Superintendent Dr. Lori Putnam reported on a district delegation trip to China that included visits to K–12 immersion schools, higher‑education partners and cultural sites. The delegation included Minnesota school leaders and an assistant commissioner from the Minnesota Department of Education.
Putnam said the district’s purpose was to create partnerships to expand opportunities for Chinese immersion students and to learn immersion practices. Delegation stops included the Hangzhou Foreign Language School and other large immersion institutions; the district also presented at an international AI and STEAM education conference in Hangzhou.
A key outcome: while in China the district extended and received acceptance of a job offer to a senior educator and director at the Hangzhou Foreign Language School. Putnam said the new hire has decades of immersion experience and has previously spent time in Minnesota; the district is working to secure an H‑1B visa to bring him to lead the program locally.
Putnam said next steps include restarting immersion family advisory groups, creating an in‑state immersion conference for Chinese immersion teachers and administrators, building sister‑school relationships with virtual and homestay exchanges, and exploring potential partner funding to support exchanges and homestays.
Why it matters: Strengthening immersion programs is central to the district’s K–12 language strategy; recruiting a native‑language director aims to expand program quality and create exchange opportunities for students.
Implementation notes: The superintendent said the district will meet with other Minnesota immersion districts to pool resources, set an in‑state conference date in August, and begin work on the H‑1B process for the new hire.