The number of Chinese students studying in American high schools has grown exponentially in the past few years, due to a perfect storm of factors – China’s rising middle class, changes in U.S. student visa policies, a growing emphasis on global education here in the U.S, and some schools’ struggles with decreasing enrollment. According to the Department of Homeland Security, in 2005-2006 there were just 65 Chinese students studying at American high schools; during the 2010-2011 school year this number increased more than 100 times to 6,725 students.[1]
As the Chinese market has opened up and the popularity of international student programs has grown, some schools have become so focused on the financial benefits of enrolling more Chinese students that they’ve lost sight of the human elements of cultural exchange. At some high schools, such as the Knox School in NY, over half of the student body hails from China.[2] When a particular nationality is disproportionately represented in this way, it is likely that international students will be seen by local students, teachers, and administrators as an indistinct mob rather than individual children with fears, hopes, and very different personalities and needs. As a result, resentment may build; there may be a perception that Chinese students are “taking over,” or “taking opportunities away” from local students. An important opportunity for cross-cultural communication, friendships, and understanding is then lost.
As the Chinese market has opened up and the popularity of international student programs has grown, some schools have become so focused on the financial benefits of enrolling more Chinese students that they’ve lost sight of the human elements of cultural exchange. At some high schools, such as the Knox School in NY, over half of the student body hails from China.[2] When a particular nationality is disproportionately represented in this way, it is likely that international students will be seen by local students, teachers, and administrators as an indistinct mob rather than individual children with fears, hopes, and very different personalities and needs. As a result, resentment may build; there may be a perception that Chinese students are “taking over,” or “taking opportunities away” from local students. An important opportunity for cross-cultural communication, friendships, and understanding is then lost.
It is also nearly impossible for international students to experience American culture in a meaningful way when their school is saturated with students from their home country. One Chinese student, who I’ll call Jack, applied to Quest’s program last spring with the explicit goal of transferring to a school with fewer Chinese students; his first American school had upwards of 80 students from China. Jack told me that he had absolutely no idea his American school would have so many Chinese students prior to his departure for the U.S. When he arrived he was severely disappointed to find that his dorm roommates were Chinese, as were the majority of his classmates. He rarely had the opportunity to “touch” American life, he told me. He was diligently studying English but had few chances to use the language in “real life” situations with Americans his own age.
I believe that high schools should embrace the opportunity to bring Chinese and other international students on campus, but that they should do so thoughtfully and with a measure of caution. Below are some factors high schools may want to keep in mind while developing an international student program:
- Consider setting a nationality cap. Is there a maximum number of students of a given nationality that you could accept before it will become difficult for them to integrate into American life? If so, what is that number? Consider starting small and increasing your maximum number slowly, based on your school’s experiences and observations.
- Examine your international student support services. Whether you have staff dedicated solely to serving international students, work with an organization such as Quest, or employ a combination of these methods, think seriously about the support infrastructure you have in place and whether it is adequate to provide robust care to the number of students you decide to accept to your school.
- Re-evaluate goals. Reflect on why you want to bring international students to your school in the first place. Is your goal to give local students more global exposure, complement foreign language curriculum, or increase diversity? Is it to build enrollment and bring in more revenue? All or none of the above? Seek to continually define your international student program’s raison d’être as it grows and changes. There’s nothing wrong with being driven by goals that benefit your immediate community, as long as you don’t forget the importance of serving your international students and giving them a real chance to feel a part of your community, too.
Chinese families are choosing to send their children to American high schools because they hold our system of education, and the flexibility, creativity, and encouragement of individual expression it offers, in high regard. We need to honor the trust these families have placed in us by nurturing their children’s individuality and making a commitment to providing them with personal care and support. With more Chinese students flocking to U.S. schools every year, our handling of this issue will not only shape the lives of many individual students, but may also influence China’s perception of the U.S. at a time when strong Sino-U.S. relations are crucial.
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