Dive Brief:
- Alternative teaching institutions have seen a rise in China as parents push back against the country’s high stakes testing culture.
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Schools based on the pedagogy of Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia are springing up, focusing on a holistic approach to education and using qualitative assessment methods.
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China is known for its exceptional academic performance; 15-year olds in Shanghai ranked the highest out of 65 regions in math, science, and reading on a 2013 Pisa survey. However, Chinese youth are disposed to higher levels of depression and lower-self esteem than their peers across the globe, giving appeal to these humanistic schools.
Dive Insight:
Similar to the U.S. rush to open charter schools as a counterpart to traditional public schools, China is facing an increased demand for these alternative schools that may not match their ability to open. Many of the schools are opening swiftly without a full comprehension of the philosophies they stand for.
"I've been to so-called Montessori preschools where there was not a trace of Montessori material," says Gina Lofquist, the director of the Montessori education program at Xavier University in the U.S. "Instead, they had a big flat-screen television in the middle of the room, something that goes totally against our beliefs. There's no way to train enough teachers for all those new schools. A lot of money is being made from these franchises but the parents are not getting what they pay for."
All this said, as the U.S. pushes for more of a high-stakes-testing culture, in the same vein as China, it is interesting to see the opposition the leading country is now facing.
