospheres will be a key feature of RDF International School,” said Zheng. “Different learning styles and abilities will be equally and adequately supported.” Class size will be capped at 24 so that teachers can devote individual attention to each student.

Compared to costly public schools overseas, RDF International School has the irreplaceable advantage of offering an authentic American education right here in Shenzhen, saving parents money and the worry of sending their teens to school overseas.

Since RDF International School is an American-style boarding school, keeping parents engaged and informed is undoubtedly one of the school’s key responsibilities. Through an online system, parents will have access to their children’s timetable, report cards, records of extra-curricular activities, university application progress and even the daily canteen menu.

RDF International School plans to recruit about 100 students who have already completed Grade 8. The school hopes to reach its maximum population of 650 students by 2019.