The Education Equation

Kids at school in Japan (courtesy of Aka Hige)

Education is a touchy subject.  So much talk about slipping behind other first world nations' average test scores or losing ground in improving education in impoverished areas fills the news.  What little progress that does occur in our nation is subtle and simply allows youth who are better off to further excel.  Many schools here depend on "gifted" or "advanced" programs to exploit bright students, leaving many students unable to catch up academically.

Cross the Pacific Ocean to the little island nation of Japan and things are a bit different.  Although most of my educational career has taken place here in the United States, what time I have spent in Japan's schools as a child and staying in contact with Japan through relatives and even television has lent me a perspective I would like to share.  In particular, I would like to highlight the general differences in how Japanese and Americans approach education systems.

Some of the most obvious differences lie within the structure of the system itself.  Only grades one through nine are required as part of national standards, but as many as ninety-eight percent of the kids go on to high school, which in Japan is comprised of grades ten through twelve (Web-Japan).  This high majority of kids need to complete and score highly in a nation-wide entrance exam to be able to attend the high school of their choosing.  Much like college in America, the test-taking process and pressure that comes with it starts much earlier in Japan.  Of course, Japanese students do not only need to complete assessments to attend a high school, but also for college as is commonplace here.

A typical classroom environment (courtesy of Angie Harm)

Summer breaks are much, much shorter for Japanese students as well.  Set at a standard length every year, they last from July 20th to August 31st.  This predetermined time for something as fun and free-flowing as summer break simply emphasizes the recurring essence of discipline within Japanese culture.  Students in Japan take turns serving food to one another during lunchtime, even in elementary school.

Moreover, janitors are few and far between in Japanese schools, where divisions of classes called "kumi" are scheduled to clean the school's facilities every day, from the halls to the desks to the playground.  Everyone is expected to play a part in this cleanup and all the students get to participate in a way that is healthy and even somewhat fun.  Races down the hallway for which group of kids can clean the hallway in the most effective and time-efficient manner

The typical hallway cleanup in Japan (courtesy of Lora Crowley)

Largely, discipline is given a negative connotation in education systems across America, with words like "detention" frequently found paired with the idea in the same sentence.  However, in Japan it spurs a sense of community and facilitates responsibility.  However, with this idea of discipline comes the idea of equal share, equal opportunity, and equal treatment.  Students in Japan, especially in elementary school, are treated nearly the same across the board—with the same level of attention and care as the rest of the children, no matter their academic promise and for the most part, their social and economic standing.  There are a few exceptions of course, but it is much more difficult to find schools in Japan that offer and stress gifted programs and divisions of young students by level of academic promise.

Put simply, Japanese schools offer a certain sustainable level of homogeneity within the entire class, with little difference between the amount or quality of time spent on any particular child.  Whereas in America, the disparity between the "gifted" children and "non-gifted" students is highlighted at such a young age and is only accentuated throughout senior year of high school.  Frequently these groups of children begin to segregate and form clusters that rarely mix.  Moving forward, the students begin to take classes with the same group of students, limiting the ability of those who wish to move up, and making it difficult for those already in advanced programs to leave.

The Japanese model keeps the students at relatively the same educational level and pace, allowing those who are "gifted" to possibly lead the class, while giving other students the opportunity to grasp the same material or possibly benefit from working with these leading students.  Once ninth grade ends however, and students begin to take exams to be accepted to certain high schools, the lines are drawn in ways that are much more decisive and more like the transition from high school to college in America.

While I'm not a 100% proponent of either side of the education equation, I think there's a lot to learn from the Japanese approach to their educational system as a whole.  Putting a positive spin on discipline is something we could incorporate across many different institutions.  Motivating kids to take responsibility for their learning and being offered the same education across the board could help struggling students achieve more.  On the other hand, however, there are those that argue this Japanese approach could limit the potential of some kids—something that American school systems capitalize upon.  All in all, it is at least something that is worth pondering considering the current state of public education here in the States.

For more information on Japanese schools, click this link.