In about a month, Beijing No. 80 High School will get a new member of staff from the US: Jim Donnelly. According to an article by Glen Falls, NY newspaper The Post-Star, Donnelly will introduce the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and Advanced Placement (AP) classes to the school’s curriculum.
In June 2012, the principal of No. 80 had seen Donnelly speak at an educational conference in China. He invited him to No. 80 for a school visit; Donnelly remained in touch with school administration.
In the article, he spoke about the importance of IB and AP in Chinese schools:
Donnelly said it is sometimes difficult for even the top Chinese students to get into American universities, because they have not taken AP or IB classes. IB classes and diplomas are common in international schools in Europe and other parts of the world.
Currently, No. 80 has around 3,000 students, 400 of which are from non-Chinese families.
To learn more about No. 80, read our 2013-2014 School Choice Guide here.
Photo courtesy of No. 80
