Is America's school system really that bad? According to a number of studies that have been done, the answer is yes. When compared to Asian countries, such as Japan, American children come out of school "below standard" in subjects like math and science. Japan on the other hand, is one of the top performing countries in these same subjects. But why are scores so different between countries when Japan's achievements are "closely comparable" to America's? The answer to this question can be seen in the way the school systems are run in both countries. In reality they are run very differently.

The major differences between the two are, the amount of time the children spend in school, the "toughness" of the programs, and the attitude parents and teachers express toward education.

First of all, the amount of time children spend in school greatly differs when it comes to...