Quality versus Quantity

This essay compares American and Asian education and illustrates how quantity is chosen over quality in the U.S. in the areas of teacher training, research in education, curriculum and textbook design, and the level of education given highest priority. After demonstrating that Japanese teacher-conducted classroom research (lesson study) hasresulted in more practical, higher quality curriculum, textbooks, and teachers’ manuals, it address the objections to the use of those materials in the United States to improve teacher training and student achievement.