Francis T. Harten
Long Island University / Post
EDD 1201 Dr. Jan Hammond
May 2013
Statistical / Educational
Issue
United States
China
313,847,465
3.79 Million Square Miles
Washington, DC
New York City
(population: 8,008,280)
1,343,239,923
3.75 Million Square Miles
Beijing
Shanghai
(population: 14,608,500)
Federal (Democracy)
Capitalism
English
$13.06 Trillion
$9.78 Trillion
$51,144 in 2010 to $50,502 in
2011
Dictatorship
Communism
Over 50 Dialects
$10.21 Trillion
$1.13 Trillion
$7,783.00
Income Distribution Poorest
10%
1.8% of Total Population
2.4% of Total Population
Income Distribution Richest
10%
30.5% of Total Population
30.4% of Total Population
25% identify as Catholics,
51% identify as Christians
spanning 30 religious
groupings, Judaism,
Buddhism, Islam, & Hinduism
collectively make up about
4%, with 15% claiming no
religious affiliation, and 5.2%
do not know.
Multi-Religious Two Main:
Taoism & Buddhism
78.5 Years
7.9%
74.9 Years
6.5%
General Statistics
Population
Land Mass
Capital City
Largest City
Political System
Ideology
Primary Language
Gross Domestic Product
Gross National Income
Per Capita Income
Religion
Life Expectancy
Unemployment Rate
Public Spending
Primary/Secondary
17.9% of GDP
China
As early as 2 years
400 Million (All China)
Primary: 121 million
Secondary: 78.4 million
Tertiary: 11.6 million
Primary: Free
Secondary: Fee after 9 years
Y3248.6 billion Yuan
(National)
12.71% of Total Government
Expenditures
6.1% of GDP
Public Spending
College/Tertiary
Type of School Systems
23.9% of GDP
85.8% of GDP
Federal, State, private
Public: 98,706
Private: 33,366
Home School:1.1 million
26 Upper & Lower Case
99% (15-24)
99% (Adult)
99% Total Population
1.00%
99% Male / 99% Female
12 years
Elementary: 6 (Grades 1-6)
Secondary: 6 (Grades 7-12)
College Enrolled: 16,611,711
12 years
16.7 years
National
Public
Not until Early 1980’s Private
(70,000 Private country wide)
1,500 Rural vs. 2,000 Urban
99% (15-24)
96.42% (Adult)
92.2% Total Population
3.58%
96% Male / 85.5% Female
9 years
Primary: 6 (Grades 1-6)
Secondary: 6 (Grades 7-12)
Tertiary: Enrolled 15,186,217
6.4 years
10.3 years
Educational Statistics
Start School Age
Total Student Enrollment
Enrollment Breakdown
Tuition
Total Education Budget
U.S. $1 = Yuan 6.2155
Yuan 1 = U.S. $0.1609
Characters
Literacy Rate
Adult Illiteracy Rate
Male vs. Female Literacy
Compulsory Education
Duration of Education
Average Adult Schooling
Duration of Education
Female Enrollment
High School to College
Univ./Tertiary
Enrollment
Number (Univ./Tertiary)
IT Professionals
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Average Teacher Salary
United States
5 years
81.5 Million
Elementary: 37.9 million
Secondary: 26.1 million
College: 17.5 million
Primary & Secondary: Free, Paid
through Tax Collections
$920 billion (Public & Private)
12.34% Total Government
Expenditures
Elementary:49% Secondary:49% Primary: 48% Secondary:45%
69%
72.6% of Total High School
Senior Population Prior to
Graduation
4,495
60%
7.5% of Total 5th Year
Secondary Population Prior to
Graduation
4,263
37% Decline since 2003 High of
50,000 degrees each year
Elementary:14.21 Pupil/Teacher
Elementary/Secondary
$30,970 - $80,970
University Professor $79,963
1.2 Million Professionals with
400,000 degrees each year
Primary: 21.05 Pupils/Teacher
Primary/Secondary: $22,541
US
University Professor: $30,121
URBAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
RURAL EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
(IDEAL SCHOOL CLASSROOM)
(SCHOOL IN A CAVE)
Key Issues:
The national plan is a comprehensive strategy identifying China’s current challenges
in education and its priorities for reform.

Identified areas where China’s education systems could be strengthened:
- China’s concept of education, teaching methodologies and content are
outdated.
- Study burdens on school students are too heavy.
- Students lack adaptability.
- Skilled and innovative professionals are in short supply.
- Education systems are inflexible.
- Schools lack autonomy.
- Access to education is not equitably distributed across rural areas and ethnic
groups.
- Education funding is not meeting demand.

China’s goal areas of largest growth sought:
- Preschool and kindergarten, up 25 per cent by 2020 (to 40 million
students).
- Higher education, up 16 per cent by 2020 (to 35 million students).
- Continuing education, with participation doubling to 350 million
students by 2020.
China’s plan makes a strong case for change but does not include details of the
resources required to achieve the reforms by 2020.

Key areas of reform identified:
- Upgrade teacher qualification, benchmark teaching results & enhance
school autonomy.
- Strengthen provincial governance of education at all levels.
- Promote international exchange and cooperation.
Preschool Reforms

Reforms proposed at preschool level move towards a model of universal access
to one and two year participation, with three year preschool a desired long‐term
outcome. The plan flags the need to strengthen access to preschool in rural areas
and to train a large contingent of high‐quality kindergarten teachers.
Schooling Reforms

Schooling reform aims to enhance the current nine‐year compulsory school
education model and ensure its accessibility to rural and low income students in
particular. It identifies the need to lift the quality of teaching, particularly
between urban and rural areas.

Reforms identify a need to reduce the heavy study burdens on primary school
pupils and to prevent the ranking of schools according to students’ rate of
admission to higher schools.

Vocational Education Reforms

The plan articulates the current gap between China’s current vocational skill
levels and its future needs, acknowledging the need for significant investment.
Reforms propose a focus on quality improvement and teacher accreditation, and
on building strong connections to schooling to facilitate transitions to vocational
education.
Higher Education Reforms

An improvement in the quality of higher education is central to the proposed
reforms, including the need to develop world‐class universities to enhance
China’s international competitiveness. The plan articulates a need to improve the
pedagogical skills of university teachers, to improve the investment in
infrastructure and to strengthen classroom instruction. Postgraduate education
and research are identified as important in contributing to knowledge and
innovation.

The plan proposes a new regulatory framework for higher education and
encourages universities to diversify their missions and activities to achieve Best
Practice Strategy! International engagement is encouraged in both showcasing
China’s universities and in seeking to build strategic international alliances.
Further and Continuing Education

China aims to mobilize its population to pursue lifelong learning opportunities,
with employers to play a key role in providing further opportunities that enhance
industry development. Mutual recognition arrangements will be designed to
facilitate learning at all levels of education provision.
Further Opportunities

China’s reform plan promotes the value of internationalization and seeks to
cooperate with world‐class schools, universities and research organizations. It
proposes to negotiate more extensive mutual recognition arrangements. It seeks
to encourage engagement of its education institutions with those overseas and to
enhance its program of selection of students to study overseas. It also seeks an
expansion of the international student population in China.
In Confucianism, a gentleman (Chun Tzu) considers what is right, when the peasant considers what will pay. A
gentleman trusts in justice and the peasant thrusts in favor. A gentleman is generous and fair, when the peasant
is biased and petty. A gentleman looks within for guidance and the peasant looks unto others. A gentleman is
easy to serve and hard to please. The peasant is hard to serve and easy to please. A gentleman is to know what
we know, and know what we do not know. The basic concept of gentleman in Confucianism often emphasizes
the different behaviors between the gentleman and the peasant. A peasant in ancient Chinese society can be
better described as today’s common man or average citizen. As a result, not everyone can be a gentleman in
ancient Chinese society. In fact, studying Confucianism itself was limited to very few people in ancient China.
Most of them are from ruling and upper class families. They were the group of people in need to educate in the
classics and understand morality. They needed to understand why things have to be done as they had the duty
to their families, ancestors, and the empire. Gentleman with knowledge will then carry out Chinese cultural
traditions or even set rules of society for others.
On the other hand, the common people should follow the traditions and rules. In ancient Chinese culture, there
was no need for the common people to know why. For common people studying Confucianism and be a
gentleman had been the most efficient way for them advancing into upper class. During Han dynasty, the first
civil service exam was set up. Confucianism, with no surprise, was one of the key subjects to study for the
civil service exam. Provincial schools were established countrywide and the Confucianism tradition of
education was spread all over China. “To enrich your family, there is no need to buy good land: Books hold a
thousand measures of grain. For an easy life, there is no need to build mansion: In books are found houses of
gold. When you go out, do not be upset if no one follows you: In books there will be a crowd of horses and
carriages. If you wish to marry, don’t be upset if you don’t have a go-between: In books there are girls with
faces of jade. A young man who wishes to be somebody will devote his time to the Classics. He will face the
window and read.” There were people who spend their entire lifetime studying Confucianism in order to get
respected, not only for themselves, but also for the pride of their family lines.
How Can They Be Denied What Is Right!
AEI (2010). China’s plan for medium and long-term education reform: AEI summary. Australian Education International, Retrieved from
https://www.aei.gov.au/news/newsarchive/2010/documents/china_education_plan_summary_pdf.pdf
Beijing (2010). Outline of China’s National Plan for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development. Retrieved from
http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/China/China_National_Long_Term_Educational_Reform_Development_2010-2020_eng.pdf
Chand, L. T. (2008). China inside the dragon: gilded age, gilded cage. National Geographic Society, 213, 78-101.
Hessler, P. (2008). China inside the dragon: china’s journey. National Geographic Society, 213, 42-77.
Hessler, P. (2008). China inside the dragon: the road ahead. National Geographic Society, 213, 78-101.
Lixu, L. (2004). China’s higher education reform 1998-2003: a summary. Asia Pacific Education Review, 5, 14-22.
Tan, A. (2008). China inside the dragon: village on the edge of time. National Geographic Society, 213, 102-129.
Tsang, M. C. (1994). Cost of Education in china: issues of resource mobilization, equity and efficiency. Education Economics, 2, 1-43.
Tucker, M. (2012). On borrowing best practices and even better policies. Retrieved from
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/top_performers/2012/03/on_borrowing_best_practices_and_even_better_polici
es.html
Statistical / Educational
Issue
United States
China
313,847,465
3.79 Million Square Miles
Washington, DC
New York City
(population: 8,008,280)
1,343,239,923
3.75 Million Square Miles
Beijing
Shanghai
(population: 14,608,500)
Federal (Democracy)
Capitalism
English
$13.06 Trillion
$9.78 Trillion
$51,144 in 2010 to $50,502 in
2011
Dictatorship
Communism
Over 50 Dialects
$10.21 Trillion
$1.13 Trillion
$7,783.00
Income Distribution Poorest
10%
1.8% of Total Population
2.4% of Total Population
Income Distribution Richest
10%
30.5% of Total Population
30.4% of Total Population
25% identify as Catholics,
51% identify as Christians
spanning 30 religious
groupings, Judaism,
Buddhism, Islam, & Hinduism
collectively make up about
4%, with 15% claiming no
religious affiliation, and 5.2%
do not know.
Multi-Religious Two Main:
Taoism & Buddhism
78.5 Years
7.9%
74.9 Years
6.5%
General Statistics
Population
Land Mass
Capital City
Largest City
Political System
Ideology
Primary Language
Gross Domestic Product
Gross National Income
Per Capita Income
Religion
Life Expectancy
Unemployment Rate
Public Spending
Primary/Secondary
17.9% of GDP
China
As early as 2 years
400 Million (All China)
Primary: 121 million
Secondary: 78.4 million
Tertiary: 11.6 million
Primary: Free
Secondary: Fee after 9 years
Y3248.6 billion Yuan
(National)
12.71% of Total Government
Expenditures
6.1% of GDP
Public Spending
College/Tertiary
Type of School Systems
23.9% of GDP
85.8% of GDP
Federal, State, private
Public: 98,706
Private: 33,366
Home School:1.1 million
26 Upper & Lower Case
99% (15-24)
99% (Adult)
99% Total Population
1.00%
99% Male / 99% Female
12 years
Elementary: 6 (Grades 1-6)
Secondary: 6 (Grades 7-12)
College Enrolled: 16,611,711
12 years
16.7 years
National
Public
Not until Early 1980’s Private
(70,000 Private country wide)
1,500 Rural vs. 2,000 Urban
99% (15-24)
96.42% (Adult)
92.2% Total Population
3.58%
96% Male / 85.5% Female
9 years
Primary: 6 (Grades 1-6)
Secondary: 6 (Grades 7-12)
Tertiary: Enrolled 15,186,217
6.4 years
10.3 years
Educational Statistics
Start School Age
Total Student Enrollment
Enrollment Breakdown
Tuition
Total Education Budget
U.S. $1 = Yuan 6.2155
Yuan 1 = U.S. $0.1609
Characters
Literacy Rate
Adult Illiteracy Rate
Male vs. Female Literacy
Compulsory Education
Duration of Education
Average Adult Schooling
Duration of Education
Female Enrollment
High School to College
Univ./Tertiary
Enrollment
Number (Univ./Tertiary)
IT Professionals
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Average Teacher Salary
United States
5 years
81.5 Million
Elementary: 37.9 million
Secondary: 26.1 million
College: 17.5 million
Primary & Secondary: Free, Paid
through Tax Collections
$920 billion (Public & Private)
12.34% Total Government
Expenditures
Elementary:49% Secondary:49% Primary: 48% Secondary:45%
69%
72.6% of Total High School
Senior Population Prior to
Graduation
4,495
60%
7.5% of Total 5th Year
Secondary Population Prior to
Graduation
4,263
37% Decline since 2003 High of
50,000 degrees each year
Elementary:14.21 Pupil/Teacher
Elementary/Secondary
$30,970 - $80,970
University Professor $79,963
1.2 Million Professionals with
400,000 degrees each year
Primary: 21.05 Pupils/Teacher
Primary/Secondary: $22,541
US
University Professor: $30,121
How Can They Be Denied What Is Right!
In Confucianism, a gentleman (Chun Tzu) considers what is right, when the peasant considers what will pay. A gentleman trusts
in justice and the peasant thrusts in favor. A gentleman is generous and fair, when the peasant is biased and petty. A gentleman
looks within for guidance and the peasant looks unto others. A gentleman is easy to serve and hard to please. The peasant is hard
to serve and easy to please. A gentleman is to know what we know, and know what we do not know. The basic concept of
gentleman in Confucianism often emphasizes the different behaviors between the gentleman and the peasant. A peasant in
ancient Chinese society can be better described as today’s common man or average citizen. As a result, not everyone can be a
gentleman in ancient Chinese society. In fact, studying Confucianism itself was limited to very few people in ancient China.
Most of them are from ruling and upper class families. They were the group of people in need to educate in the classics and
understand morality. They needed to understand why things have to be done as they had the duty to their families, ancestors, and
the empire. Gentleman with knowledge will then carry out Chinese cultural traditions or even set rules of society for others.
On the other hand, the common people should follow the traditions and rules. In ancient Chinese culture, there was no need for
the common people to know why. For common people studying Confucianism and be a gentleman had been the most efficient
way for them advancing into upper class. During Han dynasty, the first civil service exam was set up. Confucianism, with no
surprise, was one of the key subjects to study for the civil service exam. Provincial schools were established countrywide and the
Confucianism tradition of education was spread all over China. “To enrich your family, there is no need to buy good land: Books
hold a thousand measures of grain. For an easy life, there is no need to build mansion: In books are found houses of gold. When
you go out, do not be upset if no one follows you: In books there will be a crowd of horses and carriages. If you wish to marry,
don’t be upset if you don’t have a go-between: In books there are girls with faces of jade. A young man who wishes to be
somebody will devote his time to the Classics. He will face the window and read.” There were people who spend their entire
lifetime studying Confucianism in order to get respected, not only for themselves, but also for the pride of their family lines.