l e a r n i n g from

singapore
T h e F i n d i n g s o f a D e l e g at i o n o f N o r t h C a r o l i n i a n s T h at E x a m i n e d E d u c at i o n a n d t h e Ec o n o m y
A collaboration of the public school forum and the center for international understanding, that was made possible
through financial support from the burroughs Wellcome Fund and from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust
B l e a r n i n g from singapore
l e a r n i n g from

singapore
4 Si n g a por e : A You n g N at i on
6 Th r e e Ph a s e s of S i n ga por e ’ s E d u c ati on
8 L e s s on s to b e L e a r n e d
10 The Importance of Integrated Planning
12 Investing in Educators
14 Harnessing Research-Based Best Practices
18 Major Lessons Learned in Singapore

2 0 Im p l i c at i o n s & R e c o mm e n d at i o n s
2 5 C o n c lu d i n g T h o u g h ts

A Word About the Cover . . .

The cover illustration for this report was taken from the cover of a brochure describing Singapore’s
NUS High School of Mathematics & Science. Like North Carolina’s highly regarded School of Science
& Math, admission to NUS is very competitive, drawing its students from the top 10% of Singapore’s
schools. The striking thing about the school, as the illustration shows, is the pervasive belief that one
of its students will be the next Einstein or a future Nobel Prize winner. As the following report will
explain, the desire to be the best, to be a world leader, is not confined only to Singapore’s School of
Mathematics and Science; it permeates Singapore’s educational system. A special thank you to NUS
High School of Mathematics & Science for not only giving permission to use their illustration but to
the Principal and faculty for opening their doors to the North Carolina delegation while in Singapore.
2 l e a r n i n g from singapore

l e a r n i n g from
singa
apore Singapore. To many it is nothing more
than a red dot on a map of the world.
However, to those in the corporate world
it is an Asian economic power house. To
those who study city living, its approach
to housing, racial diversity, crime control
and traffic make it a model for urban
planning. To those in the education com-
munity, it is a nation that is routinely in
the top two or three when it comes to the
performance of its young people on inter-
national tests of science and mathematics.
How has a nation that is not even 50 years old emerged from
a backwater third world economy into a world financial, urban
planning and educational leader in so little time? Are there les-
sons that can be learned from Singapore and used to build a
stronger North Carolina?
Those were the questions that led a delegation of 29 North
Carolina foundation officials, elected office holders, educators,
nonprofit leaders and others to travel to and study first-hand the
factors that have led to Singapore’s emergence.
This study is the eighth in the series called “Learning from
the World” that is co-sponsored by the Public School Forum
and the Center for International Understanding. Previous stud-
ies have focused on Great Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands,
Japan, South Korea, China and India. The studies have been
made possible through the financial support of the Burroughs
Wellcome Fund and the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust,
two foundations that invest in education with a particular focus
on science and mathematics.
What follows is a description of the conclusions reached by
the delegation and an examination of the implications for the
state of North Carolina.
 A
4 l e a r n i n g from singapore

Young Nation
Unlike countries across Asia that have histories extending The important thing for this examination, however, was that
thousand of years back in time, Singapore’s beginnings are recent. the history of Singapore as a nation began in 1965. At that point,
In 1819, the British East India Company, the English trading only 43 years ago, the would-be nation had no system of school-
company that once spanned the globe, decided to create a trading ing, no constitution, no army or navy, and, as any Singaporean
port in what was at the time undeveloped swamp land at the tip of will tell you today, few resources.
Malaysia. A visionary Englishman, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Taking stock of its assets, Singapore could count on only
who has a larger-than-life reputation that lives on today, led the three. It was situated in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
settlement effort and by 1825 Singapore, originally known as It possessed what would become the world’s third largest deep
Singapura, had become a busy port city. water port. And it had its people. Upon those assets Singapore
For over a century, Singapore remained a British colony and set out to build a nation.
continued to grow and thrive. Its growth, however, was abruptly
blunted during World War II when the Japanese invaded in 1942. People Are Our Greatest Resource
Singapore, considered by the British its impregnable fortress in Perhaps the greatest challenge Singapore’s first leaders faced was
the Pacific, fell in a matter of days. For the next 3 1/2 years, the how to instill in a would-be country a sense of nationhood within
city was occupied. English men and women along with other its people. As noted earlier, the population of Singapore was
Europeans were imprisoned. Natives of Singapore were forced to ethnically diverse with Chinese, Indians and Malays making up
endure prolonged hardships and, in some cases, brutality ending the majority of the population. There was no common language
in death at the hands of the occupiers. and even within ethnic groups there were cultural differences.
Following the withdrawal of Japanese troops at the end of Some Chinese, for instance spoke Mandarin; others, spoke in a
World War II, the native population of Singapore began a move- Cantonese dialect that was quite different.
ment for independence and in 1959 the British relinquished their More to the point, prior to 1965 there was no such thing as
control of Singapore and the city’s history as an independent a Singaporean. The port city had been a colony of the British
entity began. Empire from its founding.
Originally, Singapore aligned itself with the country of The leadership of the nation realized that education would
Malaysia. That alignment seemed logical. Singapore was reliant have to be a cornerstone of nation building. The threefold goal
on Malaysia for most of its food, water and resources. A sizable of education would be to forge a sense of nationhood through
segment of its population was Malay and the city was nothing a common language and, as importantly, through instilling a
more than an island off the coast of Malaysia separated from the common set of cultural beliefs or norms. The longer-term goal
mainland by only a narrow straight of water. would be to develop a highly skilled workforce that would bring
However, the attempt to amalgamate the city into the country investments and jobs to the island nation.
of Malaysia was not successful. Singapore was essentially a Chinese From its very beginnings, education in Singapore was far more
city. The make-up of its people was similar to what it is today. than an exercise in raising literacy standards. It was the economic
Roughly 70% of Singaporeans were Chinese. Another 15% were and cultural key to building a nation.
Indian and only 10% were Malay. This remains true today. One of the more enlightening
While the decision for Singapore to separate from Malaysia governmental briefings the North Carolina delegation had
was mutual, there were strains between the nations and the took place at the Ministry of Manpower. Officials within the
early history of independent Singapore was marked by tension Ministry described the three distinct phases education has
as bitterly divided political groups fought for control of the undergone since 1965.
new nation.
 Singapore could count on three
assets. It was situated in one of
the world’s busiest sea lanes. It
possessed what would become the
world’s third largest, deep water
port... and it had its people. Upon
those assets Singapore set out to
build a nation.

Students greeting the Nor th Carolina Delegation

at Singapore’s West Grove Primar y School
6 l e a r n i n g from singapore

3
Class sizes in Singapore are large,
often 40 or more students per class.
However, much of the instruction in
Singapore is team based with teams
of students actively engaged in
hands-on learning exercises.

Phases of Education
“Survival-Driven” [Phase 1]
The first phase of education in Singapore, in retrospect, has
been named the “survival-driven” phase. It began in 1959 and
lasted until 1978. As the name implies, the early educational
efforts in the nation were aimed at creating a literate citizenry
that had basic reading and numeracy skills. Prior to indepen-
dence from Great Britain, education was largely reserved for the
well-to-do or for young people who showed exceptional promise.
The challenge for the new government was to create a system of
universal education.
The most controversial decision made during this time
would later turn out to be an economic and cultural blessing
for the nation. Singapore’s leadership chose as the nation’s of-
ficial language not any of the three commonly used languages
– Chinese, Indian or Malay – instead, English was made the
common language of education. That decision would not only
tie Singapore’s citizens to one common tongue, it would make
them one of the few Asian nations that universally used what
had become the global language of business and what would
become the global language of technology.
At the same time, the nation’s leadership made another policy
decision that mollified those who opposed making English the
language of education. They instituted a national policy recog-
nizing English, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil (Indian) and Malay
as national languages, and required students to be bi-lingual –
learning in English, but taking coursework in at least one other Central to the “efficiency-driven” phase of education was
language. By doing this, they preserved the heritage and language moving away from what had been a “one-size-fits-all” curriculum
of Singapore’s major ethnic groupings while instituting universal and approach to schooling and the creation of multiple pathways
English language education. for students. Those multiple pathways are best exemplified by
At the end of what has become known as the “survival-driven” Singapore’s three basic types of high schools – academic high
phase of education, Singapore had created a system of mass schools focused on preparing young people to move on to college;
education for all while creating the foundation for vocational and polytechnic high schools focused on advanced occupational and
technical learning institutions. technical training, that frequently also lead young people on to
college, and technical institutes that focus on occupational and
technical training for students who are in the academically lowest
“Efficiency-Driven” [Phase 2] one-third of the student population.
As the 1970’s came to an end, the country entered what is During this phase, a major goal of the nation was to produce
now called the “efficiency-driven” phase of education that would highly skilled and trained workers, especially engineers. The
extend from 1979 until 1996. During this time, students began National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological
to be “streamed” (i.e., assigned or grouped) based on their aca- Institute were built during this period of time. In fact, by the end
demic ability. The goal of streaming or grouping was to enable of the eighties, Singapore was producing over 1,000 engineering
all students to fulfill their potential while recognizing that not all graduates annually as its economic development efforts were at-
students would grow academically at the same pace. tracting more and more jobs in technology.
“Ability-based, The Results . . .
Aspirations-driven” [Phase 3] Today, only 43 years after the nation of Singapore came into
Beginning in 1997 Singapore entered what is termed its “ability- being, the nation that had no system of universal education in 1965
based, aspirations-driven” phase. Its focus is on creating workers for can point to the following as an example of what has been achieved:
a knowledge-based global economy. The array of pathways available • Singapore’s literacy ranking is among the highest in the world as
to students has been expanded. Students have a far greater choice of measured by the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study.
coursework and majors.
• Singaporean students are currently the world leaders in math and
As the North Carolina delegation would hear on several oc-
science based on their performance on TIMSS examinations,
casions, the three phases of education in Singapore mirrored the
the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study.
economic development of the nation. During the “survival-driven”
phase of education, Singapore recruited manufacturing facilities • Singapore was rated as the best performing education system,
and was largely focused on job creation for its people. During the with an excellent teaching force, in a 2008 McKinsey & Com-
“efficiency-driven” phase of education, its economic recruitment pany study, “How the World’s Best Performing School Systems
goals switched to international technology and financial companies Come Out on Top.”
that relied on more highly skilled workers. Today, the nation is • Singapore is ranked 1st in the IMD World Competitiveness
attempting to be a world leader in areas like bio-technology that Yearbook of 2007 for having an education system that best meets
require adaptable, creative knowledge workers. the needs of a competitive economy.
8 l e a r n i n g from singapore

“How did Singapore accomplish what it has in less

than 50 years?” was the question that the North Caro-
lina delegation attempted to answer at the end of the
study. Unfortunately, the week of governmental brief-
ings, school visitations, discussions with educators and
conversations with students, coupled with three days
of briefings and extensive reading in advance of the
trip, raised as many questions as were answered.
As the delegation reassembled upon returning to the
United States, it wrestled with reaching a consensus
on “lessons learned” from Singapore. And, in fairness
to readers, the delegation was extremely mindful that
the old adage “a little learning can be a dangerous
thing” applies to those who would generalize about a
country and its educational system after only a brief
visit. With that caveat, the remainder of this report
will focus on the major lessons the delegation learned
from its brief exposure to Singapore and its schools.
In brief, the delegation agreed that the primary
lessons to be learned from Singapore fall into three
broad areas:
lesson 1:
The importance of vision and planning that integrates
nation building, economic development and education.
lesson 2:
The return that comes from thoughtful investments in
teachers and school leadership.
lesson 3:
The potential gains that result from harnessing research-
based best practices from around the world.

Lessons
 A member of the Nor th Carolina delegation, Senator Joe Sam Queen, who is an architect, examines
student work done in a course on design at Singapore’s Nanyang Polytechnic Institute.

to be Learned
10 l e a r n i n g from singapore

lesson 1: motivation behind this, however, was not idealistic nor what could
derisively be termed “tree hugging.”
The Importance Instead, the motivation was economic. The first area of the city to
of Integrated Planning be landscaped and planted with trees and vegetation was the highway
leading from the airport to the city. Singapore’s founders wanted
Because Singapore’s leaders saw people as the primary build- foreign visitors to have a positive first impression of the city.
ing block to a strong economy, education was never viewed in From that rather humble beginning Singapore went on to
isolation. Instead, from the beginning of the nation, the education develop a nationwide plan for greenways and parks. While the
system was designed around a manpower strategy that began with population of Singapore is densely packed into a relatively small
survival (i.e., raising the literacy rate), evolved to “efficiency” (i.e., space, today it can boast of wide avenues, lush vegetation and
focus on math and science and preparation for knowledge work, parks and greenways throughout the country.
and now has moved to “aspirations.” Unlike many Asian cities, one does not find sprawling slums
It is the integration of governmental planning that has made in Singapore. One also does not find many one or two-story
Singapore unique. At the same time it was building an educational homes. Instead, condominiums and apartment buildings are
system, for instance, it was constructing thousands of governmental high rise, making maximum use of land while preserving green
housing units in the belief that home ownership would tie people to space around living areas.
Singapore and instill in them a greater loyalty to the new nation. Another part of the city’s planning was to ensure that both the
Ever mindful of the challenges its diverse ethnic population inner city and the areas around high-rise living areas were well-
posed, even Singapore’s housing policies reflected its determina- maintained and free of the litter that haunts so many cities. In
tion to avoid becoming a city divided by ethnic enclaves. New what some would say is rather obsessive planning to prevent litter,
governmental housing units were allocated using numerical ethnic Singapore now has an undercover “litter patrol” that numbers over
goals that resulted in housing patterns that reflected the overall 400. Someone discarding a cigarette butt or a paper wrapper on a
population of the new nation. street is subject to a not-so-gentle tap on the shoulder and a hefty
Early on in the development of Singapore it became what is fine — $500 for first time offenders. Importing chewing gum into
now viewed as a model of “green” or environmental planning. The Singapore is illegal and also subject to stiff financial penalties.
 For a non-Singaporean to enter the country on a work visa, he/
she must first have written proof of employment. Their visas will
be issued for varying lengths of time, depending on their job skills
and the demand for their labor. In the case of large manufactur-
ing concerns, foreign workers will be provided company housing
and be transported to and from their place of employment in
company-owned or provided transportation.
Most foreign workers, except for the most highly skilled and
in-demand, are not permitted to bring families with them. Thou-
sands of Malays are “day workers,” coming across the narrow body
of water separating Malaysia from Singapore in the morning and
returning at night.
As a result of these policies, Singapore has been able to meet
its manpower needs without disrupting the delicate social and
economic balance within the country. Its schools are not facing
the challenge of dealing with newcomers who lack a common
language. Its public agencies are not faced with demands for health
care, increased law enforcement and other services needed when
immigrants flood into a nation. By being able to control the flow
of foreign workers based on supply and demand, Singapore keeps
its unemployment rate very low while meeting manpower needs
in hard-to-fill jobs.
New governmental housing units
were allocated using numerical In terms of building loyalty to a new nation, in addition to
ethnic goals that resulted in housing creating a universal system of schooling, a universal language and
patterns that reflected the overall housing policies that make home ownership within the grasp
population of the new nation. of most of its citizens, Singapore instituted a policy of national
service that requires all males at age eighteen to give two years of
service either through the military or through a variety of jobs in
the public sector.
The government also instituted “character building” and
Another thing one does not find in Singapore is the jumble “national values” instruction in the schools. Young people are
of traffic that is so common in major cities. Part of the integrated instructed to value and build upon their diversity. They are taught
planning for the city was a complicated plan designed to avoid that teamwork is more important than an individual acting alone.
the kind of congestion that nearly paralyzes many cities, especially There was little left to chance in Singapore. Instead of the
during rush hour. country evolving by happenstance, it evolved by adhering to
New drivers’ permits are issued sparingly. It is not uncommon a vision of becoming a global leader, of becoming an Asian
for a would-be driver to be placed on a waiting list that is years economic power.
long. Car owners are charged very high fees for the privilege of Parks, trees, the absence of litter, traffic that flows steadily
driving and the fees are higher for those wanting the privilege to were not decisions made only to improve the quality of life in
drive anywhere anytime. In Singapore, license plates are coded by Singapore; they were steps taken to make Singapore the kind of
fee schedules. One can choose to have the privilege of driving only city foreign corporations would want to invest in, a place that
after working hours and on weekends – that is the least expensive foreign managers would want to be assigned to live and work in.
fee. Or, one can choose to drive anytime except during rush hour The goal of education was not only to raise the literacy rates of
traffic periods for a higher fee. Or, one can pay the highest fee for Singapore’s people, it was designed to give the nation a workforce
the privilege of driving anywhere, anytime. that would attract the kind of jobs that would allow its people to
In immigration policies, an area that is becoming one of the enjoy a higher and higher standard of living.
United States’ most divisive election-year issues, Singapore’s While many can take credit for the integrated planning that
planning process appears to be sparing it many of the strains has enabled Singapore to advance to where it is in less than
that are being felt not only in the United States but throughout 50 years, observers give much of the credit to Lee Kuan Yew,
Europe and elsewhere. Singapore’s prime minister for over 30 years and still a force
Singapore, relative to its population of roughly 4.4 million, has in Singaporean politics. The name he gave to a biography that
a huge foreign work force – estimated to be close to one million. tracks the development of Singapore is a testament to the power
However, because of their closely regulated immigration policies, of integrated planning aimed at reaching a vision. The book’s
Singapore has avoided many of the social, educational and legal title is “From Third World to First,” a title that aptly describes
challenges experienced in the United States. Singapore’s 43 year evolution.
12 l e a r n i n g from singapore

lesson 2:
Investing in Educators
In recent years Singapore has gained a reputation for its policies relationships with parents. The performance of students is merely
regarding teachers and school administrators. In the months before one of the criteria considered when bonus payments are awarded.
the North Carolina delegation visited Singapore an international The net effect of these policies is that polls find teaching to be the
McKinsey and Company study entitled, “How the World’s Best most highly regarded profession in Singapore. It is not only competi-
Performing Countries Come Out on Top,” cited Singapore as an tive but it is an honor to become a teacher.
international leader for its investments in a high-quality workforce. The policies regarding teachers, while impressive, do not tell
Within weeks of the delegation returning to the United States, a the entire story of what makes education a respected profession in
Time Magazine cover feature on teachers and teaching included an Singapore. According to surveys seeking to find out why so many
article highlighting Singapore for its enlightened policies regarding leave teaching in the United States, the quality of school leadership
the development of teachers. at the school building level accounts for much of the teacher attrition
Based on what the delegation was able to observe while visiting found in the United States and more specifically in North Carolina.
Singapore, the recognition they are receiving is deserved. Looking
first at their investments in teaching and their approaches to build- developing leadership
ing a quality teaching force, consider the following: In short, leadership matters. And in Singapore, the investment
• Candidates wanting to become teachers must go through a rigorous made in teacher quality is matched by that the nation makes in
screening process that admits far fewer students than candidates. developing high-quality school leaders. Singapore’s approach to
developing school leadership will sound very familiar to those who
• Teacher candidates are recruited from the academic upper one- work in large corporations that routinely invest millions in talent
third of high school graduation classes. identification programs and have sophisticated internal training pro-
• Once accepted as a teacher candidate, prospective teachers not grams for management. Their approach to developing leadership,
only have their full tuition paid, but they are paid 60% of a begin- however, is very different than that found in North Carolina schools
ning teacher’s salary while they are studying to become a teacher. or, for that matter, in states across the nation. Here are highlights of
The practice is called “bonding” (i.e., one is obligated, or bonded, the Singaporean system:
to fulfill an obligation to their employer, in this case the nation of • Singapore has a formalized talent identification and training pro-
Singapore). gram that begins when one is hired as a teacher. Throughout one’s
• All teacher candidates attend the National Institute of Education, career as an educator in Singapore, an employee will annually be
Singapore’s only teacher preparation institute with an enrollment rated based on “leadership potential.”
of over 5,000 students. • In Singapore, the process of talent identification and training
• The National Institute of Education (NIE) is a self-contained begins with what they call “middle management” – curriculum
college; subsequently, all of the faculty, whether teaching teachers specialists, grade or team leaders and departmental chairs in
how to teach math and science or focusing on teaching reading, secondary schools. Candidates for middle management positions
are part of the same faculty team, in contrast to American colleges are identified based on their leadership potential ratings and then
that are usually divided into departments that frequently have interviewed and screened by a committee of school leaders.
little collaboration between education departments and other • If selected for a middle management position, the successful
departments such as math and science. candidate undergoes leadership training tailored to the position
• Once on the job, teachers are paid throughout the year – teaching he/she is assuming.
is a 12 month position, not a nine or ten month position as is the • Once on the job, middle managers become part of the leadership
case in the United States. team within a school. Team members collectively make decisions
• The beginning pay for teachers is higher than that of medical on issues ranging from teacher evaluations, to bonus recipients, to
doctors starting out in their field. promotions, to management of the education program.
• During the year, teachers are provided with time to spend the • While a middle manager, one continues to be rated each year on
equivalent of 100 hours on staff development activities designed leadership potential. From this pool of middle management will
to sharpen their skills. come candidates for assistant principals.
• High performing teachers who meet a variety of criteria can earn • As in the process of selecting middle managers, candidates for
annual bonuses equal to as much as two months pay. It is impor- assistant principal positions will undergo an interview and screen-
tant to note that individual schools receive a block of funding ing process and, if selected, they will receive extensive training in
for bonus payments and teams of school managers award them to school leadership prior to assuming the position.
teachers based on a variety of criteria including teachers’ work with • The process of annual rankings based on leadership potential
colleagues, work with students in extra curricular activities and continues for assistant principals and they will comprise the pool
from which school principals are chosen.
 Teacher candidates are
recruited from the academic
upper one-third of high school
graduation classes.

• If one is selected to be a school principal, he/she will first undergo In both the case of teachers and school managers, Singapore
two years of state-provided training. One year will be residential makes a large investment to ensure that its young people’s education
at a leadership training institute; the second year will be spent is provided by high-quality educators. Its system closely resembles
interning at a school. During the second year, the principal that of some of the best-run private corporations in America. It
candidate will be sent abroad to spend up to six weeks studying can be boiled down into a very simple recipe for success: recruit
education in another country. the best; treat them with respect; insure that their pay reflects
• Principals are routinely transferred from one school to another every 5 the importance of their positions; identify and nurture potential
or 6 years. Singapore believes this brings a fresh perspective to schools leadership; provide the time and the tools needed to sharpen their
and sees it as part of their continuous improvement strategy. skills. As will be discussed later when the implications of this trip
are examined, Singapore’s approach to developing high-quality
• Finally, as one moves up the educational management ladder in educators may be a simple recipe to describe; however, it is not
Singapore, one’s salary moves up accordingly. School principals in nearly as simple to implement.
Singapore routinely earn six figure salaries comparable to that of a
medium or large school system superintendent in North Carolina.
14 l e a r n i n g from singapore

lesson 3: material, but they cover it in depth. Their goal is mastery of basic
mathematical concepts, not quantity of material covered.
Singapore also blurs the distinctions between different levels of
Harnessing Research-Based mathematics. Instead of discrete courses in Algebra and Geometry,
Best Practices algebraic concepts are introduced to students while in elementary
school. Geometric concepts are integrated into basic math instruc-
While the delegation found Singapore’s approach to planning tion long before students reach high school.
and their willingness to invest in educators to be two of the criti- In short, the nation has a philosophy of teaching mathematics
cal factors to their success, there is one additional area that has that is the result of research, fine tuning and teacher training.
contributed to their educational progress. The best conceived That philosophy is best described in their own words; the fol-
plan supported by the best educators that money can buy would lowing is quoted directly from the “Singapore Rationale for
not be enough were they asked to implement questionable edu- Mathematics Instruction:”
cational strategies. “Educators in Singapore see mathematics as an excellent vehicle
The last piece of the success equation that left an impression for the development and improvement of a person’s intellectual
on the delegation was the nation’s willingness to scour the world competence in logical reasoning, spatial visualization analysis and
to find research-based best practices and approaches that could be abstract thought. Students develop numeracy, reasoning, thinking
applied to Singapore’s schools. skills, and problem solving skills through the learning and appli-
cation of mathematics. These are valued not only in science and
Singapore Math technology, but also in everyday living and in the workplace. The
The area of education most frequently cited in discussions development of a highly skilled scientifically and technologically
about Singapore is their approach to the teaching of mathematics. based manpower requires a strong grounding in mathematics.
The “Singapore approach” has received so many commendations An emphasis on mathematics education will insure that we have
that it is now being franchised and used in other countries, in- an increasingly competitive workforce to meet the challenges of
cluding the United States. the 21st century. Mathematics is also a subject of enjoyment and
What makes their approach to mathematics different? First, it is excitement, which offers students opportunities for creative work
based on the assumption that the role of a math teacher is to instill and moments of enlightenment and joy.”
“math sense,” the ability to understand and solve mathematical Because of Singapore’s small geographic size and approach to
problems. In a Singapore math classroom there is no such thing teacher training, all teachers receive the same training on how to
as “one right way” to solve a math problem; instead, the goal is to teach mathematics. Subsequently, the philosophy toward math
enable students to understand how to solve a math problem. education is instilled in all of its teacher trainees.
Singapore’s math textbooks and curriculum outlines are much It is also important to note that once on the job, teachers
scantier than those found in the United States. As opposed to routinely observe one another and critique teaching methods
covering hundreds of concepts, Singaporean teachers cover far less and approaches. They fine tune exercises and approaches used to

Delegates Ken Jenkins, Diane Scott and Bettie Kirkman

with students at Canberra Primar y School
teach mathematics. Subsequently, the philosophy and teaching While the North Carolina delegation was divided on its view
strategies they were taught to use in college are finely honed after of the practice of streaming, based on the performance of Singa-
they enter the classroom. pore young people on international subjects, especially math and
While Singapore is best known for its approach to mathemat- science, it appears it is successful in giving its students a strong
ics, it should also be noted that it is a world leader in student foundation program.
performance in science and in literacy. In those areas it is also
important to note that teachers have been prepared according to a The Singaporean Approach to High School
national philosophy of how to teach science and reading. Science Nowhere are the contrasts between Singaporean education
and reading teachers also critique one another’s work and sharpen and that in North Carolina more evident than in the pathways
their teaching approaches through a collaborative system. offered to students beginning in what would be the 10th or 11th
grades in North Carolina. In contrast to North Carolina, Sin-
The Practice of “Streaming” gapore, like almost all other industrial nations, has distinctively
One practice adopted by Singapore educators engendered con- different types of high schools.
siderable discussion within the North Carolina delegation. That To generalize, students in the academic upper one-third of
is the practice that Singaporeans call “streaming” or grouping or Singapore’s schools will attend schools designed to prepare them
assigning students based on academic ability. for college admission. The next one-third of students will attend
The practice of streaming has fallen out of favor in most Polytechnic Institutes designed to give students preparation for the
educational circles in the United States. More often called “ability workforce with a special emphasis on industries that are dependant
tracking” in the United States, critics of the process argue that on math, science and technological foundations. The lowest aca-
when one groups lower ability students into a single classroom it demic one-third will attend Technical Institutes preparing them
almost certainly condemns them to remain low performing, while for employment in a wide variety of occupations.
if the same children were included in classrooms with academically Admittance to these is largely dependant on an exit examina-
advanced students they are more likely to progress. tion taken in the equivalent of North Carolina’s tenth grade.
It should be noted that while ability tracking is out of favor While results on those examinations are the major determinant
in the United States, educational observers are quick to observe for placement, it is important to note that students can and do
that we maintain separate courses and programs for Academically move from one type of school track to another. Roughly 40%,
Gifted (AG) children and that high schools are routinely academi- as an example, of students who attend Polytechnic Institutes will
cally grouped through students being assigned to general classes as go on to college.
opposed to Advanced Placement classes. Another difference between Singapore’s high school experience
In any event, Singapore’s educational system begins streaming or and that in North Carolina is that it begins at a later age. North
grouping students by ability levels in the elementary grades. They Carolina high schools typically include grades 9-12. In North
contend that it enables them to take more time with less gifted Carolina terms, Singapore’s high schools begin at the 10th or 11th
students while holding them to the same rigorous standards. grade level and, depending on the program or major a student
16 l e a r n i n g from singapore

The technology and equipment available

would rival North Carolina’s best equipped
community colleges and, in many cases, the
state’s four-year colleges and universities.

selects, the length of time required to complete a program may Adaptive Training Systems – responding to market conditions and
extend beyond what would be considered high school in the changes in technology with flexible and adaptive training systems.
United States.
Capabilities Development – developing capabilities to provide
It is not inaccurate to think of Singapore’s Polytechnic and
a sound foundation for the Polytechnic’s programmes, through
Technical schools as more closely resembling a North Carolina
intensive staff training and R&D activities that harness a wealth
community college than a typical North Carolina high school.
of talents.
In fact, the physical environment of Singapore’s Polytechnic and
Technical schools more closely resembles a community or four Transnational Cooperation Partnerships – close and active
year college than do they resemble North Carolina high schools. collaborations with foreign governments, industry leaders and
The schools visited by the North Carolina delegation had large academic institutions worldwide.
atriums with modern artwork. There were large, open food courts
Application and Development Oriented Training – marrying
offering students their choice of food ranging from Chinese to
the learning and working environment to provide realistic, effec-
Indian. It should be noted that secondary schools rely on private
tive and relevant learning experiences.
small business operators to operate food stalls and stores selling
school-related books and materials. Regional and International Orientation – cultivating an entre-
A major difference that was immediately apparent to the delega- preneurial spirit and a global mindset in students to help them rise
tion from North Carolina was the large investment Singapore makes up to the challenges of a competitive and borderless world.
in its secondary schools. The technology and equipment available
It is readily apparent from the Polytechnic’s “strategic thrusts”
would rival North Carolina’s best equipped community colleges
how closely intertwined education planning is with the economic
and, in many cases, the state’s four-year colleges and universities.
aspirations of Singapore. It is even more apparent when one
That investment in equipment and technology was necessary for
considers the goals of the Polytechnic’s six schools as described
the Institutes to achieve their mission, or what at the Nanyang Poly-
in their words:
technic Institute are called their “strategic thrusts” designed to make
them an international polytechnic of distinction. Those thrusts are: Engineering – responding to growing demand in manpower in
critical areas such as electronics, telecommunication, infocomm,
Market-Oriented Planning – tailoring education to meet the needs
water-fabrication, mechatronic and advanced manufacturing.
of industry and the nation, while satisfying the aspirations of the
young and preparing them to meet the challenges of the future.
 These efforts were perhaps best seen at the NUS High School
The Singapore Science Centre of Mathematics and Science, similar in many respects to North
Carolina’s highly-regarded School of Science & Math. What is
called the school’s Innovation Programme has as its goal stimulat-
ing creativity and innovative thinking. The school describes its
goals as attempting to inculcate in students:
• Understanding and insight of cultures, preferences and values.
• A sense of the practical as well as an eye for beauty.
• An ability to use “generating and focusing” tools effectively, to
frame problems, design solutions and critique their own design.
• A sense of excitement for the future; to embrace ideas and to
embrace change.
At the heart of the Innovation Programme is a Future Problem-
Solving Program that has students working in teams to brainstorm
challenges, choose an underlying problem, brainstorm solutions
to the problem, create criteria for solving the problem and de-
veloping an action plan. Students work in problem solving teams
as they attempt to solve problems as diverse as transportation
systems for Singapore or determining the relationship between
weather and headaches.

Learning & Problem-Solving in Teams

The problem-solving team approach observed in Singapore’s
school of math and science was not unique to that school.
Throughout the observations of schools in Singapore the delega-
tion routinely saw students working and learning in teams of 4-6,
especially in science classrooms.
Business – training professionals with a focus on regional and It should be noted that schools in Singapore are large and,
international banking, financial trading, insurance, risk manage- by American standards, class sizes are even larger – frequently
ment, retail, leisure and other related sectors. numbering over 40 students per classroom. However, under
Health Sciences – upgrading the health care professions, specifically closer examination what is to American eyes a class of 40
nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and radiography. children is in actuality 8 groups of 5 children working and
learning together through problem-solving exercises that lend
Design – to provide industry with design professionals skilled in
themselves to team collaboration.
product innovation, computer animation, multimedia applica-
It is also interesting to note that while the pendulum of
tions and product design and development.
educational change in the United States is beginning to swing
Information Technology – meeting the demand for professionals back toward smaller schools, enrollment in both elementary and
in IT, e-commerce and digital media design with an emphasis on secondary schools in Singapore is much larger than the typical
the development of emerging technologies. North Carolina school.
Life Sciences – responding to the national imperative to train This difference engendered considerable discussion among
Life Sciences professionals to meet manpower requirements in the the North Carolina delegation. Are larger school and class size
post-human genome era in industries such as proteomics, genom- enrollments possible because of the respect given to education in
ics, genetics, and developmental biology. Singapore? Is it the result of cultural differences between Asia and
the United States? Also, for the most part, students with special
Fostering Creativity & Problem- education needs are not mainstreamed with the rest of the student
Solving Skills population after the 6th grade.
For those who bridle at the thought of schools treating students While the delegation was unable to reach a consensus on those
merely as widgets to be put into a manpower supply/demand slot, issues, it was evident that educators in Singapore had found strate-
it must be noted that the North Carolina delegation came away gies like team teaching and hands-on learning activities that made
impressed with the apparent well roundedness and balance in the it possible to deal with far more children than would be found in
curriculum. While the focus on math, science and technology is a North Carolina classroom.
pervasive, schools also focus on character development and instill-
ing a love of learning.
18 l e a r n i n g from singapore

major Lessons
Learned
The importance of integrated governmental
planning, the immense potential that comes
through investing in educators and the gains pos-
sible through harnessing research-based education
strategies and best practices from elsewhere, were
the three broad lessons learned from Singapore.
Much more could be said about each of them, but
in all three categories it was striking that when
Singapore sets out to accomplish a goal or make
changes in its educational system, it routinely
benchmarks itself by comparisons to the best in
the world. When it set out to create Polytechnic
Institutes, for instance, its goal was to create an
institution that would be a regional, indeed an
international, model.
The desire for excellence was evident from the Ministry of
Education to the schools of Singapore. In briefings, school
principals routinely described their benchmarking and internal
measurement approaches.
Ironically, much of what the delegation observed in Singapore
was based upon research and experimentation conducted in the
United States. That was validated when the North Carolina del-
egation met a delegation of educators from Caribbean countries
that were in Singapore to study their approach to preparing
teachers. One, a college professor from Barbados who had done
her graduate work in the United States, said, “They have taken
your research and used it to build their system!”
One member of the North Carolina delegation only half-
jokingly responded, “No they took our research and applied
it. We’re good at studying things; we’re not very good at
implementing.” While it would be vain for American educators
to believe Singapore’s success rests on ideas stemming from
American schools, it is not unfair to say that much of the credit
for what Singapore has accomplished is the result of scouring
the world for the best educational practices and having the
political will to implement them.
That leads to the implications of the lessons learned from
this brief study of education in Singapore.
 20 l e a r n i n g from singapore

& Im p l i c at i o n s
R e c o mm e n d a t i o n s

Students in classroom at
Singapores NUS High School of
Mathematics and Science
In the Area of Integrated Planning
Singapore’s educational accomplishments stem from a vision
and a planning process designed to reach the vision. The over-
arching vision, of course, was to make Singapore a leading city/
nation in Asia. To reach the vision, it was necessary to build on
Singapore’s strongest resource – its people – through a system
of education that would position the country to function in a
global economy. As has been commented on earlier, manpower
development and education planning were viewed as one in the
same from Singapore’s earliest years.
In contrast to Singapore, the founders of the United States
viewed education as a matter for states and localities. The founding
fathers did not frame a national education strategy, and until very
recently there have been few serious attempts to frame a national
education strategy. In fact, the closest thing the United States has to
a vision for education is for all students to be able to meet relatively
low proficiency levels in math and reading by the year 2014 (i.e.,
No Child Left Behind).
At the state level, education planning historically has taken place
in isolation, separate and apart from economic development plan-
ning – and, for the most part, it still does. Beginning in the mid
twentieth century states began to see colleges and universities as
part of a greater economic development strategy and some, like
North Carolina, realized early the potential of business and educa-
tion partnerships leading to the creation of economic engines like
the Research Triangle Park.
More recently as agriculture and manufacturing, the traditional
economic underpinnings of many states including North Carolina,
began to decline, community colleges have come to be viewed as an
integral part of economic development planning as worker training
and retraining grew in importance.
What is lacking nationwide and at the state level, however, is
an integrated system of planning that sees education at all levels,
from pre-school to graduate school, as a building block for a
stronger economy. For policymakers and business leaders this is
a serious omission. Creating a plan that will, for instance, reduce
today’s high school dropout rates is not only a plan that could
benefit tens of thousands of young people, it is an economic
development strategy.

recommendation 1:

North Carolina should create an integrated planning process

that brings together the Department of Commerce, repre-
sentatives of major employers throughout the state, regional
Economic Development representatives, the Department of
Public Instruction, the Community College System and UNC to
design educational and economic development goals aimed
at making the state more globally competitive.
22 l e a r n i n g from singapore

In the Area of Investing in Educators When looking at the preparation of school managers similar
The lack of a national vision or plan for education has resulted differences exist between Singapore and North Carolina. In con-
in fifty different educational systems within the United States. Each trast to Singapore’s identify and grow-your-own system of school
state has its own curriculum expectations, its own testing programs, leadership development, in North Carolina and indeed through-
its own system of certifying teachers and its own rules and regula- out the United States, school leaders are largely self-selected.
tions governing who can be a school administrator. Someone wanting to become an assistant principal or
Within states, including North Carolina, a variety of colleges and principal simply enrolls in a college or university offering a
universities prepare candidates for teaching. In North Carolina there Master Degree program in school leadership (17 in all in North
are 46 such programs at public and private four-year institutions. Carolina) and begins taking coursework. Prior to enrolling there
Depending on the strength and philosophy of faculty members is rarely any screening to determine if the candidate has strong
within those schools of education there can be extreme differ- leadership potential.
ences in how teachers are prepared. To look at just one example Once enrolled, it is simply a matter of completing the required
of those differences, what has been termed the “phonics war” has number of courses and submitting a dissertation, when required.
been raging within the educational community for decades. Some When completed, the candidate is deemed to have met North
educators feel the most effective way to teach reading is to use Carolina’s requirements for school leadership.
a phonics-based approach; others feel the best method is what Once hired, very few North Carolina school systems have a
is called the “whole language” approach; still others feel a blend required program of additional leadership training. Fewer yet have
of the two results in the best outcomes. How teacher candidates a sequential, systematic approach to building leadership skills over
are taught to teach reading will depend on where their school of time. While state-supported programs like the Principals Execu-
education falls in the debate over phonics. tive Program (i.e., PEP) provide training for school principals, the
Unlike Singapore, there is no consistency in how teachers are state does not have a sequential, systematic approach to develop-
taught. Worse yet, unlike Singapore there is not an agreement on how ing school leaders; instead, such training is usually dependant on
to teach a subject like mathematics. Schools of education approach whether a school superintendent views the investment of time away
the teaching of math or reading based on their faculty preferences from school as worth the return. It is, at best, a haphazard system.
and strengths. Local school systems are free to adopt text books and “Haphazard” is, in fact, a good word to describe North Caro-
curriculum material that vary widely in approaches. Subsequently, lina’s approach to developing educators. Because of the shortage
there is neither consistency in the preparation of teachers nor in the of teachers in the state, there is virtually no screening process for
methods that will be used once a teacher candidate is on the job. teacher candidates. In contrast to Singapore which draws teacher
candidates from the upper academic one-third of graduating high
school classes, teachers in the United States typically come from
the bottom half.
In contrast to Singapore which provides financial incentives to
prospective teachers from the time they enroll in schools of educa-
tion, North Carolina offers financial support to only a handful of
education scholarship winners. In starker contrast to Singapore,
once on the job teachers and educators are not paid salaries compa-
rable to or greater than those paid to other professions; in fact, low
salaries are one of the most frequently cited reasons fewer and fewer
young people choose to go into teaching.
The contrasts could go on – North Carolina does not provide
adequate staff development time; it does not invest in the middle
management of schools; it does not systematically identify and
develop school leaders.

Recommendation 2:

Scour the world for best practices in the area of identifying

and supporting high-quality teachers and school administra-
tors and completely revamp the system which exists – from
how candidates for education are selected, to determining
where and how they will be trained, to developing a system
of compensation that will attract and retain high-quality ap-
plicants to creating a sequential, coherent program of staff
development for teachers and administrators.
In the Area of Best Practices The educational experience of a Singaporean student is in-
Singapore’s approach to teaching math and science was fused with course work and experiences that better prepare them
discussed earlier. They focus on mastery, rather than quantity of to function and succeed in a global environment. In addition
material covered. They utilize “hands-on” approaches that stress to requirements that all students become multi-lingual, Singa-
solving problems in teams. Many of the approaches utilized by pore schools have partnerships with schools in other countries,
Singaporeans are similar to those that the State Board of Educa- Singapore’s Polytechnic Institutes welcome students from other
tion’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability countries and schools develop partnerships with multinational
recently recommended that North Carolina should adopt. Those companies. The government also finances student and teacher
recommendations lay out a roadmap that could result in a far more exchanges with other nations.
effective approach to the teaching of math and science. The focus on giving students a global orientation is not
unique to Singapore. Previous delegations have seen the same
Recommendation 3: global focus in schools in China, Denmark and elsewhere.
In North Carolina, the State Board of Education recently
The State Board of Education should adopt the recommenda- adopted a goal that would make young people better prepared to
tions regarding the teaching of math and science that were succeed in a global environment. Thus far, however, that recom-
made by the Commission on Testing and Accountability and mendation has not been supported by action steps.
move North Carolina’s approach in these areas closer to
the approaches used by the world’s top per formers on math Recommendation 5:
and science per formance comparisons. Further, the State
North Carolina should rebuild its elementary foreign language
Board of Education should use its accreditation criteria,
program and strive to have students who are fluent in languag-
the standards by which college and university schools of
es, not simply students who have taken two years of a foreign
education are held accountable, to ensure that the State’s
language. Additionally, course work in cultural awareness and
philosophy of teaching mathematics is being used to prepare
linkages to schools in other countries should be supported.
candidates for teaching.

The last delegation observation that has profound implica-

At the high school level, North Carolina can learn much from
tions for North Carolina is that the process of becoming a
Singapore. Its multiple pathways for high school students not
world leader in preparing young people to succeed in a global
only gives the nation a well-prepared workforce, it offers stu-
environment is not going to happen without accompanying
dents engaging, hands-on instruction that prepares them for life
investments in building a world class educational system.
after graduation. It recognizes that a one-size fits-all approach to
Singapore’s investment in educators has resulted in it having a
high school course work is unlikely to engage all young people
well-paid, well-prepared and well-respected teacher and admin-
and its high graduation rate is testimony to the impact its ap-
istrator workforce. Its investment in state-of-the-art equipment,
proach is having.
technology and facilities is enabling it to give its young people a
While North Carolina in recent years has begun promis-
world class education foundation.
ing experimentation with initiatives like Learn and Earn, the
In contrast, teachers in North Carolina are paid less than
establishment of Health Science and Technology high schools
teachers throughout the country, not to mention that they are
and other initiatives aimed at giving more focus to the high
paid far less than those in other professions. North Carolina has
school years, the effort is in its infancy. Hampering the experi-
a $10 billion backlog in school facility needs – not to mention
mentation is the degree to which vocational or occupational
what would be required to outfit the infrastructure, equipment
training has come to be devalued in contrast to Singapore or
and technology of schools to make it comparable to what was
other industrial countries that pride themselves in the quality
seen in Singapore.
of their workforce preparation.

Recommendation 6:
Recommendation 4:
Creating a system of schooling that is globally competitive
Aggressively expand the effort to create multiple and focused
will not happen because policymakers want it to happen. It
pathways to high school graduation that have begun in recent
will only happen if the state musters the political will to make
years. Such an effort should be aligned with economic de-
it happen by investing in an educational system that, like
velopment needs of the state and of regions within the state
Singapore, will make it a magnet for economic growth in a
and should be jointly developed by the Department of Public
global economy.
Instruction, the Community College System and UNC, working
with industry leaders and the Department of Commerce.
 24 l e a r n i n g from singapore

Music students and their teacher at Canberra Primar y School.

concluding
thoughts
Singapore is the eighth country that has been studied as part of roughly 30 years and while his far-sighted policies have helped
the “Learning from the World” examination of education systems move the country to its first world status, in many instances, he
elsewhere. For delegation members who have been a part of two used governmental controls in ways that would spark great resis-
or more of these studies, there was unanimity that what was tance in the United States.
observed in Singapore came as close to “putting it all together” as On the other hand, as delegation members remarked frequently,
any nation yet examined. the trade-offs for heavy-handed governmental control are much
While it is entirely possible that if the stay had been longer, the in evidence. One can safely walk the streets of Singapore day
study more intense, there would have been issues uncovered that or night. There is virtually no litter. One does not see homeless
might have diminished the delegation’s first impressions. It must people on the streets. There are not blighted slum neighborhoods.
be mentioned, for instance, that the delegation grew very aware Traffic flows freely. Citizens enjoy one of the highest standards of
of differences between government in Singapore and government living found in Asia.
in the United States. This report will leave it to others to debate the pros and cons
Many will remember an instance several years ago where a of governmental trade offs in Singapore and confine itself to what
student from the United States was sentenced to be caned in Sin- it observed of the nation’s educational system.
gapore for vandalizing automobiles. The incident sparked angry That said, the delegation’s impression of Singapore’s educational
reactions in the U.S. system was very positive. As noted earlier, the Singapore approach
In similar fashion, incidents of censorship in Singapore, aimed to schools and schooling is extremely thoughtful. Its goals are lofty
primarily at foreign economic correspondents who painted an – nothing less than being among the best in the world will do.
unflattering picture of Singaporean government, sparked similar While study after study concludes that the quality of educators
negative reactions from media around the world. is, in the final analysis, the primary determiner that separates
Government in Singapore is controlling – some might say overly good schools from mediocre schools, Singapore has mustered the
controlling. It was mentioned earlier that the country employs plain political will and the investments necessary to insure that all of its
clothes litter patrolmen. It imposes an automatic death penalty on young people are taught by highly-qualified teachers who are led
anyone found in possession of large quantities of drugs. by highly trained and competent school managers.
It does not encourage the kind of free flow of ideas found in the The important thing for North Carolina is that there is nothing
American press. In fact reading the first eight or ten pages of Sin- being done in Singapore that could not be done in North Carolina.
gapore’s largest daily newspaper is like reading the feature articles Because of the size of the state, there are things that would have to
usually reserved for the Living section of an American newspaper. be adapted to North Carolina, but best practices used in Singapore
Virtually all of the articles portray the best of Singapore life and could be adapted and used in schools across the state.
are followed by news of wars, famine and corruption elsewhere. The question is whether a study like this will be a catalyst for
The message that is reinforced with every reading of Singapore’s change? Will a glimpse of what is possible when a nation applies
largest newspaper is that life in Singapore is good; elsewhere sound planning and research-based solutions to its schools, in-
things are chaotic. spire policymakers, business leaders, educators and others across
The nation is a democracy, albeit, it has been called a “strong- North Carolina to reach the conclusion that the state’s young
man democracy.” The nation’s founding premier was in office for people deserve no less?
26 l e a r n i n g from singapore

s i n g a p o r e d e l e g at i o n
Dr. June Atkinson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, NC Department of Public Instruction
Mr. Keith Blatz, Videographer, UNC-TV
Dr. Queta Bond, President, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Dr. Valerie Brown-Schild, Director, Kenan Fellows Program, Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science, NC State University
Ms. Mary Donny, Director of Government Relations, Visiting International Faculty
Mr. John Dornan, Executive Director/President, Public School Forum of NC
Senator Katie Dorsett, Senate, North Carolina General Assembly
Mr. Ted Fiske, Education Consultant; Editor, Fiske Guide to Colleges
Dr. Tony Habit, Executive Director, New Schools Project
Ms. Meredith Henderson, Director of Programs, The Center for International Understanding, University of North Carolina
Mrs. Diane Houston, Retired Teacher, Wake County Public Schools
Dr. Sam Houston, President/CEO, North Carolina Science, Mathematics & Technology Education Center (SMT Center)
Dr. Doris Jenkins, Associate Dean/Professor, Appalachian State University
Dr. Ken Jenkins, Professor, Appalachian State University
Dr. Duane Kirkman, Assistant for Program Development, Lenoir-Rhyne College
Mrs. Bettie Kirkman, Career Development Coordinator/Special Populations Coordinator, Hickory High School
Ms. Helen “Sunny” Ladd, Professor, Duke University
Dr. Mary McDuffie, Executive Director, NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching
Ms. Pat Orrange, President, Next Level Consulting Group
Senator Joe Sam Queen, Senate, North Carolina General Assembly
Mrs. Jo Ann Norris, Associate Executive Director, Public School Forum of NC
Dr. Diane Scott, Associate Dean, School of Education, North Carolina Central University
Ms. Carr Thompson, Senior Program & Communications Officer, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Mrs. Cindy Thompson, CEO, Visiting International Faculty-CIE, Inc
Representative Joe Tolson, House of Representatives, North Carolina General Assembly
Dr. Ludy Van Broekhuizen, Executive Director, SERVE, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Dr. Hope Williams, President, North Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities
Mrs. Eszter Vajda, Report/Anchor, UNC-TV
Representative Doug Yongue, House of Representatives, North Carolina General Assembly

1st Row, left to right: Jo Ann Norris, Meredith Henderson, Estza Vajda, Diane Houston, Dr. Ken Jenkins, Dr. Doris Jenkins, John Dornan, Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirkman,
Dr. Diane Scott, Cindy Thompson, Dr. Valerie Brown-Shild, Sen. Joe Sam Queen, Enriqueta “Queta” Bond; 2nd Row, left to right: Dr. Ludy Van Broekhuizen, Rep. Joe
Tolson, Dr. Sam Houston, Keith Blatz, Ted Fiske, Dr. Helen “Sunny” Ladd, Carr Thompson, Mary Donny, Rep. Doug Yongue, Dr. Mary McDuffie, Dr. Duane Kirkman,
Dr. Hope Williams, Pat Orrange; Not Pictured: Dr. June Atkinson, Sen. Katie Dorsett, Dr. Tony Habit 
 itinerary
Learning from Singapore - January 11-21, 2008

Fri, Jan 11 Depart from North Carolina

Sat, Jan 12 In transit

Arrive in Singapore
Sun, Jan 13
Guided tour of Singapore
Group dinner

Mon, Jan 14 Orientation briefing session

Guided tour of Parliament
Guided tour of the Asian Civilizations Museum

Visit to and briefings at the Ministry of Education

Tues, Jan 15
Visit to the National Institute of Education (NIE) at Nanyang Technological University
Dinner with Singaporeans in small groups

Wed, Jan 16 Visit to the Ministry of Trade and Industry with briefings by the Ministry of trade and
Industry and the Ministry of Manpower Company visits in small groups to:
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd
Keppel Offshore and Marine
SAS Institute
Cisco Systems
A*STAR, Biopolis
Debriefing Session

Thurs, Jan 17 Primary School visits in small groups

Group A to Canberra Primary School
Group B to West Grove Primary School
Post-secondary School visits in small groups
Group A to Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College East
Group B to Nanyang Polytechnic

Fri, Jan 18 Briefing by National University of Singapore
Secondary school visits in small groups
Group A to NUS High School of Mathematics and Science
Group B to Catholic High School
Visit to the Singapore Science Centre
Debriefing Session
Group dinner and cultural activity

Sat, Jan 19 Optional cultural visits

Sun, Jan 20 Depart for return to North Carolina

28 l e a r n i n g from singapore

resources
Resource people in NC Hosts for Dinner with Singaporeans
Dr. Peter A. Coclanis, Associate Provost for Bill Lee, Managing Director, SAS Singapore
International Affairs, UNC-Chapel Hill Erwin Chan, Director, Practices & Alliances,
Dr. Daniel Gold, Assistant Director for Asia, SAS Singapore
Study Abroad Office, UNC-Chapel Hill Kay Chuan Chua, Director, Asia Pacific Public Policy,
Nadiah Song, Student, UNC-Chapel Hill and SAS Asia Pacific
National University of Singapore Paul Teng, Dean, Graduate Programmes and
Alexius Yeo, Student, UNC-Chapel Hill and Research Office, NIE
National University of Singapore Sonny Lim, Director, International Relations,
Sandy Kent, Staff Development Specialist, Nanyang Technological University
Montgomery County Schools, MD Philip Wong, Divisional Director, Academic
Kirsten Weeks, Cisco Systems Computing and Information Services, NIE
Lee Junhua (Jonathan), Student,
National University of Singapore
Resource people in Singapore Gau Xiaxia (Carol), Student,
National University of Singapore
Coordinators/Advisors:
Rasham and Renu Dhillon,
Ms. Hee Piang Chin, Hon. Executive Director,
Parents of primary school students
Greenleaf Centre for Servant-Leadership (Asia) Ltd.
Ms. Low Kim Yang, Greenleaf Centre for
Faculty, Staff and Students of the following
Servant-Leadership (Asia) Ltd.
Schools and Institutes of Higher Education
Ms. Lim Wan Yong, Deputy Director, Planning & International
Cooperation, Planning Division Ministry of Education National Institute of Education (NIE)
Ms. Joyce Chan, Industry Development Officer, Canberra Primary School
Ministry of Education West Grove Primary School
Nanyang Polytechnic
Presenters Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College East
Mr. Michael de Silva, Deputy Director, NUS High School of Mathematics and Science
School Leadership, Ministry of Education Catholic High School
Mr. Choy Chan Hong, Planning Officer, Singapore Science Center
Ministry of Education
Mr. Lau Chor Yam, Senior Curriculum Specialist, Management and Employees at the
Sciences, Ministry of Education following companies
Mr. Zuhairi B Mohd Hassan, Senior Curriculum Specialist,
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd.
Mathematics, Ministry of Education
Keppel Offshore and Marine
Professor Lee Sing Kong, Director,
SAS Institute
National Institute of Education (NIE)
Cisco Systems
Associate Professor Wong Khoon Yong, Head,
A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology
Mathematics and Mathematics Education,
and Research), Biopolis
National Institute of Education (NIE)
Professor Daniel Tan, Deputy Head, Teaching and
Liaison Officers
Curriculum Matters, Natural Sciences and
Science Education, National Institute of Education (NIE) William Soh
Mr. Hoe Wee Meng, Assistant Director, Workforce Planning, Wong Leong Jeam
Ministry of Manpower
Ms. Stephanie Sim, Manager, Manpower Planning Study Coordinators
and Policy, Ministry of Manpower
Meredith Henderson, The Center for
Mr. Soh Leng Wan, Senior Assistant Director,
International Understanding & Jo Ann Norris
Resource Division, Ministry of Trade and Industry
& John Dornan, Public School Forum
Dr. Tan Eng Chye,Deputy President (Academic Affairs)
and Provost, National University of Singapore (NUS)
Photography
Dr. Tan Thiam Soon, Vice Provost (Education),
National University of Singapore (NUS) Mr. Wong Leong Jeam
Professor Lim Tit Ming, Assistant Chief Executive,
Education Programmes, Singapore Science Centre Author of “Learning from Singapore”
John Dornan, Public School Forum
a special
thank you
is extended to UNC-TV for sending a reporter and photographer
with the delegation and airing a week-long series of feature stories
on the findings of the delegation. This is the second “Learning
From” series that has been documented by UNC-TV which also
accompanied the delegation that studied education in India. In
both cases, UNC-TV’s participation was made possible by finan-
cial support provided by the North Carolina Science, Mathematics
and Technology Education Center and the Burroughs Wellcome
Fund. Readers can access the documentary on “Learning from
Singapore” at the UNC-TV website.
Public School Forum of North Carolina
Glenwood Place, Cumberland Building
3739 National Drive, Suite 100
Raleigh, North Carolina 27612
Tel 919.781.6833 • Fax 919.781.6527
www.ncforum.org

Center for International Understanding

The University of North Carolina
412 N. Wilmington St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Tel 919.733.4902 or 888.840.8328
Fax 919.733.8578
ciu.northcarolina.edu

april 2008