Recently, China's Hubei Bureau of Education Deputy Director Huang Jian has been visiting Ohio, specifically our schools, as part of the U.S.-China Administrator Shadowing Project. Earlier this week at a State Board of Education meeting he presented his observations, a collection of vague, generally feel-good platitudes that probably revealed few of his true sentiments about our education system. A delegation from Ohio will visit Hubei next year, and although their report to the local school board is likely to be similarly vague and pleasant, I imagine a first-hand visit to China's schools will generate some interesting behind-closed-doors comments. Among the potential shockers to the team from the Midwest:
- Long school days?really long. Starting before 8 am and not finishing until after 9 pm is commonplace in most high schools, especially for students in their final year. And we balked at Obama's proposal for an extended school day, which probably would mean little more than getting out at 4 pm instead of 3 pm.
- No varsity sports. With a school day that long, who has time for a three-hour basketball practice after classes? Chinese schools require students to participate in physical education classes and pass a fitness exam before receiving their diplomas, but schools with soccer, football, and track teams are the exception rather than the rule.
- A national curriculum. Although the US has only recently made a move toward national standards, China has worked over the last several years to implement a math and science-focused curriculum across the country.
- High-stakes testing?on steroids. For many students, the National College Entrance Exam is the sole determinant of whether or not they go to highly-ranked university, which is often the biggest determinant of whether or not they will get a good job.
- Few questions. Students are generally not permitted to ask questions in class, as this is viewed as disrespectful, a challenge to the teacher's academic authority. Teachers generally focus on rote memorization of various facts and formulas, and with all the high-stakes exams (there are tests similar to the College Entrance Exam at the end of primary school and the end of middle school).
Everyone is talking about the stellar performance of China's students on the 2009 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) assessment, the results of which were just released. The 5100 Shanghai students that took the exam did better in math, reading, and science than the students of any other country, including the United States, which came in 23rd overall.
So, why are China's school administrators are coming to Ohio to learn lessons?
An article in the Global Times, an English-language newspaper in China, may provide a clue. The rigorous but rote-focused education most Chinese students receive doesn't allow for sufficient development of creativity and imagination, the article claims. This may explain, at least in part, why China's students are enrolling in US universities in record numbers.
Your schools are student-centered,? said Deputy Director Huang in his presentation to Ohio's State School Board. ?You focus on the students' interests. [?] You encourage your students to be imaginative and to innovate.
Chinese students believe this, too. During the two years I lived in Beijing, the educational capital of China, my Chinese friends would often tell me that they dreamed of coming to the US to study someday. ?Why?? I would ask. ?Because you have the best education system in the world. Because you get to think for yourself.?
The grass is always greener, huh?
- Nick Joch, Policy?& Research Intern in Columbus office