Japan's success is defined as a high level of average achievement with a low degree of variation over the entire population of students accomplished at relatively low cost. The various contextual explanations for this outcome—including motivational, cultural, societal, administrative, and behavioral—are discussed, and their fit with one another is emphasized. The overall stability and simplicity of focus are basic aspects of the system underscored. The meaning of the Japanese case for American education is considered, beginning with a distinction made between understanding another system, drawing lessons from its experience, and borrowing actual practices or organizational ideas from it. Emphasis is given to the initial task of grasping the whole context and the interplay between the elements before drawing lessons or selecting something for emulation.
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