News Break: Shanghai education achievement tops all
As I prepare to board my flight to China, I read this New York Times article previewing today’s formal announcement of Shanghai’s powerful statement in student achievement scores. There is definitely something going on in China, and we can’t dismiss their education system as inferior in most ways to the U.S. if this test comparison is as balanced and reputable as the Times says it is. The stereotypes many U.S. educators may have about China:
- That Chinese schools do not value creativity
- That Chinese classes and schools operate in lock-step standardization
- That Chinese teachers and students have little freedom of choice
- That all Chinese schools are impoverished
But things change so rapidly in China that our impressions are probably outdated by more than ten years. Ten years in China at its current rocket-propelled pace is a comparable to half a century of U.S. progress. The challenge for our group of U.S. educators departing today: How do we get a snapshot of a moving rocket of Chinese education (and edtech) with our Instamatic* camera powers of observation?
*For those under age 45, Google it.
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