Recounts experiences in the Japanese Education and Society program, sponsored by the Council on International Educational Exchange and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. (Author/MLF)

The training of school administrators and the development of private business management levels are very similar. A private business executive outlines management training processes and shows their applicability in the training of school administrators. Includes three figures. (MD)

Unlike Japanese and European schools, U.S. public schools treat music as a nonserious, peripheral "activity" suitable for a few talented students. However, music education is as fundamental to the curriculum as math or reading. One study showed that high-school musicians achieved higher Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. (15 references)…

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)

Japanese, Germans, and Britons value the study of foreign languages, art, and music and favor long school years, state-supported preschool activities, and homework. Examining other nations' curricula is a valuable exercise that helps U.S. educators question the cultural values embedded in their own education system. (10 references) (MLH)

Reviews current Asian educational systems, pointing out that comparison with the United States system is not possible. The educational systems reflect the societies' needs, which differ from culture to culture. (MD)

Discusses survey results polling American, Australian, and Japanese teachers' views about educational concepts. Differing cultural backgrounds probably account for varied responses concerning teacher roles, competition, teaching of moral principles, and administrator leadership roles. Effective school management requires knowledge of various…

A comparative study of effective school principals in Japan and the US outlines the differences and similarities in career goals, values, roles and responsibilities, and qualities of educational leadership.

Using several charts, this article compares strengths and weaknesses of Japanese junior high schools and American middle schools. Each system could learn something from the other. As an adaptive, reactive culture, Japan might benefit from a more flexible, diversified school atmosphere, while an individualistic, pluralistic United States might gain…

Reviews the findings from two international studies of mathematics achievement that have been conducted over the past 20 years. The majority of twelth-grade, college-bound American students scored among the lowest quarter of countries in the latest study. Includes tables and graphs. (MD)