Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Could 'Cram Schools' Be on Their Way to America? - Education - GOOD

Could 'Cram Schools' Be on Their Way to America? - Education - GOOD:

Could 'Cram Schools' Be on Their Way to America?

testing
Ready to cram for that exam? As education becomes more test-centered and competitive around the world, the pressure to log sky-high scores is on the rise. According to The Economist, Japan's reknowned juku—after-school education programs also known as "cram schools"—are more popular than ever. The juku system is even exporting its model to other Asian countries, including China and Korea. Given the U.S.'s embrace of testing as the ultimate measure of achievement for students, teachers, and schools, could formal cram schools become more popular in the U.S.?

There are more than 50,000 cram schools in Japan, and conditions are ripe for a similar explosion here in the