Basic Necessity For All

This is a very excellent work, with only one flaw; not all children in these cultures are actually in school. Here in the States we are obligated, by law, to educate every child. We cannot be selective and exclude all but the brightest, nor would we want too. My point is, comparing how these cultures educate to our own is apples and oranges. Unless you want to actually model the key to their success, which would require denying millions of children a public education.
Rating: 3 / 5

This book explains very well why kids in Japan, Korea, and China learn more than kids in the US. Every teacher should read this book to improve his/her teaching methods. Every parent should read this book to see what a big difference an involved parent can make in the education of his/her kids. I also recommend “The Teaching Gap” by the same authors.
Rating: 5 / 5

American students lag behind those in other countries, especially in Asia. At the same time, American businesses spend (’92) $25 billion/year on remedial education for their employees. Stevenson’s cross-cultural comparison of pupils in China (Beijing), Taiwan, Japan (Sendai), and the U.S. (Chicago and Minneapolis) provides outstanding and surprising insights on how to close that gap.

American elementary children are in school about 30 hours/week, vs. 44 for their Asian counterparts (after the 1st grade), for about half the days of the year – compared to 2/3 in Asia. Asian subjects include sewing, calligraphy, martial arts, etc., as well as the standard academics. Asian children’s attentiveness is boosted through 4-5 10-15 minute recesses/day, v s. Americans’ single recess of about 50 minutes.

Asian elementary pupils receive considerably more homework than Americans during the school year, as well as homework during vacation periods. Asian class sizes range from 38-50, and responsibility for discipline rests largely with the students – especially the class leader, as position that rotates throughout the class.

Parental involvement in Asian academics is minimal prior to age six – Asian pre-school and Kindergarten classes are primarily focused on the children enjoying themselves. Thus, U.S. pupils do somewhat better than most Asian pupils in the 1st-grade. (Unfortunately, by the fifth grade the best American classes perform worse than the worst Asian classes.) Meanwhile, U.S. parents generally delegate learning responsibility to the school at the point, and express much greater satisfaction with their children’s’ progress than their Asian counterparts.

Asians expect all pupils to succeed, and that the child’s effort is the prime determinant; Special Education has never been popular and exists only for the blind, profoundly deaf, or severely retarded. The U.S. view, however, is inconsistent – we generally believe that ability is the prime determinant of academic success (thus, are much less committed to homework), while at the same time believing that practice is necessary for sports, music, and dance success.

The common American belief that high levels of academic achievement are possible only in modern, well-equipped schools is countered by viewing typical Asian schools (pupils do much of the cleaning), especially those in China which often lack heating.

Another major difference in U.S. vs. Asian education is that the proportion of teacher-led activities is much higher in Asian classrooms – U.S. schools emphasize small groups and individual study, while Asians stress whole-class instruction.

Bottom Line: Asian school pupils’ academic achievement considerably outstrips that in the U.S., and at lower cost – eg. 3.7% of China’s GNP, vs. 6.8% in the U.S.

“The Learning Gap” is an invaluable guide to improving American education, if only we would learn from it.
Rating: 5 / 5