In his address to the Dalton students and Dandelion students and faculty gathered in the mosaic-adorned school yard, Jim Best remarked, "It is very important for you to know that this is a mutually beneficial relationship. We learn as much from you – perhaps more – than you will ever learn from us. We believe that our work together is collaborative and cooperative. This is a partnership."

As our Dalton students reflected back, they expressed how valuable the experience was and many want to come back as soon as possible. They forged such lasting freindships with their charges,  that tears were shed on the Daltonians' departure.

Dandelion students are the children of migrant families who cannot access Chinese public education due to their migrant status. 80% of Dandelion's graduates are able to go on to High School and many go to college. In six years, the school has grown to nearly 700 Middle School students and relies exclusively on private funding for survival. Find a day-by-day account of the trip on the blog at: http://blogs.dalton.org/dgibeijing2012/ (login required.)