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Developing Virtue Alumni

Proposal to the DRBA Board of Directors & Board of Education


Assessment of the Developing Virtue Secondary School Education System

Table of Contents:
I. Executive Summary
II. Assessment of Strengths and Deltas
III. Constructive Suggestions for Positive Change
IV. How DVA Can Support These Changes (Short-Term & Long-Term)
V. DVA Requests for More Information
Appendix: Contributors, References

I. Executive Summary
The Developing Virtue Alumni, with its membership including Developing Virtue Secondary School
graduates and former students, serves to fulfill two goals:
1. Establish an alumni support network
2. Work together to help our schools and current students
As a network of individuals who have all experienced a year or more in the Developing Virtue Secondary
education system spanning its founding in 1976 to the present day, we believe we can collectively
support, if not initiate, some of the constructive changes needed in the schools. An Education Committee
has been established within DVA with the purpose of beginning a dialogue with the Education Board.
One of our first projects has been to gather alumni to brainstorm and assess their experiences in the
DVS education system. Going forward, the DVA Education Committee would like to work in conjunction
with the Education Board to stay abreast of critical issues, problems and needs in the following areas:

A. Overall Education: Principles & Foundation – Integration of the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua's
guidelines and school values into the curriculum and pedagogy.
B. Curriculum & Pedagogies – The high school 4-year curriculum plan, course development, and
development of established teaching methodologies, both sensitive to the environment and reflective
of the values we’d like to transmit.
C. Administration & Admissions – The management of the school system, including how the school
operates, how it manages a consistent school image, how it processes admissions, how it forges
change and improvements to the system.
D. Faculty – All aspects related to faculty and their welfare, including recruiting, hiring, retaining,
compensation and faculty standards.
E. Student Welfare & Personal Development – The fostering of community/school spirit, attendance
to psychological and emotional needs sensitive to diverse backgrounds and attention to leadership
and teamwork development.
F. Non-Academic Programs – Formal programs, college preparation, extracurricular activities, sports
and community service projects initiated and supported by the schools or student body.
G. Facilities & Services - Food, buildings and grounds maintenance and new development projects (i.e.
computer network, library, playgrounds, gardens, re-painting, air conditioning). There is a
responsibility to ensure both safety and accordance with codes at all times.
H. Equity & Communication Between Schools – Cooperation between DVGS and DVBS to ensure a
smart sharing of resources and an equal education for students of both genders.
I. Dormitories – Program (separate from school) with fair administration and rules designed to develop
the personal potential of boarding students, while ensuring a healthy lifestyle and attendance to
psychological and emotional needs (concept of “home”).

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II. Assessment of Strengths and Deltas

What are the strengths of our education system? And what are the deltas, the weaknesses and areas
that need improvement or change? In a brainstorm at the DVA Reunion on 6/17/00, we came up with a
list of strengths and deltas—many of which, we discovered, our strengths were also our deltas. For each
area, we concluded with some critical issues that we feel need to be addressed by the Education Board
in the upcoming school year.

A. Overall Education: Principles & Foundation


Strengths Deltas
Unique education system: a very rare Lack of consistency and shared sense of
Values & education system with the strong motive purpose on the part of administration and
Principles to instill and develop virtue and morals in faculty makes diffusion of the values to
modern-day teenagers, while students less successful (i.e. students may
maintaining a strict behavior code and learn to follow rules only when they are in
keeping genders separate. Principles school but do not follow them after school;
taught can be applied to all aspects of they have not really internalized them).
daily life.
Opportunity to learn about a Buddhist Buddhism is not very well integrated into
Buddhism Chinese culture and the monastic the overall curriculum; there lacks even a
lifestyle in a Buddhist monastic pedagogy and consistent curriculum for
community in the presence of cultivators Buddhist Studies. As a result, we have
from diverse backgrounds. students who come away after 3 years
without knowing what Buddhism is or how
to explain it and understand it themselves.
The education system encourages Schools don’t actually provide the
Academic strong academic performance and the challenging courses and faculty
Performance environment supports this as being a consistently to enable students to reach
peaceful place to study without too many their academic potential.
external distractions.
Protected environment allows (no media An overly protective environment produces
Environment distractions, limited popular culture students with the inability to deal with
infiltration, contact with opposite sex) for societal distractions comfortably (i.e. don’t
concentration on studies and focus to know how to relate to people of opposite
develop personal potential. sex, different social groups, social
clues/icons as derived from media and
popular culture).
Classification of the school as small, Lack of authoritative college advising and
College private & rural in addition to leadership follow-through for students makes the
involvement in activities makes college college application process particularly
applications stand out. difficult for students.
Conclusion We should try to find the best ways to emphasize our strengths and better deal with
the deltas. It is important to realize that our strengths are only there as potential, and
we need to make a conscious effort to become clearly aware what the values and
principles we want to transmit are. In essence, the schools need to find a more
effective, systematic way to integrate our values and principles into all aspects of
the education system: student life, curriculum and pedagogy.

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B. Curriculum & Pedagogies
Strengths Deltas
EB has recently passed a list of UC- In the past, there is no consistent core
Curriculum & approved course requirements for high curriculum. Some students don’t know their
High School school students, which will help to classes until the week before class begins,
Require- establish a consistent curriculum plan for some take an unnecessary 10-15 units
ments students. above the average course load, and some do
not fulfill graduation requirements by
graduation.
Courses Need to compile a course catalog of course
descriptions, units, pre-requisites, course
evaluation feedback from students, etc.
Electives Opportunity to provide interesting, Successful electives should become a
alternative electives and seminars to standard part of the core curriculum (i.e.
students (i.e. History of China, History of China). The possibility of offering
Philosophy, Psychology, Comparative these electives can really make our school a
Literature, SAT Prep, World Religions, special place.
Auto mechanics)
DVGS teachers have begin giving syllabi All teachers should have a minimum level of
Pedagogy to their students and administering teacher training before entering the
(Teaching course evaluation forms at the end of the classroom, in addition to providing syllabi and
Methodology semester to help teachers improve their have course plans. Administration should
) teaching and course plan for the next look into in-depth training teachers to teach
year. different levels of students with different
pedagogies and providing a step-by-step
guide with stated policy on course plan
construction, attendance, grading, etc.
Mendocino Students can advance at their own pace While Mendocino College remains an
College and have the opportunity to take excellent option for advanced students, it
challenging college classes from 11th should not be the only option to rely on for
grade, better preparing them for college academic advancement. We should consider
workload. developing challenging classes in-house for
all students.
English DVS has generally had a good reading There is no set English program that allows
list in its English classes. At DVBS, Mr. students to progress within systematic levels
Verhoeven teaches a challenging (nearly of advancement. Part of this problem is the
college-level), interdisciplinary lack of GOOD English teachers teaching
Comparative Literature class. consistently. Past DVS students now in
college/grad school have complained that
poor grammar and composition instruction
have led to difficulties in college writing.
Chinese Chinese is mandatory as the foreign The progressive …lack of consistent Chinese
language curriculum requirement and course levels, faculty and textbooks lead to
offers an alternative to the usual Spanish several years of Chinese instruction with little
or French high school requirements. improvement and poor results in speech,
listening, reading, grammar and writing.
ESL There is a large body of ESL level ESL students suffer in the regular English
students entering every year. DVGS has classes and many graduate with severe
recently begun trying to develop a difficulties expressing themselves in English.
consistent system for ESL advancement. Need to focus on advancing these students
in English as quickly as possible so the rest
of their American education is not stunted.
Conclusion The process for standardizing the curriculum and how courses are taught without
losing the flexibility (of individual advancement) and creativity (in course electives) can
be a tricky one. That the accreditation of DVS courses has already begun is a start; the
next step is to compile a course catalog. In this process, DVS could address the
immediate need for developing systematic levels of advancement for the Chinese
Mandarin program, the English program, the Mathematics and the ESL program.
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C. Administration & Admissions
Strengths Deltas
Management A good management team open to In the past, our experience has been that it is
change and utilizing available resources never clear who has the authority to make
demonstrates immediate and effective decisions or has the final say, or more
improvements for the school. importantly, how they make decisions re:
changes to the education system, curriculum,
budget, resource allocation, etc.
Organization Without an organization chart and protocol
for flows of information, the education
system suffers from administrative
bureaucracy at all levels, including the need
to "start all over" when new administration is
brought in. With defined protocol, we could
avoid faculty/administrative burnout.
Change When compared with educational reform Stagnation inhibits change, with the same
at the public education system level, the people and the same obstacles always
small size of our school encourages the coming up, despite the fact that change can
potential for change & rapid occur more naturally through cooperation
advancement. and open-mindedness if everyone shares the
same mission and goals for the school.
Enforcement Inconsistent. Principles and rules are rarely
of Rules written and often, rules tend to change based
on who is presiding in the administration at
the moment. Rules should also be explained
and not just enforced. We want students who
can make individual ethical decisions.
Resource No corporate sponsors. It is not very clear how DVS manages
Allocation resource/budget allocation. Is there even a
procedure?
Publicity & DVS students perform regularly at local DVS should continue to maintain and seek
Liaison with schools and participate in annual fairs in out relationships with local schools,
other Ukiah. Monthly school newsletter to community establishments and programs to
Schools & parents, teachers and community benefit faculty (training) and students
Community members a very good start. EB projects (extracurricular activities), while boosting
involve students in updating school DVS public image as being open and
brochure, website, etc. friendly.
Admissions Admissions/transfer policy needs to be well-
defined and standardized so transcripts are
not dealt with on a case-by-case basis
Transcripts Transcripts not only differ between grade
levels, but they also differ between DVBS
and DVGS. DVS as one school has the
responsibility to standardize the format,
processing and transfer of transcripts.
Relationship Schools draw upon the many talents of Relationship between CTTB and schools
to CTTB people who come to cultivate at CTTB, creates unnecessary community pressure on
many with a shared desire to carry out school administration and students (bias in
the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua’s decisions--what's best for CTTB is not always
vision. best for schools).
Conclusion Overall, DVA has had a lot to say about the Administration, but it is not without the clear
understanding that improvements can be made, with good organization and
management. Both schools should have an organization chart and all protocols
concerning operation of the school should be well-documented . DVS needs to also
address documenting its school rules and admissions policy, as well as
systematizing the grading and processing of transcripts.

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D. Faculty
Strengths Deltas
Student/ Low faculty/student ratio gives students The schools still need to dedicate a person
Faculty Ratio a lot more face time. Many teachers are to be a guidance counselor for students.
very sincere and willing to talk with you
about questions or problems.
Staff Quality We have a few excellent, sincere staff Teaching staff quality is questionable year
members who understand our school’s to year (teaching credentials or even
background very well and have good interest in teaching; difficult for volunteer
relationships with students. teachers to give a long-term commitment).
We need more permanent, qualified and
sincere teachers and should consider
serious measures to recruit these people
(e.g. higher compensation).
Training Chinese teachers often went to training Need for training teachers how to bridge
seminars sponsored by Chinese schools the cultural/generational gap with such a
in the bay area. Education Board is diverse student body. There is also a need
beginning to put together a formal for more professionalism among faculty.
training program.
Enforcing The Education Board has compiled a Inconsistent. Rules tend to change based
Rules simple list of Faculty Standards, which on whoever is the teacher in command at
detail personal conduct and behavior the moment, or based on personal
towards students so that they can serve standards.
as better models.
Volunteer Our volunteer teachers, many of whom Volunteer teachers make up a large
Teachers are parents, are sincere about helping percentage of the faculty and many are
the schools improve. recruited from the CTTB community to
teach. They have commitments to both the
demanding CTTB lifestyle (kitchen work,
community service, ceremonies, Dharma
Assembly preparation, sutra translation)
and teaching, and many experience
teacher burnout. Something needs to be
done to balance their responsibilities.
Welfare Lack of benefits program for volunteer
Benefits teachers and those taking low
compensation (i.e. medical coverage, living
supplies, reimbursement for gas), which is
more critical for teachers with children.
Conclusion DVS should retain its good teachers and work on a formal recruiting program, with
the idea in mind to recruit long-term, qualified teachers who can grow with the schools.
DVS needs to continue development of a faculty-training program, in both
Knowledge (their respective fields: Chinese, History, etc) and Skills (communicating,
disciplining, pedagogy). Lastly, DVS needs to figure out how to design a Volunteer
Teacher program that will better retain and care for its volunteer teaching staff.

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E. Student Welfare & Personal Development
Strengths Deltas
Fulfilling Many students look to older peers for The schools should not leave it up to
Emotional/ guidance and advice (similarly, the older students alone to fulfill each others’
Psychologica students have a tendency to look out for emotional/psychological needs and
l Needs the younger ones), which has reinforced consider establishing a permanent position
relationships that span the age gap of guidance counselor at both schools. In a
among students. Interaction between previous attempt that some alumni still
younger and older students is seen as a remember, it resulted in the counselor’s
definite strength of the education disregard of students’ privacy and as a
system. One of the best things that have result, students’ loss of trust in teachers.
come out of the unique DVS education is This seems to be an ongoing problem.
lifelong friendships. Students need someone they can trust in
order to confide.
Background The presence of students from diverse, Because of language barriers and cultural
international backgrounds allows for differences, social cliques easily form
informal enhancement of meaningful along these lines. Although it is human
language and cultural exchanges. nature to form cliques, the schools can
intervene in a positive way by encouraging
exchanges and activities involving all
students.
School Spirit DVBS has demonstrated a lot of school It is not clear if the Dragon is actually a
(Mascot, spirit (“Go Dragons!”) through sports DVBS mascot or a DVS mascot. ASB
Colors, competition. (Associated Student Body) should take on
Song, a larger role in fostering and creating
Uniforms) school spirit through different avenues.
Personal High level of student involvement fosters
Development strong leadership capabilities,
independence, self-discipline, and time
management.
Conclusion A permanent position for a guidance counselor is needed at both schools to
demonstrate the schools’ willingness to look after its students, especially many of
which are studying halfway across the world from their homes, away from their
families. Activities prove to boost student morale and advance personal potential
among many students; such activities should continue to be supported by the
administration.

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F. Non-Academic Programs
Strengths Deltas
At DVGS, a College Resource Center No specified counselors to help each
College was established in 1991. student with course planning, college
Preparation planning, financial aid, career search and
personal guidance. The DVGS College
Resource Center should be expanded and
updated; these resources should also be
made available to DVBS.
Sports At DVBS, DM Tsung has created a well- At DVGS, there lacks developed physical
developed physical fitness program for fitness program, teachers and sports
(basketball, soccer & track and field), equipment. This kind of inequity is
with intramural competition and unconscionable if we want to develop
competition with outside leagues in strong, healthy and confident young
Ukiah and the bay area. women. This affects our public image as
well. In addition, the asphalt basketball
court has caused many injuries to students
and there are no other designated areas
for sports for girls (See Facilities &
Services).
Extra- Because the school is small, students Many of the activities need funding and
curricular have the opportunity to take initiative to ongoing guidance from faculty. The EB
Activities start a club or lead an activity. The should consider including some of these
alumni felt that this strongly contributed activities as part of their annual budget.
to their personal development and One of the ways we see a successful
organizational abilities. Leadership cooperative arrangement is in the school
involvement in interesting extracurricular administration's relationship with ASB
activities also looks good on college (Associated Student Body) in this area.
applications.
Community Teamwork and a sense of responsibility The sense of isolation many students feel
Service is fostered through an emphasis on at CTTB could be mitigated by increasing
Involvement working together to clean up the schools student/faculty interaction with appropriate
and take care of the community. local organizations and programs (i.e.
Students are well supported in activities MUN, Chinese speech contest, forensics,
such as visiting the senior citizens’ etc.).
homes in local Ukiah.
Conclusion It is important that the schools make an effort to support and develop non-academic
student life programs that integrate school values, spirit and camaraderie, especially
since these activities boost student morale and advance personal potential. Faculty
should be encouraged to participate as well. Teachers with knowledge or willingness
to become trained in college advising should be encouraged to become college
advising counselors, for they are much needed. DVGS needs to make an effort to
develop a better physical fitness program.

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G. Facilities & Services
Strengths Deltas
In recent years, DVGS has worked with Owing to the physical deterioration of many
Development the PTA to act on new developments, buildings, the schools should renovate its
& Main- such as air conditioning/central heating, classrooms to create a brighter
tenance re-painting of the dormitories and atmosphere. Students , who study and live
schools, grade school playground, etc.) in these environments should be consulted
when prioritizing projects.
Meals Generally, the meals prepared for The meal program should be closely
students are healthy, vegetarian and supervised and adhere to government
nutritious. standards.
Environment The alumni agree that the natural Students are rarely encouraged to take
environment is an ideal place for growing advantage of the beauty and acreage of
up and studying. There is the opportunity the entire CTTB grounds other than
to learn firsthand about nature, wildlife through basketball. Outdoor activities
and caring for the environment (i.e. Mr. should be encouraged. If specific activities
Cook’s biology classes, Ms. Rebecca are prohibited (e.g. bicycle riding and
Lee’s gardening classes) rollerblading), the reasons for doing so
should be clear to students.
Sports At DVBS, DM Tsung has worked hard to Physical fitness areas at both schools need
Grounds create spaces for track and field, to be renovated for safety. With no official
basketball and soccer training and has in sports grounds designated for physical
the past, involved students in renovation fitness for DVGS, other than the uneven,
projects for upgrading and improving small basketball court behind the dorms,
these spaces. DVA greatly encourages some action on
developing space. The basketball court is
unsafe and has caused many injuries
among students.
Library DVBS library is spacious and bi-lingual No consistent inflow of books to add to
and the DVGS library has a growing library collections at either schools.
collection in a nice atmosphere. Schools should subscribe to major weekly
news magazines and make them available
for students in library reading areas. The
EB should consider a shared library to cut
down on costs and allow expansion.
Computers & In the past, various DRBA community Computers and technology will only
Technology members and alumni have generously become more difficult to avoid as years go
donated computers and accessories to by. There needs to be a system developed
the schools. This is likely to continue. and a designated person to maintain the
network. Currently, DVBS relies on
students’ personal computer; there is a
lack of central school computers and
printers. The issue/policy of Internet usage
by students for research and e-mail is also
unclear.
Health All students get an annual TB shot (as There is no nurse on staff at either schools
Awareness the likelihood that international students to attend to emergencies, check-up on
are positive are much higher). students and do follow-up for prevention of
common diseases and viruses. A health
awareness program is vital at any school.
Conclusion The schools have a responsibility to students, parents, faculty and the state to initiate
building and grounds maintenance and ensure that school services are up-to-date and
safe for all students. The schools should address meal program, improving the
sports grounds for both schools for safety, re-painting for DVBS and a health
awareness program for both schools.

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H. Equity & Communication Between Schools
Strengths Deltas
Equity There are many dedicated faculty and Many resources that could be shared
staff members at both schools who share (textbooks, faculty, pedagogy, teaching
the vision of seeing great improvements materials) are not shared. The two wings of
at DVS. the schools operate very differently,
education is carried out differently,
students are dealt with differently, and so
on. DVBS students feel this inequity very
strongly (in the past, it was the other way
around). This is a problem because
energies are wasted in the overlap and the
schools are unnecessarily fragmented,
making improvement and changes a slow
process. Over the long-term, this does not
help the schools but may harm its
development and growth.
Commun- There is no formal system of
ication communication between the schools, if at
all. Regular communication needs to be
established in order that equity is
maintained and efforts not duplicated. With
all due respect towards the rules of
engagement at CTTB, does the
administration feel even the need to hold a
shared discussion about educational
issues between schools?
Conclusion In the assessment of strengths and deltas during our alumni brainstorm, it became
quickly apparent that there is a disparity between a boys’ school and girls’ school
student’s education. Although separate in gender composition, the two schools
should act as one school—with a shared mission, curriculum, resources and
administrative policy.

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I. Dormitories
It is important to note that in our discussion, alumni strongly stressed the need for the schools and
dormitories to remain separate, particularly in the area of administration.

Dorm & School Relationship


Should have coordinated but separate staff (teacher burnout)

Strengths Deltas
Home The concept of "home" is very important for
the dormitories, as many students live far
away from their parents and need a safe
environment in which they feel accepted.
The dormitories would not suffer if they
consciously strove to create this
environment. Also, dorm supervisors need
to be on grounds at all times.
Fraternity Students learn to look out for fellow
"brothers/sisters" younger than
themselves
Room & There needs to be more clarification about
Board & the disbursement of funds and fees
Fees collected from students. Fees should be
standardized between dormitories and the
breakdown of how they are used should be
made publicly available
The Boys’ Dorm have individual rooms Girls want individual rooms.
Privacy & for creating personal space. Lack of control over personal space. In the
Personal past and to this day, there are problems of
Space teachers searching students’ rooms without
their permission. It is assumed that the
students are hiding something and often,
the situation is not clearly explained to the
student. Stealing is also a big problem in
both dorms.
Punishment Buddhist practices and going to the
Buddha Hall should never be wrongly used
as punishments, which gives the student
the wrong impression and attitude towards
cultivation.
The “No Need to enforce this rule with healthy
Contact with intentions and be very clear about why we
Opposite have this rule. Examples of negative
Sex” Rule effects are chauvinism, sexism, guilty
feelings about relationships later in life,
etc.
Conclusion The dormitories should be modeled after a comfortable, safe and homey living
space for all students, many are those that live far from their parents and homes.
The dorm supervisors need to be careful about explaining why we follow certain
rules. They also need to keep in mind that enforcement of rules should be given
in a compassionate manner that encourages preventive learning, not punishment
learning, challenging students to use ethical reasoning and not only blind
obedience.

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III. Constructive Suggestions for Positive Change
Overall Education: Principles & Foundation
 Brainstorm for ways in which the values in our school mission statement can effectively be integrate
into student life, the curriculum, and pedagogy; and train teachers accordingly.

Curriculum & Pedagogies


 Continue the course accreditation process.
 Compile a course catalog of accredited courses, as well as electives that will be offered yearly.
Includin course descriptions, units, availability, faculty names and course evaluation feedback.
 Document the Joint Program with Mendocino College
 Develop systematic levels of advancement and course plans each level of the:
- Chinese-Mandarin Program - ESL Program
- English & Composition Program - Mathematics Program

Administration & Admissions


 Develop an organization chart with an open-minded action-oriented management team (including the
principal) detailing administrative responsibilities (i.e. transcripts, admissions, secretarial duties,
building maintenance, etc.).
 Document admissions policy.
 Systemize the grading system and processing of transcripts.

Faculty
 Begin to brainstorm a formal teacher and personnel recruiting program and establish network of
contacts.
 Continue the development of a faculty-training program, with workshops in both Knowledge (their
respective fields: Chinese, History, etc) and Skills (communicating, disciplining, creative/effective
teaching methodologies).
 Figure out how to retain and take care of our volunteer teaching staff by designing a Volunteer
Teacher Program that is considerate of their background, skills, time availability and families. This
program would also aim to recruit qualified short-term teachers in exchange for room & board, meals
and health care benefits (consider providing internships for college and education student-teaching).

Student Body & Personal Development


 Create and hire a permanent position for a guidance/college advising counselor (at each school)
 Actively support activities and achievements of students on a personal level (verbal, written, etc.)

Non-Academic Student Life Programs


 Support and develop non-academic student life programs that integrate school values, spirit and
camaraderie (i.e. work closely with ASB, liaison with local schools and community establishments to
increase interaction between DVS and the “outside world”).
 DVGS needs to make an effort to develop a better physical fitness program

Facilities & Services


 Initiate a building and school grounds maintenance check for unsafe, deteriorating or unaesthetic
areas that need renovation or upgrading (i.e. improving the sports grounds for DVGS, re-painting for
DVBS classrooms, and a health awareness program for both schools)
 Prioritize for renovation and development projects (consult students)

Equity & Communication Between Schools


 Decide on what resources to share in the upcoming year (textbook, materials, faculty, etc.)
 Decide together on issues of standardized curriculum, transcript and admissions policy and eliminate
differences in rules and enforcement between schools.

Dormitories
 Attempt to make the dormitories a comfortable, healthy and homey environment.
Document rules and clarify explanations of the rules (why we have them) and be careful when enforcing
the rules that encourages ethical reasoning and not blind obedience.

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IV. How DVA Can Support These Changes
DVA, in operation since 1995 but still organizationally young, can see immediate contributions and long-
term contributions. If the administration is interested in talking more about how to carry these out, please
e-mail ed.committee@dvaweb.org.

Short-Term

1) Initiate one-on-one mentoring with students (college preparation, careers, majors, personal, lifestyle).
2) Host "alumni weekends" (alumni come back to spend time with students).
3) Provide input on the "Social Living" course plan.

Long-Term

1) Work with schools to establish a Volunteer Teachers Program that would recruit heavily for short-term
positions from pool of alumni and college students/graduates for a semester/year period.
2) Solicit alumni input on developing an applied Buddhism curriculum/pedagogy for DVS
3) Eventually establish an endowment and the ability to fund various projects at the school within DVA,
that also allows alumni to donate computers, equipment, books, money and other needed materials.
4) Eventually work with the schools to establish a Scholarship Fund that will assist graduating seniors in
light of increasing college expenses and foreign student fees.

V. DVA Requests for More Information


For each document that we request from them, we need to ask ourselves: “Why do we need it
(what will we do with this information after requesting it)?”

Requests from Education Board for these Documentations:


 IG/DVS, DVBS & DVGS Administration/Faculty Organization Chart
 Student Demographics Report (how many students per grade, how many doing above average, how
many are foreign students, etc).
 List of Needs for Donations (computers, printers, equipment, etc)
 Dormitory Policies

Appendix
If you have comments or questions, please e-mail them to: ed.committee@dvaweb.org
This e-mail reaches the DVA Education Committee, which as of today, includes the people listed below.

Contributors:
This document was compiled by Bonnie Lin, based on the brainstorm that was held with the 38 DVS
alumni who attended the Developing Virtue Alumni Year2000 Reunion. Please note that we have not had
a chance to give everyone in DVA an opportunity to review the document and so this document is not
assumed to reflect the views of the entire DVA. We hope this document is the beginning of many good
things to come with the cooperative efforts of both DVA and EB. This document was reviewed and edited
by the following DVS Education Committee members, save Sarah Babcock and Sam Lin:

 Shari Epstein, Class of 1988 (shari@leland.stanford.edu)


 Sarah Babcock, Class of 1995 (sarahjane_b@hotmail.com)
 Franklyn Wu, Class of 1995 (keats@stanford.edu)
 Bonnie Lin, Class of 1997 (bonnielin@dvaweb.org)
 Sam Lin, Class of 2000 (samlingsl@hotmail.com)
 Liling Poh, Class of 2000 (zhenai@hotmail.com)

References Used in this Document: DRBA School Policy, provided by Ron Epstein

Rev. 6/23/2009 15:54 a6/p6 12

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