Cram School

The United Way of Taiwan has brought me to Taipei to assist them with community and organizational work. This is a relationship I have had since my work nationally and internationally with United Way of America.

At a recent visit to a High School one would be struck by the preparation of local Taiwanese students for success.

As a perspective:

• Students all through high school never have a Summer vacation-they attend Cram School every day in the Summer from 8 in the morning until 3pm.
• Often they are preparing to apply to colleges and universities in the US.
• Students during the normal school year attend classes until 5 pm

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, there is a review of how now Math camps for kids (like a Cram School) are proliferating in the US. Conversely, in a recent Taipei Times article, there is a debate on how to bridge creativity and imagination into the education of the Taiwanese children.

I am struck on how ALL of our children will be competing with kids not just across town or in another state for acceptance into college, but from across the world. As I have written before in this blog, having our children ready to learn and succeed in school is paramount. That is why United Way programs such as Success by Six, Woman's Literacy Initiative and the Virgil H. Carr Truancy Initiative are critical.

Do you think our children's education prepares them to compete with students from other countries?