Education Reform in Japan: Competing Visions for the Future

Abstract

Although much of the world regards the Japanese education system as exemplary, in Japan itself there was growing dissatisfaction with the system in the 1980s and 1990s. As a result, the education ministry introduced a series of reforms that are currently in effect. Now, as Mr. Bjork and Ms. Tsuneyoshi report, Japanese stakeholders are debating the merits of those reforms. DURING THE last two decades of the 20th century, Japanese students' exemplary performance on international achievement tests, coupled with the nation's dramatic economic growth, made the Japanese education system a focus of attention from outside observers. Educators, scholars, and journalists all scrutinized the Japanese in an attempt to ascertain the secret to their success. Although research published during that period was commonly framed as a comparison -- exploring the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Japanese system and those of other countries -- the conclusions generally highlighted the commendable aspects of the Japanese model. Reports published on the Japanese system in the West often drew attention to the students' strong foundation in math and science, the society's commitment to academic excellence, the collegiality among students as well as instructors, and a teaching culture that seriously focused on the craft of designing and implementing lessons.1 At the same time that outside observers were extolling the Japanese approaches to teaching and learning, debates on the system's goals and effects were heating up within Japan. Citizens who were products of Japanese were not as taken with the system as were visitors from abroad. For decades, critics inside the country had asserted that the heavy emphases on entrance examinations and on the memorization of a large body of facts were at the root of various social problems. Such concerns led to the introduction of a series of the most recent of which, enacted at the end of the 20th century, sought to reduce academic intensity. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) used the term yutori kyoiku, or reduced-intensity reforms, to describe these policies.2 Adoption of the reforms did not, however, silence the education debates. Instead, their implementation provoked an additional wave of criticism. Detractors, who asserted that the reforms represented a watering down of the curriculum, promoted a back-to-basics agenda. The controversy was used to justify a push for more rigorous academic standards, as well as the establishment of super science high schools that would serve gifted students. These developments all unfolded at a time when an increasing number of local school districts were adopting market- oriented policies, such as school choice. As a result of the rapid succession of accounts of Japanese published only a few years ago may not capture accurately the current dynamics of the system. Our analysis of recent reform efforts and the debates they have triggered suggests that the Japanese education system is at an important juncture. Schools are confronting competing demands to reduce the academic pressure on students, cultivate motivation, develop critical thinking skills, and at the same time ensure that pupils build a strong foundation in basic academic skills. Educators appear to be weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, contemplating how to modify instructional practice in ways that will not only satisfy stakeholders but also be consistent with the new curriculum and with their own ideals about teaching and learning. In our analysis of the current environment for education reform in Japan, we paid particular attention to policies introduced in recent years and explored the reaction of various stakeholders to those changes. In an attempt to better understand the effects of the reduced- intensity reforms, we administered surveys, observed classes, and interviewed students, parents, teachers, administrators, and government officials. …