System capacity building in Shanghai education reform: achievements and challenges

As comprehensive education reform has become a trend in the global village, the Chinese upper secondary school system has experienced significant changes in structure and content, widely arousing curiosity about Chinese basic education, one of the important engines of the Chinese economy. The structural changes in the Chinese upper secondary school system have included both a restructuring of the education system and the creation of new rules and regulations within system. Content changes in Chinese education have primarily reflected technological innovation and advancement, life skills, online learning and student-centered learning. These changes have caused tensions and challenges in the Chinese upper secondary school system while also creating opportunities for future reforms. In this article, the challenges within the Chinese basic educational system are explored based on the literature. These challenges mainly include a lack of resources, the direction of change, competition among different stakeholders at the different levels of the education system, a lack of sufficient organizational capacities, and a lack of leadership training. Opportunities for future reforms are also discussed based on the existing literature.