The success of improving two formerly floundering schools has garnered attention halfway around the world. Students at the Matthew J. Kuss and Henry Lord middle schools were joined in the hallways and classrooms Thursday by about 40 education officials from the Shenzhen, China, Headmaster’s Group.

The success of improving two formerly floundering schools has garnered attention halfway around the world.

Students at the Matthew J. Kuss and Henry Lord middle schools were joined in the hallways and classrooms Thursday by about 40 education officials from the Shenzhen, China, Headmaster’s Group.

The contingent of Chinese officials, which included teachers, administrators and government education officials, were in the Fall River schools as part of Brown University’s Policy Studies Program.

Provided with a firsthand look at everything from managing each school to classroom lessons and the programs used in the schools, a member of the group touring the Kuss school said she was impressed with what they had seen.

“There are quite a lot of things to learn in this school. It’s amazing,” Yan Yan Feng, director of the Shenzhen Education Bureau, said through translator Baoguo Ruan, himself a middle school English teacher in China.

Feng said the trip is intended to “open our horizon” and learn more about how American education policies can be adopted in the Chinese schools. Feng described American education methods and policy as advanced.

Henry Lord Principal Ralph Olsen said the group touring his school came away impressed by the amount of interaction students and teachers had in the classroom. He said group members were surprised by the relatively small class sizes, compared to Chinese classes of 50 to 60 students in which the educators mainly provide lectures to students.

“It was very interesting, they were kind of surprised by the amount of participation students had in class and how involved in the instruction of the class they were,” Olsen said.

After observing a pair of student presentations in the hallways at Kuss, Feng said the group was aware of the history of the school as it attempts to elevate its status as one of the state’s lowest-performing.

“This school is wonderful,” she said. “They really changed it into a wonderful school after being one of the worst ones. It’s very special that they can improve so quickly.”

While the group appreciated the work of teachers and students, Olsen said they were also “blown away” by the amount of technology in the school.

What the group observed and learned Thursday would travel back to China with the group, Feng said.

“We want to learn and explore advanced methods of teaching and policy,” Feng said. “We’ll combine that with the practical situation at home in China with the policy about our own education.”

Email Will Richmond at wrichmond@heraldnews.com.