Implications for American Education

Abstract

The interest of Americans in how the Japanese have been able to achieve extraordinary success in the fields of technology and manufacturing inevitably led to a study of education in Japan. That study was initiated in 1983 by President Reagan and Prime Minister Nakasone, with the final report published in January 1987 by the U.S. Department of Education. At the time of its release, the news media highlighted the study's findings, but perhaps the most meaningful part of the study was the ep ilogue by Education Secretary William Bennett in which he summarized the lessons Americans might draw from the study. The epilogue is reprinted here in its entirety.