Marsha McLean
June 20, 2005Dr. Cheryl Jackson-Lewis, director of ECSU Educational Talent Search participated in the Teacher Education Professional Delegation to the People’s Republic of China with the People to People Ambassador Program. Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded the People to People Ambassador Program in 1956. He believed that if people from different cultures could come together in peace and friendship, so eventually would countries. Since its founding, People to People has launched many international programs, including Sister Cities, Project HOPE and Pen Pals. As a professional delegate, Dr. Lewis traveled to Hong Kong, Beijing and Kumming, China where she had the opportunity meet and discuss educational issues with her counterparts in China. Some of the topics discussed were: 1) how to best prepare quality leaders for novice teachers from an international perspective, 2) teacher preparation programs: delivery and structure, 3) correlation between professional development school partnerships in the USA with programs in China, 4) types of mentoring and induction programs provided in China, 5) impact of high-stakes testing of teachers and students, and 6) teacher reflectivity and its effect on teacher performance, retention and student learning.
