The Core Knowledge Blog

Writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dixon Adair says the U.S. has much to learn from the Chinese educational system.  He’s concerned that the premium the country places on education will make it difficult for the U.S. to compete economically.  

Just back from a lengthy visit to Xi’an, the capital of Sha’anxi Province, Adair notes that in Chinese schools, a focus on the group is emphasized.  Differentiated instruction?  Forget it.  “If any students in a Chinese class learn at a slower pace or in a different way, they will simply have to get used to the way in which the material is already being taught,” Adair observes, “because the class must not be slowed down.” 

Many educational practices are aimed at stimulating competition among students. “All the students’ grades are posted for the whole class to see, and information about individuals is considered public,” writes Adair. “In China, praise and humiliation work side by side to encourage excellence and discourage disobedience. Though we would say this system seems harsh and unfair, especially for students who already have a low level of self-confidence, the reality in China is that nobody has time for second chances,” writes Adair, who describes being shocked initially at the “public-ness” and rigid structure of Chinese school life, but gaining an appreciation for how the sheer size and scale of education in China make “privacy and flexibility as we know them impossible.”

Adair also observed students giving themselves extra work to improve “for their own good, not just so that their teachers would be impressed,” families who are “focused and determined” to help their offspring succeed academically, and teachers who “demanded excellence at an almost perfect level, even from students who struggled.” 

Did I mention that Adair is a 10th grader?

“Now that I am back at school in the U.S.,” he concludes, ”I enjoy the individual attention of teachers, the chance to participate often in class discussion, more leisure time to explore my own interests, the encouragement to think differently. But I have a new respect and appreciation for what distinguishes Chinese education. I admire the determination, drive and patriotic pride that have made the Chinese so successful economically. I am concerned about how Americans will continue to compete in world markets without valuing education and group success more than we do.”