Yong Zhao knows that American policymakers are obsessed with getting higher test scores.
Not their own test scores, of course, because they don’t take the tests, but the scores of America’s children.
They want higher scores than those of China.
Actually, we don’t know what China’s scores are, because the national scores have never been released.
We have only the scores of students in Shanghai, which are not representative of the nation.
Yong Zhao offers advice here on how to do it.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Wow! A very effective tongue-in-cheek discussion about the educational reforms needed to be made if we are going to beat the Chinese. Well done! Diane, thank you so much for sharing articles like these.
In order to forestall any unnecessary criticism of Diane for posting this—while also not giving away the best part of the piece—anyone who clicks on the link she provided needs to read to the very end.
Kerfufflelators: you have been warned in advance. Hence, any attacks of foot-in-the-edubully-mouth disease are your own fault.
To put Yong Zhao’s piece in context, read his recent WORLD CLASS LEARNERS (2012).
Enjoy. Diane has provided a real treat.
🙂
I have my own prescription. Actually understand the material. Short of that, I have been suggesting to my dentist for years that he develop an implantable miniaturized iPod. He just laughs. Fool.
I could use one of those IVs. Maybe they could help make bad teachers outstanding. Then we could get the drug companies in on this bonanza, too. Imagine a classroom of students (and teacher, or do we not need teachers anymore?) hooked to IVs and computers. Oh, the wonder of it!
In China you get the education you can afford and that include bribing the teacher and staff. It is only for those of means and basically near the coast. In the west of China they have trouble competing with the populated part of the country by basically being discriminated against.