I'm in a high school classroom two days a week this semester and next semester is my last before becoming a licensed teacher in the US.

A couple of my math professors at the university I attend went to China over the summer to get an idea of what their primary education classrooms are like and compare them to ours. One of the things I've heard regarding the overall demographics is that there they don't have the expectation that all students are going to get educated to the extent that we attempt to here. At a certain point if students don't perform well enough they are transitioned out to a vocational school instead of following an academic track.

This very well could have a profound effect on comparing scores across countries, their top percent of students is being compared to our entire population of students.

If you consider some of the books that are being tossed around in these threads, e.g. Liping Ma's Knowing and Teaching..., one of the small things that sticks out is a language issue that can have an impact on a young child's number development.

Also, according to that book there is an entirely different mindset when it comes to not only teaching as a profession but in their professional development as well. They are afforded more opportunities for planning and collaboration compared to what is often experienced here.

I think we as a society have to consider whether it is feasible to continue down this road where we attempt to educate everyone to the same level.