By Song Yijia & Shan Dasheng, Research Team on “Several major problems on reform and development of elementary education”， Research Institute of Public Administration and Human Resources of DRC Research Report No.186, 2015 (Total 4871) 2015-12-7

Abstract:

Dulangkou Middle School in Chiping county of Liaocheng city in Shandong Province is a rural middle school with inadequate teaching facilities. Since 1990s, the school has launched a reform featured by independent education model which has stimulated the vitality of the school system and triggered positive changes in students, teachers, and the school system. Independent education model is a comprehensive reform on the school system that centers on reform of education and teaching. It involves innovation in such aspects as education concept, classroom instruction, school management, education assessment, and ways on improving teaching facilities. Its basic characteristics include student-centered classroom organization, learning-before-teaching education model, learning pattern that focuses on cooperation, communication, and mutual help, as well as reflection-oriented and research-based teaching staff, and comprehensive, multifaceted, and intensified assessment system. Policy options are offered as follows: efforts should be made to cultivate an inclusive atmosphere for reforms, speed up reform in education achievement assessment system and examination evaluation system, support pilot practice in various reforms including reform featured by independent education model, encourage schools to select education models according to their school-running characteristics, promote school comprehensive reform, and shift focus of elementary education work onto school facility construction.

Key words: independent education, elementary education, school concept construction, comprehensive reform