By Lile Song Mahoney

W hen comparing U.S. and Chinese schools， one finds a number of stark differences and unexpected similarities.

Differences exist

Lets begin with the most overwhelming difference. While the Chinese education system has many different objectives， its dominant feature is the gaokao system. Gaokao refers to the national exam that high school students take to determine admission to colleges and universities. The main part of the exam is taken by most students during their senior year， although some special subject exams can be completed the year before.

Despite being a nationwide standardized exam， the way the gaokao is administered varies somewhat by location. Most subject exams divide between a STEM or humanities track， but there are others， including art， music and sports.

The gaokao system is not limited to these high school exams. In fact， it extends downward， and includes a whole array of exams that determine where and what students should study. For example， the zhongkao is another important exam， faced by students as they are graduating from middle school. It can determine whether they continue to high school or move into a vocational training track. It can also determine whether they attend top-ranked high schools.

In the United States， there is nothing that compares with the gaokao. Although the U.S. has implemented various reforms since 2001 to improve STEM training， including becoming more test-oriented， these efforts have achieved mixed results at best.

However， America has almost 4，000 colleges and universities—China by contrast， has around 2，700， despite having six times the population—and the vast majority of U.S. institutions have relatively low admission requirements. Consequently， while some students face pressure from their parents or their own drive for success to perform at the highest academic levels， there is not the same level of cultural and social anxiety that one experiences in Chinese schools， nor is there the same level of work and timein-school.

This has positive and negative consequences. The negative， obviously， includes the fact that many American students may fail to reach their full academic potential. In aggregate， this can impact both national and individual social and economic wellbeing in numerous ways. But it is also the case that avoiding this stress provides students with opportunities to develop in other ways that can contribute to the greater good.

For example， in most Chinese high schools， athletics are not a prominent feature. Although there are programs， these are more in line with baseline health objectives. This is not the case for students in the sports track， or high schools that specialize in sports. But in the typical Chinese high school， there are very little if any team sports like one finds in the U.S.