Date:  March 12, 2001
Contact: Irene Cromer
(703) 791-8720

Twenty Japanese educators will visit Marsteller Middle School and Bennett Elementary School on Tuesday, March 20.  The two Prince William County schools, both in Manassas, were selected in part because of their specialty programs, and because of a joint Japanese-American environmental project.  Marsteller has a math and science program and a gifted and talented center is housed at Bennett.  The visitors, who include teachers and administrators at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels as well as Board of Education members, will observe instruction in both regular education and specialty program classes.  

The Japanese educators are participating in the Fulbright Memorial Fund Master Teacher Program, which is funded by the Japanese government.  The teachers and administrators, who are from various parts of Japan, want to learn more about the American educational program.  By observing the United States educational system first-hand, the master teachers can assist their school districts in efforts to restructure the Japanese educational program, a national initiative which is to be fully implemented by the spring of 2002.  

The Japanese are trying to improve their educational system by integrating the parts of their current program that are working well with methods and programs that are very successful in other countries.  Many of the changes being made in the Japanese educational program are modeled after U.S. educational programs that are already in place in the Prince William County School division.

The Japanese visitors will arrive at Marsteller Middle School at 7:45 a.m. to observe classrooms and meet with faculty.  From 11:15 a.m. until 5 p.m., the visitors will tour the gifted center at Bennett Elementary School, have lunch with students, study grade level practices and speak with the Bennett faculty.  Interpreters will be present to help the foreign visitors talk with students and staff.

The Japanese educators are participating in a global scientific program where they will work with other schools throughout the world to conduct simultaneous investigations of the earth’s environment.  Using computer-video technology, Marsteller and Bennett will link with Japanese schools to exchange ideas.  

Marsteller Middle School is located at 8730 Sudley Road, Manassas.  The principal is Karen Poindexter and the school telephone number is 703-368-8134.  
Bennett Elementary School is located at 8800 Old Dominion Drive, Manassas; the telephone number is 703-361-8261.  The principal is Graham Spencer.

For more information, contact Annette Doktor at Marsteller Middle School at 
703-368-8134 or by e-mail at doktorax@pwcs.edu or Jim Amaral at Bennett Elementary at 
703-361-8261 or by e-mail at amaraljr@pwcs.edu.