In a time of low academic achievement by children in the United States, many Americans are turning to Japan, a country of high academic achievement and economic success, for possible answers. ________, the answers provided by Japanese preschools are not the ones Americans expected to find. In most Japanese preschools, ________ little emphasis is put on academic instruction. In one investigation, 300 Japanese and 210 American preschool teachers, child development specialists and parents were ________ various aspects of early childhood education. Only 2 percent of the Japanese respondents listed “to give children a good start ________” as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. ________, over half the American respondents chose this as one of their top three choices. To prepare children for successful careers in first grade and beyond, Japanese schools do not teach reading, writing, and mathematics, but rather skills such as persistence, concentration and the ability to function as a member of a ________. The vast majority of young Japanese children are taught to read ________ by their parents.

In the recent ________ between Japanese and American preschool education, 91 percent of Japanese respondents chose providing children with a group experience as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. Sixty-two percent of the more individually oriented Americans ________ group experience as one of their top three choices. A/An ________ on the importance of the group seen in Japanese early childhood education continues into elementary school education.

Like in America, there is ________ in Japanese early childhood education. Some Japanese kindergartens have ________ aims, such as early musical training or potential development. In large cities, some kindergartens are ________ universities that have elementary and secondary schools. Some Japanese parents believe that if their young children attend a university-based program, it will increase the children’s chances of ________ being admitted to top-rated schools and universities. Several more progressive programs have ________ free play as a way out for the heavy intellectualizing in some Japanese kindergartens.