US-China opening for global school
Ambitious project seeks to innovate education with creative approach
Chris Whittle, a 70-year-old veteran education entrepreneur, has not spent his life resting on his laurels, but instead has built a career based on passion and vitality, which has culminated in the establishment of the world’s first “global school”.
The school is backed by the United States and Chinese investors and is planning to open its first two campuses simultaneously in Washington DC and the city of Shenzhen in South China next year, following five years of research and preparation.
“The world is changing rapidly, but the education system is not keeping up with the pace of change,” Whittle said. “I want to make a difference.”
According to Whittle, the school will provide a highly integrated learning community that merges Eastern and Western education concepts. The company’s ambitious plans foresee the opening of 36 campuses in 15 cities worldwide in the next 10 years, including Beijing, London, Singapore and Dubai.
Whittle believes that the new schools will harness unique cultural backgrounds, resources and industrial clusters according to the city each campus is located in.
For example, the Shenzhen campus will have a tech focus, the Beijing campus will have cultural or environmental science focus, the Washington DC campus will have a social system center and students in London will study architecture in urban planning.
According to Whittle, the school’s teachers will hold individual meetings with every student every other week to know and understand their interests and strengths. Students with the same hobbies or academic challenges will be grouped together to benefit from professional coaching.
“This system will create many kinds of curricula, but we care about personalized development, which calls for openness and flexibility,” Whittle said.
Another main characteristic that defines Whittle School & Studios is the requirement for students to learn Mandarin Chinese and English, no matter what their native languages are.
“We will take the best aspects of all kinds of education approaches, but won’t force that into a one-sizefits-all system,” said Whittle, adding that from kindergarten to high school, Whittle School & Studios will integrate the benefits of different educational systems.
For kindergarten pupils, the school will adopt the Italian Reggio Emilia approach, one of the most effective ways to promote the well-being of young children, as it emphasizes artistic expression and a close partnership between teachers and children.
China’s nine-year compulsory education program is good for students aged 7-15 to gain essential, basic knowledge, such as math, physics and science. For high school students, Whittle School & Studios will focus more on the development of students’ innovation ability, similarly to the approach taken in the United States. Chinese market
Among more than 30 planned Whittle campuses, 11 will be built in China, with the first in Shenzhen. “Demand for high-quality education is much higher in China than in other countries, and Chinese parents are willing to invest in their children’s education. China’s rapid economic development makes it hard for the supply to match the demand in some regions.”
Launching its first school in Shenzhen shows the importance of the Chinese market for the Whittle Group, which sees South China city as a good location for a high-level global school. Shenzhen is new and has many emerging technological and innovative companies under China’s reform and opening-up strategy, Whittle says.
To better understand and adapt to the Chinese community, Whittle School & Studios has many backers that support its establishment and development in China, such as Liu Qing, president of Didi Chuxing, who serves as the chair of Whittle School & Studios’ global advisory board. China Merchants Group has also committed to helping Whittle School & Studios to construct the campus in Shenzhen and attract further investment. Social responsibility
Li Jing, global head of enrollment, marketing and communications at Whittle School & Studios said: “The Whittle group will shoulder social responsibilities, even though it is a private school.”
Every year, the group will earmark 7.5 percent of its topline revenue for social charity funds, such as scholarships, financial aid for students and other initiatives.
The group plans to host annual conferences and invite local community and public schools to share their teaching practices with other schools’ teachers.
In addition, Whittle School & Studios will allow students to take the lead in their social initiatives. Students can put forward their ideas and the school will arrange related activities.
Every campus will be designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, each with its own unique and outstanding student research center characteristic of each school’s home city.
co-chair of the education design team of Whittle School & Studios; former history chair, Ethical Culture Fieldston School chief product development officer of Whittle School & Studios; former director of Innovation, Omnicom Media and founding member of Creative Agency Doubleday and Cartwright