Michigan’s Oxford Community Schools system is pushing educational boundaries with its new virtual and physical exchange programs with Chinese students and educators.

“We feel it is mission-critical for every student to become fluent in a world language and fluent in multiple world cultures,” said Oxford Superintendent William Skilling, who is also an 1988 and ’92 graduate in K-12 Educational Administration at MSU. “In today’s global market, you need to have the skill set by which you can have virtual meetings in which multiple languages and cultures are present at the same time.”

Oxford’s virtual exchange program cooperates with Northeast Yucai Oxford International High School, located in Shenyeng, China, and is offered to high schoolers during the hours of 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Skilling explained that American students often decline physical exchange programs because they don’t want to leave their peer group. Despite the virtual program’s ‘graveyard shift’ education schedule, Skilling believes that students will be eager to have an international experience without leaving their families and friends.

Students at Oxford will also have the opportunity to physically travel to Shenyeng to study for up to three years. The opportunity will later open up to students in Oakland County, and eventually, students across the state of Michigan.

Oxford Community Schools has had a three-year history of embedding Chinese culture into the curriculum. As young as kindergarten, students at Oxford have the opportunity to connect with students in China by sending videos online, in which they share their positive experiences in America and ask questions about Chinese culture.

The program is financially supported by the Michigan State University Confucius Institute and Hanban, a Beijing-based institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education.

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Tags: Chinese, Confucius Institute, Educational administration, oxford community school, william skilling