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Using the comparative case study (CCS) method, this article compares the findings from a longitudinal ethnographic research project of rural children in Northwest China (2005–2012) and a second longitudinal study of migrant children in eastern China (2015–2019). It examines rural and migrant students' and educators' (re)interpretations and uses of suzhi (quality) and suzhi education in the context of rapid urbanization, various locations in between the city and the countryside, and how these usages problematize and challenge the rural-urban dualism embedded in the existing literature on rural and migrant children in China. These two studies explore how suzhi means different things for different stakeholders across time and place in both formal discourses, such as the curriculum, and in informal discourses, as seen in what educators and students value and practice. The article enriches theories on suzhi by showing how it: 1) reflects both the rural-urban gap and social stratification in China; and 2) reveals the shifting paradigm of suzhi education specifically and of education in China more broadly. The article also showcases how the CCS approach can be used to disrupt taken-for-granted categories and dichotomies, such as the urban-rural dualism, by closely examining concepts like suzhi across place, time, and with different groups of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to international education in schools in the USA. Education professionals, business leaders, and politicians realize that schools and school leaders must identify multiple opportunities for students to interact with and experience a global society. Nationally, there has been a considerable investment of funds by several key foundations and much political talk about the need to push American education towards a model of schooling that expressly responds to the need for internationally competent citizens. Using mixed methodology design, this study is fueled by a desire to better understand several overarching elements in international education. In short, the authors of this paper posit that no further research, policy formation, or program development within the realm of international education for public schools can be undertaken until an understanding of the current state of international education and the capacity for internationalization is empirically explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been ongoing discussions about the most recent curriculum reform in China. The new curriculum aims at a more quality-oriented (suzhi) education and producing more well-rounded citizens to meet the challenges of global competition. However, it is questioned how suzhi education is possible with entrance examination still being the sole sorting mechanism. A semester-long ethnography in a rural middle school in northwest China reveals how rural students face many challenges with the new curriculum. Based on interviews, analyses of textbooks, and observations of classroom teaching, the study examines how rural students question the relevance of their curriculum and further the meaning of formal schooling. In addition to the dichotomy between an exam-oriented and quality-oriented curriculum, students are also troubled by the dichotomy between general/academic education and relevant/practical education. The study raises concerns about the urban-centered curriculum and how the rural community's absence in the picture has led to rural students' increasing disengagement in schooling and even dropout. It also reveals how the substance of suzhi education and the new curriculum have further reduced rural students' chance to move upward socially. The article concludes by pushing for discussions on how formal schooling can better serve rural children and youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on an ethnographic study in a rural middle school in Northwest China, the author explores how the transition of the rural countryside, specifically townization, has challenged the urban–rural dichotomy being reproduced in and by formal schooling. Rural students express criticism of the chaos, pollution, and corruption they have experienced during townization, which also penetrate the school walls and become part of their daily schooling experience. Students’ resistance to townization corresponds to their resistance to schooling. The author analyzes three groups of rural youth (conformists, reformers, and rebels), and how their resistance is limiting and even self-defeating, yet also has potential for being liberating. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]