The “competitiveness” alarm has been sounded—and now the search is on to find a successful formula to make American students more competitive in the classroom and on the world stage. While federal initiatives and school reform ideas abound, many are looking to the academic success of a high-achieving Asian subculture as a model.
In this Education Week Commentary, Deanna Kuhn argues that the Asian recipe for academic excellence, which includes a strict work ethic and a high level of parental involvement, may actually sacrifice students’ personal commitment to learning as an end in itself. Pressuring kids simply to bring home top grades, argues Kuhn, encourages them to value their education less, not more.
What do you think? Does the Asian education success formula have a downside? Or should it be viewed as a model for American educators and parents to replicate?
