The volume is intended to give readers a glimpse of the day-to-day life of disabled people in Japan. Eight brief papers present life experiences of a mentally retarded preschooler, severely disabled children, a child with muscular dystrophy, a young girl with polio living in the community, visually disabled and recovering mentally ill people…

This is a report of the Japan/United States Textbook Study Project the goal of which is to improve each nation's textbooks, especially in regard to the treatment of Japan in U.S. textbooks, the treatment of the United States in Japanese textbooks, and the treatment of relations between the two countries in each nation's textbooks. Panelists from…

"A Psychological Study of Flexibility in Reading," the first in this collection of four articles, attempted to determine how flexibility in reading develops from elementary to junior high school. The results indicated that children in every grade in this experiment were flexible in reading, that is, they changed their speed of reading…

To help educators understand similarities and differences between American and Oriental educational systems, this article outlines 22 major characteristics of Japanese and South Korean schools and compares them with U.S. practices. An important difference is Asian parents' considerable involvement and interest in their schools. (MLH)

Compares the Japanese and Canadian educational systems. Discusses such topics as the examination system, the curriculum, the typical school day, extracurricular activities, student achievement, and hopes for acceptance into higher education. Also considers teacher training, working conditions, and the obstacles teachers face in the classroom. (GEA)

American students perform poorly in mathematics compared to their peers in other countries, especially Japan and China. This article examines underlying causes for these deficiencies, including American complacency (in contrast to Asian diligence) and differing educational practices and expectation levels. Includes four references. (MLH)

Advocates a change in American chauvinistic attitudes to view positively Japan's increasing public awareness for balancing industries and the environment. Also suggests that the study of foreign languages would help develop a global view to environmental concerns. (DH)

Analyzes Japan's success in avoiding many of the sociocultural problems affecting other modern countries. Explains Japan's ability to balance the old and the new, the domestic and the foreign, from an anthropological and educational perspective. Focuses on Japan's traditional pedagogical emphasis on rote and imitation. (KH)

Discusses problems in the Japanese educational system, such as increasing school violence, controversy over textbook revisions, budget cuts and the educational discrimination against minorities, particularly Burakumins and Koreans. (CMG)

The author discusses how cooperative partnerships between school and parents promote student achievement and have the potential to help resolve the crisis in educational productivity. (MD)

Discusses a Japanese secondary school curriculum that emphasizes two themes: light and substances, and the earth and living things. Examines the way several specific topics are taught, and presents an overall course outline including approximate hours spent on each topic. (MLH)

This publication takes a look at lesson study both in its Japanese form and as it is being implemented in the United States. It contains the lesson study process, the rationale for using such an approach, and illustrates how teachers and administrators around the United States are taking the first steps toward adapting and implementing lesson…

This chapter is divided into four sections: What cooperative learning is; research; models of cooperative learning; and conclusion. Cooperative learning is defined as a group learning activity organized so that learning is dependent on the socially structured exchange of information between learners in groups, in which each learner is held…

Following an introduction, Volume 1 of this year's annual report from the Commissioner of Education contains the first of three parts. Part I includes chapters on: statistics of state common school systems; secondary education in New Zealand; education in France; educational systems of England and Scotland, and operations for 1890-'91; provision…

Subjects were 175 eighth-grade students of a public lower secondary school in Akita Prefecture, Japan. Attitudes were measured by a version of a semantic differential scale originally developed to assess attitudes of prospective elementary school teachers. The hope is expressed that the instrument will be used in the West. (Author/MP)