Su Zhixin: Consistently Over Forty Years, Achievements in Promoting Sino-US Comparative Education Research
Dr. Justine Su, a tenured professor of educational administration at the College of Education, California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and Honorary Director of the Institute of China, has been leading comparative education research and fostering internationally-minded educational leaders between China and the United States. Over the past forty years, her steadfast dedication has borne abundant fruit, earning widespread recognition and praise within the international education community.
Dr. Justine Su
Dr. Justine Su received her undergraduate education in English Literature and Western Culture at Shanghai International Studies University in China and the University of Toronto in Canada, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981. She began her career in education at the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chinese Ministry of Education, launching a career that has spanned over forty years. In 1984, she pursued further studies in the United States at the University of Washington under the mentorship of renowned education scholar Dr. John Goodlad, participating in the largest and most influential teacher education research initiative in U.S. history. She earned master's and doctoral degrees in Education Policy Studies and Educational Administration.
Subsequently, Dr. Su taught at both the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Utilizing platforms such as the UCLA Center for Pacific Studies and CSUN's China Institute and Educational Reform Collaboration Center, she designed and implemented various long-term and short-term training programs and joint degree initiatives for schools, government agencies, businesses, and health departments across several Chinese provinces and municipalities. Dr. Su has also arranged numerous educational and cultural exchange activities, facilitating visits to China by American educational leaders, teachers, and students. Her contributions have significantly promoted Sino-American cooperation and dialogue.
Dr. Su has been honored with the "Spring Light Award" by the Chinese Ministry of Education for Outstanding Chinese Scholars and has twice received the "Outstanding Contribution to International Exchange Award" from the American Association of International Honor Scholars. Her teaching interests encompass educational research methods, critical issues in educational reform, educational equity and diversity, teaching and teacher education, comparative education, Asian American education, and Asian education. She has also served as an honorary professor at several universities in China and as an international expert panelist at the Teacher Education Center of National Taiwan University.
Having received her foundational education in China and furthering her studies in the United States with master's and doctoral degrees, Dr. Su's career has been marked by a commitment to advancing Sino-American educational exchange and research. Her dedication to lifelong learning and tireless commitment to teaching have earned her tenure at American universities and distinguished recognition in comparative education scholarship.
Dr. Justine Su delivers lectures on comparative education to a Jiangsu education delegation.
Justine Su excelled in academics from a young age, showing proficiency in both arts and sciences. She had a strong passion for literature, history, and foreign languages. During high school, she became the champion of the school's mathematics and science competitions, earning admiration from teachers and classmates alike. Mathematics was her favorite subject, as she was deeply fascinated by its abstract data, formulas, logical reasoning, and problem-solving challenges. From childhood to adulthood, she wasn't just an academic; she also had a keen interest in sports, particularly swimming. She competed in school and city competitions during both middle school and university, achieving advanced rankings. At the age of twelve, she began participating in university-level swimming teams, annually crossing the Yangtze River. Later, during university, she broke records in collegiate swimming competitions, winning first place in relay races at the Shanghai University Games. She also participated in the annual event of swimming across the Huangpu River, enduring swims lasting up to six hours and covering distances of up to 12,000 meters. Her athletic training during student years not only developed her intellectual capabilities but also shaped her mental resilience, endurance, perseverance, and determination.
However, upon graduating from high school, during the era of the "educated youth" movement, Justine's dreams of pursuing higher education were shattered. Despite not fully understanding the severe challenges the country was facing at the time, her strong-willed personality drove her to reject fate's arrangements. Armed with thick mathematics books, she went to the countryside in the outskirts of Nanjing, doing agricultural work during the day and solving math problems at night. Her determined nature only grew stronger with adversity. Whether in the fields or in the fields of knowledge, she diligently worked without complaint. By her second year in the countryside, she was recommended by local farmers to serve as the Deputy Production Team Leader responsible for agricultural affairs. During peak farming seasons, she woke up at 2 a.m. to wake up villagers with a whistle, leading them to plant rice and wheat fields. In the evenings, she actively organized reading sessions and cultural performances, bringing knowledge and joy to the rural population lacking in education and cultural activities. Despite being abandoned by fate, she never complained or despaired, always striving optimistically through life.
Opportunities always favor diligent and upward individuals. In 1975, as China resumed university admissions, Justine was recommended by her commune to study at the Shanghai International Studies University's English Department under the program for worker-peasant-soldier students. Though this wasn't her preferred field of mathematics and science, it finally sparked her dream of attending university. Upon completing her undergraduate studies, she aimed higher and prepared for graduate school. This time, fate presented her with an even better opportunity. During China's reform and opening up, the Ministry of Education organized the first batch of exams for overseas study scholarships. Justine stood out with excellent grades and secured a full scholarship to study for three years at the University of Toronto in Canada, majoring in language literature and Western culture. Justine immersed herself in campus life, continuing to weave her university dreams.
In 1981, after completing her studies at the University of Toronto and returning to China, Justine was not assigned to become a teacher at a university as she had hoped. Instead, due to national needs, she was allocated to work at the Ministry of Education's Foreign Affairs Office, engaged in educational management and Sino-foreign educational exchanges. She happily accepted the position, often accompanying national delegations abroad and serving as a simultaneous interpreter at UNESCO education and cultural conferences. It was a job that everyone envied; friends and relatives marveled at her good fortune. Yet, Justine felt a deep sense of unease because her previous academic background was in language and literature, lacking basic knowledge and understanding of educational management science. With her passion for her work, Justine developed a desire to deepen her understanding of this field. She began applying for graduate programs in educational management, with a keen eye on exploring this area.
At that time, China's domestic development and research in this field were relatively weak. With the care and encouragement of her leaders, she applied to graduate schools in the United States and was admitted to both Stanford University and Columbia University, renowned institutions. At the same time, in her work, Justine encountered her ideal mentor, the world-renowned education reformer and scholar John Goodlad. At that time, he had just moved from UCLA to the University of Washington's College of Education. Without hesitation, Justine applied to study under his guidance and was admitted based on her outstanding academic performance and work experience. Like millions of educated youth sent to rural areas during that time, Justine had experienced being forsaken by fate, which made her appreciate every opportunity she gained. Arriving in the fresh and beautiful city of Seattle, Justine had never imagined enjoying holidays and exotic landscapes. She greatly admired her mentor's rigorous academic style and was grateful for the guidance of such a good teacher.
During her graduate studies, Justine was diligent and eager to learn, spending almost every day in the library researching and studying. She often stayed up late into the early morning hours to rest, yet never felt tired or bored. Justine completed her master's program in just one year, followed by two years to finish her doctoral program, conducting research and writing her dissertation. In 1989, she earned her doctoral degree. Her lengthy 435-page dissertation, "Exploring Key Factors Influencing the Development of Educational Concepts among American Teacher Education Students," reflected her meticulous research style. As a core member of the American Teacher Education Research Consortium, she visited eleven universities across the United States, collecting over three thousand questionnaires and conducting interviews with over a hundred teachers and students. The diverse research methods she learned during her graduate studies, including questionnaire surveys, historical literature reviews and analyses, individual and group interviews, and classroom observations, laid a solid foundation for her future independent research projects. Before graduating, she had already published five research papers as a sole author in leading international education journals.
Dr. Su received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the CSUN China Studies Institute in 2016.
After completing her doctoral studies, Dr. Su Zhixin immediately received offers from three American universities and chose to work at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), becoming the first mainland Chinese-American professor in the College of Education. Typically, new faculty members need six to eight years to prove their qualifications for tenure; otherwise, they risk dismissal by the university. However, Dr. Su Zhixin achieved tenure in just three years due to her extensive research achievements, high-quality papers, outstanding teaching, broad outreach, and contributions to both the university and the community.
These years were exceptionally challenging. At that time, her daughter was just born, and Dr. Su balanced her daytime responsibilities at work with caring for her young daughter. Nights were spent preparing lessons and analyzing research data. Many of her papers were written between 11 PM and 4 AM. Despite the pressures of living and working abroad, Dr. Su Zhixin maintained a humble, eager-to-learn attitude and an optimistic, forward-thinking spirit. She showcased a typical example of a new Chinese woman – embodying the traditional Chinese values of hard work and resilience, combined with the wisdom and independence of a modern educated woman.
In 1993, having achieved early tenure at CSUN, Dr. Su was also appointed at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Graduate School of Education, becoming the first Chinese-American professor at the school and concurrently serving as a board member of the University's Center for Pacific Studies. Her primary research focused on U.S. school and teacher education reform, the training of minority teachers in the United States, and partnerships between schools and universities. Her research papers on U.S. teacher education and minority teacher preparation were repeatedly published in top-tier academic journals and included twice in the Annual Review of Teacher Education in America. Dr. Su earned respect and recognition from her American peers, becoming a member of the Publication Committee of the American Association of Teacher Education and reviewing articles for prestigious journals including UNESCO's International Review of Education and high-profile academic conferences.
Subsequently, she continued to apply for and received funding from the University of California President's Office for the Pacific Studies Project. She designed and developed comparative studies on teacher education between China and the United States, historical research on and critical evaluations of the impact of American education philosopher John Dewey on Chinese education. Over the past thirty years, she has also developed and led numerous projects such as comparative studies on Chinese and American school principals, secondary science education, elementary education, university teaching, and rural-urban school principal comparisons in China. She conducted assessment research on American students studying in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her models for comparative studies on Chinese and American school principals have been successfully adopted and applied by scholars and doctoral students in Australia, Sweden, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Dr. Su's trilogy of reports on the Chinese rural-urban school principal research was released at comparative and international conferences and published in the proceedings of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies, setting an example for comparative education scholars worldwide. It also became an important report topic when China trains educational managers for other developing countries. She has published hundreds of research papers in academic journals and books in the United States, China, and Europe and presented at various international conferences.
Dr. Su's visit to Nanjing Normal University
Dr. Zhixin Su's most significant academic contribution is her translated research report book by John Goodlad, titled "A Place Called School," acclaimed as a "milestone work in educational research" and an important reference for Chinese educators and practitioners. Its companion volume, "Educating Teachers for a Place Called School," is set to be published in China and presented at the 2023 Comparative and International Education Society Annual Meeting, providing crucial references for teacher education research and reform in China. In 2012, Dr. Su was featured on the cover of "World Education Information" magazine in China, with a comprehensive interview highlighting her contributions to Sino-American educational exchanges and international education. This interview has been included in "Educational China Dream" - a collection of interviews with 50 educationists.
In 2019, Dr. Su was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the American Dewey Research Society's annual conference on "Dewey and China - Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Dewey's Visit to China." Her speech, titled "Dewey and Chinese Education: Comparative Perspectives and Modern Interpretations," made her the first Asian-American scholar to be honored as the Dewey Lecturer, one of the highest honors in the American educational academic community. Previous recipients of this annual distinction include her mentor, John Goodlad, former dean of UCLA's Graduate School of Education, Lee Shulman, former president of the American Educational Research Association, Lawrence Cremin, former dean of the Teachers College at Columbia University, and Philip Jackson, former president of the Dewey Society.
At the Second World Chinese Education Conference held in September this year, Professor Su Zhixin was invited to deliver a keynote speech, introducing her over forty years of comparative education career and educational research achievements. Her presentation was warmly welcomed and praised by attendees. Currently, her teaching courses mainly focus on themes of educational equity and diversity. Her research and writing continue to address developments and reforms in teacher education and principal training, as well as assessments and introductions to multicultural education and STEM education development in the United States. Since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, despite the inability to conduct face-to-face visits and exchanges, she has persevered in online collaborations with scholars from the United States and China, conducting comparative studies on American basic education and online education between China and the United States. She has organized and participated in online forums at several international and comparative education conferences, demonstrating her commitment to continuing the exchange and cooperation between Chinese and American education scholars, even amidst tense Sino-American relations.
Dr. Su welcomed a delegation of Chinese school principals at CSUN COE.
Dr. Su at the CSUN Chinese New Year Exhibition
[Information Collection: Chinese American Foundation / Text Editing and Organization: Lu Wei]