Secondary teachers in the U.S. have about twice as many university courses in mathematics as their Japanese colleagues, whereas Japanese teachers have twice as many courses in pedagogy or teaching methods. In the 8th grade, the average class size in the U.S. is 26, in Japan it is 40. In the 12th grade the average class size in the U.S. is 20 and in Japan is 43. It is true that the Japanese school year is 243 days and in the U.S. it averages 180 days. Closer and more exhaustive investigation of the American system pointed to a number of shortcomings, among them being the following.
Expectations are too low.
The curriculum is repetitious and poorly organized. Time in class is not used effectively. Status of teachers is low. A great deal of documentation has been obtained to show that these factors have contributed significantly to the low scores in testing. There is a very large attitudinal discrepancy which needs to be overcome.