Thank You
Shanghai United International School, Qingpu Campus
for hosting
NESSIC's Inaugural Bilingual Education Conference!

See You Next Year!

NESSIC Inaugural Bilingual Education Conference

Saturday & Sunday, 8-9 March 2025

Shanghai United International School, Qingpu Campus

上海青浦区协和双语学校

迎，难，而上 Languages and Beyond

As a new professional organization designed to enrich private bilingual schools in China, much effort was put into creating this new NESSIC Bilingual Education Conference. The Why, When and Where were straightforward, but a strong host school and NESSIC team have spent months in discussions about the What and Who it is designed for. This is a conference for both Chinese and foreign educators, but anyone, anywhere can take part in this first-ever NESSIC Bilingual Education Conference.

What sets this conference apart? Every session and discussion of the NESSIC Bilingual Education Conference is specifically tailored to bilingual education in the China context. Having just enjoyed a very successful Leadership Conference at Harrow Haikou LiDe School, we are extending this transformative experience to classroom teachers, language teachers, middle management, coordinators and curriculum leaders. Interestingly, new teachers are often the most impacted by attendance as they return to their schools energized, excited and uplifted after the intense adjustment to a new setting.

Three purposely broad categories were explored for this conference that are inclusive in many ways among the intended audience. Participants should feel free to attend sessions across any of these main categories. The content of each category will be determined in part from the Call for Presenters shown below.

Enriching Bilingual Teaching and Learning
Developing Leadership in a Bilingual Setting
Exploring Research on Bilingual Education

Two distinguished keynote speakers, Alex Shen and Dr Ying Chu, will set the tone each day for the presentations that follow. We focus on best practices and issues within bilingual environments in the China context, giving this conference great relevance to private bilingual schools in China. Sharing, discussing, learning and connecting are important outcomes for all participants. Various means of interaction are included such as panels, roundtables and jobs-alike.

Feeling isolated in your field? The conference includes a social event on the first evening, where educators from across China can build lasting professional relationships. As one attendee from our Leadership Conference noted, "The connections made here are as valuable as the content learned."

Keynote Speakers

Dr Ying Chu 褚莹博士

Head of the Dual Language Program 双语项目主任

International School of Beijing 北京顺义国际学校

Dr. Ying Chu is a seasoned research practitioner and innovative educational programme leader, and specializes in asset-based bilingual programme implementation and evaluation, along with providing expertise in culturally and linguistically responsive practices. She holds a Master of Arts from Columbia University's Teachers College, and earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California. Dr. Chu currently serves as the Head of the Dual Language Programme at the International School of Beijing. With over a decade of experience in instruction, research, and leadership roles at reputable international schools in the region and renowned institutions in New York City, Dr. Chu is dedicated to exploring and expanding thinking, blending theory with practice, and fostering a culture of transformational change and continuous improvement in international schools.

褚莹博士目前担任北京顺义国际学校双语项目主任。褚博士是一位经验丰富的教育实践者和语言项目管理者，专注于双语双文双文化能力发展、超语教学法、语言和文化响应式教学、教学指导和教师技能培训。在加入北京顺义国际学校之前，褚莹博士服务于新加坡美国学校十二年并担任中英双语沉浸式项目协调员和教师培训指导员。褚博士也曾在美国纽约公立学校任教，为纽约多所著名私立学校设计并实施了第一个中文学院项目，并创办了纽约市最早的中文沉浸式幼儿园。她毕业于哥伦比亚大学师范学院，并在美国南加州大学取得了教育管理博士学位。褚莹博士于2022年发表了关于亚洲国际学校中英双语项目规划于实施的博士研究论文，并多次在各类重大国际教育和教育管理会议分享研究和实践成果。褚博士致力于探索和拓展思维，理论与实践相结合，创造和维持不断变革和发展的学习文化。

Keynote: Driving Excellence in Bilingual Education: From Research to Innovative Practice

This keynote explores how collective efficacy, teacher empowerment, and job-embedded professional development drive excellence in bilingual education. Through participatory action research, we will examine how disciplined inquiry can address unique challenges and fuel program success and innovation. Join Dr. Chu in rethinking professional learning and discovering how action research can be a powerful catalyst for transforming bilingual education in your school.

Alex Shen 沈建军

Chair of Chong Wa International Baccalaureate Schools Association (CISA)

中华国际文凭学校协会（CISA）会长

Supervising Principal of Shanghai Xiehe Education Group 上海协和教育集团督学校长

Alex Shen is a senior international education administrator. In his 37-year teaching career, he has served as principal for 24 years. He has managed international schools in Shunde, Guangzhou, Changsha and Nanjing. Currently, he is chair of Chong Wa International Baccalaureate Schools Association (CISA) and supervising principal of Shanghai Xiehe (SUIS) Education Group. As a scholar who is familiar with the three IB programmes, Principal Shen is committed to promoting the development of IB in China. He has long served as the PYP programme leader, workshop leader, school consultant and verification leader as well as exam inspector of MYP and DP. He has won the honourary titles of the "Most Influential International School Principal" and Guangdong Province's "Outstanding Private Teacher".

沈校长是一位资深的国际教育管理者，在37年的教学生涯中，担任校长24年，先后在顺德、广州、长沙和南京管理国际化学校，目前是中华国际文凭学校协会（CISA)会长和上海协和教育集团督学校长。作为熟谙IB三个项目的学者，沈校长致力于促进IB在中国的发展，长期担任国际文凭组织PYP项目领导、培训官、学校顾问、授权领导，以及DP大学预科项目和MYP中学项目IB全球考试飞行检查官。曾获最具影响力国际学校校长和广东省优秀民办教师等光荣称号。

Keynote: Principal Leadership in the Digital Age 数字时代的校长领导力

ChatGPT, Sora, Deepseek, Grok3纷至沓来，给不确定的未来带来了确定的AI发展趋势。面对人工智能带来的日趋愈盛的挑战，教育得做好相应的准备，校长作为学校的最高领导更应该引领一方教育的方向。本次演讲将聚焦21世纪校长领导力，以理论联系实际的方式展开，共同探讨指导型领导力和变革型领导力以及如何运用校长领导力推动学校教育教学的高质量发展。

ChatGPT, Sora, DeepSeek, and Grok3 have come rapidly, one after another, bringing definite AI development trends to an uncertain future. Facing the growing challenges brought by artificial intelligence, education must be prepared accordingly. As the top leader of the school, the principal should lead the direction of education. Yet, teachers and managers also play an important role in navigating the school through uncharted waters. This presentation will focus on team leadership in the 21st century and combine theory with practice to discuss instructional leadership and transformational leadership, as all educators cope with the pressures of promoting the high-quality development of learning and teaching with AI having an increasingly dominant influence.

About the Host School

Located in Shanghai’s beautiful and green Qingpu District, Shanghai United International School Qingpu Campus (SUIS Qingpu) offers a comprehensive 16-year Pre-K to Grade 12 bilingual education, encompassing kindergarten, primary, middle, and high school divisions.

Founded in 2019 as the flagship school for Xiehe Education, the campus fosters a diverse, balanced, inclusive, and innovative educational environment. SUIS Qingpu’s mission is to develop students who strive for academic excellence, act with integrity, and exhibit the highest moral values, as responsible and aware citizens, empowered to be future leaders with ‘Chinese roots and global wings’.

因协和，得未来，以服务

SUIS Qingpu: The future of education, in service to the world

Campus Map

Click the Map for a larger image

Sunny Huang
Principal

Shanghai United International School, Qingpu Campus

Principal of Shanghai United International School Xuhe Campus

Ms. Sunny Huang Ying, Senior Principal and Senior Teacher, currently serves as the Principal of SUIS Qingpu and SUIS Xiehe. She holds dual master's degrees from both China and the UK and has over 20 years of teaching and management experience in public schools and private schools in China as well as girls' private schools in the UK. In addition to holding Chinese teaching qualifications, she also possesses UK PGCE and IB curriculum teaching qualifications. Over the course of her career, she has led teams to establish six private schools and one public school and has held various positions such as Assistant Principal, Vice-Principal, Acting Principal, and Principal.

Sunny has been dedicated to building East-West integrated curricula and teacher training, especially promoting the high-quality and sustainable development of private schools and teaching teams through project-based learning practices. Sunny has been elected as a Standing Committee Member of the CPPCC in Minhang District and the Deputy Head of the Minhang District Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, among other social and Party positions, and has been invited on many occasions to share her experiences on TED Talks, Dragon TV, Shanghai People's Radio, Shanghai Finance and Economics, SMG, and other platforms. In 2023, she was honoured with several titles and awards, such as "Outstanding Talent" in the Shanghai Qingpu Qingfeng Talent Programme, "80 Outstanding Principals" at the RAISE Asia International School Conference, "Annual Exemplary Award for Political Information" by the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and "Taipu Talent" in the Yangtze River Delta Ecological Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone.

Schedule may subject to further changes as we are working closely to finalize the content.