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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Apples to Apples « Strategicteaching's Blog

Apples to Apples « Strategicteaching's Blog

Apples to Apples

February 13, 2011 by strategicteaching

Apples to Apples

Let’s compare apples to apples. This is what I think whenever I hear one of those dire comparisons between the public schools in the United States and India…or China…or Japan…or Finland. Without exception the US stats pale in comparison. But are we comparing the same populations? Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit a high school in Shanghai. It was impressive. I observed diligent students in well run classrooms; computer use by all students; high college entrance rates. Definitely this was a high performing public school. Or was it something else? As I passed other schools in Beijing where student