Meeting participants from Oklahoma State Department of Education, Tulsa Public Schools, TECO in Houston, Kaohsiung Industrial High School in Kaohsiung, and Yang Mei Senior High School in Taoyuan

The Ministry of Education (MOE) launched the International Education for Primary and Secondary Schools White Paper 2.0 in 2020 with the goals of nurturing future world citizens, creating a friendly environment to enhance internationalization, and expanding global exchanges.  This initiative encourages schools in Taiwan to establish international partnerships and engage in online and in-person international exchanges that will provide primary and secondary students with opportunities to enhance their knowledge of different countries and cultures through experiential learning, and give them global perspectives. 

In order to promote such international education exchanges, the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Houston set up an online meeting between Tulsa Public Schools in the State of Oklahoma, Kaohsiung Industrial High School in southern Taiwan and Yang Mei Senior High School in Taoyuan in northern Taiwan on October 29, 2021. Cathleen Skinner, Director of World Languages other than English in the Curriculum and Instruction Division of the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Johnna Yoder, Tulsa–Kaohsiung Sister City Partnership Chair, Laura Grisso, Executive Director of Language and Cultural Services for Tulsa Public Schools, Danielle Neves, Deputy Chief of Academics for Tulsa Public Schools, Erin Lester, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning at Tulsa Public Schools, Chang Chia-Hui, Library Director at Kaohsiung Industrial High School, Lee Jung Bin, Director of Academic Affairs at Yang Mei Senior High School, and Sung Hui-I, Student Lab Section Chief at Yang Mei Senior High School were invited to participate. 

The MOE and the Oklahoma State Department of Education renewed their Memorandum of Understanding on Education in 2020 which supports collaboration and exchange programs between schools in Taiwan and Oklahoma, and the participants at the meeting all have high expectations for school cooperation and international education exchanges. “We are delighted to have Taiwan as a partner,” Director Cathleen Skinner said during the meeting, “We hope that we will be able to work together on projects of common interests and to grow our friendships academically and personally. The State Department of Education is so pleased to be able to facilitate this program for Taiwan and Tulsa.” And Johnna Yoder gave a commitment that the Tulsa–Kaohsiung Sister City Partnership, and the Department of Administrative and International Affairs of Kaohsiung City Government will jointly support high school exchange programs.