Complete Coverage

Japanese Schoolchildren 'Cram' To Boost Achievement

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo

Yokohama, Japan

Among the throngs of weary commuters packed into trains arriving here are hundreds of schoolchildren from nearby Tokyo and surrounding suburbs. Toting blue backpacks with reflective trim, they head for their second shift of studying. They spend up to three hours, three nights a week in a Spartan, hot, windowless classroom in a converted storefront taking additional lessons in mathematics, science, or Japanese language and writing. On Saturdays, they return for a test to gauge what they've learned during the week.

The Nichinoken juku , or "cram school," is one of Japan's largest after- school programs. It serves more than 37,000 elementary pupils in 84 locations throughout the country. Such supplemental and test-preparation programs have been popular in Japan for nearly four decades as an academic leg up for students striving to get into the top high schools and universities. More recently, though, they have catered to elementary children angling for a spot in a private junior high school.

Now, experts and other observers are predicting a rise in juku participation at every grade level as a result of curriculum changes that have heightened concerns among many education- conscious Japanese parents over...