The Chinese School Association in the United States (CSAUS) is a non-profit national organization, composed of a large number of new Chinese immigrants and students studying in the U.S. after China reform and opening policy. It aims at uniting and serving Chinese schools and Chinese societies in the U.S., advocating Chinese culture, educating young overseas Chinese to remember their origin, and promoting educational, cultural and folk exchanges between the U.S. and China.

        Since its foundation in 1994, the CSAUS has attracted more than 150 member schools, from major cities in more than 30 states. Students enrolled in member schools have almost reached 20,000. Our services have influenced thousands of families. All Chinese schools provide regular classes as well as locations for Chinese immigrants and students from various fields to gather and chat.  Many American students have expressed interest and decided to join. The schools encourage students to participate in all international cultural exchange events organized by main stream society. The CSAUS, in a multicultural environment, plays a key role in uniting Chinese, propagating Chinese culture and promoting the relationship between America and China. In addition, it enhances the relationships between Chinese schools in U.S. Many members in the Association are students majoring in science and technology. The Association has taken advantage of this resource and built a web site and communications network linking more than 150 schools in over 30 states. In recent years, the CSAUS has successfully held several national events on culture and education, such as promoting the compiling and publishing North American translations of many Chinese language textbooks, organizing exams to evaluate students?proficiency in Chinese, and holding activities to exchange ideas on international arts and culture. These events have impacted the Chinese communities and the American main stream. The CSAUS, therefore, has increased its attraction and won support from various channels in both China and the U.S., with its solid base, influence, and great potential.

        CSAUS meetings are held every two years. The first meeting was held in Columbus, Ohio and the second one was in Houston, Texas. Both meetings achieved great success. The gatherings provide a good opportunity for member schools to discuss and exchange their thoughts. They also won support from relevant departments both in China and the U.S. because they displayed the great demand for and potentiality of Chinese communities?education. Recently the third meeting was held in Washington D.C. with theme of  "The advance of Chinese education in North America is ready for the new century? About 300 representatives, from all member schools, from politics, and from the educational field, attended the meeting. The meeting was a milestone in the development of the CSAUS.

        In its development process, the CSAUS has encountered many difficulties. Due to being a non-governmental organization, we do not have our own headquarters and funds. Our main financial resource comes from membership fees. All the schools depend on "tuition? for basic salary payment. All the staff voluntarily does the work with high enthusiasm and with no complaint about overtime and unstable work. The facilities for the schools are rented from local schools or churches through acquaintances.

        Because of difficulty in obtaining educational materials, we worry about the low status of Chinese education in the U.S. The schools have not been accredited and funded by the United States government. The achievements in education cannot been approved by related education departments. Parents and staff have great interests but not with students. All the above are challenges in education.

        However, speaking from the trend of Chinese education in the whole world, and the U.S., we are confident that Chinese education will have a continue to develop in the new century. We believe that we will make more progress with support from relevant agencies and organizations.