<p>Several notes/questions</p>
<p>Is the parental/societal emphasis on high academic achievement limited to East Asians or does it also include South Asians (India)?</p>
<p>Does this emphasis exist because closed immigrant communities have accepted it as a community standard and a successful strategy?</p>
<p>Do Asian communities stayed intact longer (two-three generations) than European/Russian ones because assimilaiton is slower? Is this because Asians look different than Euro-Americans and are regarded as foreigners? I note that African Americans lead a very different existence than Euro-Americans.</p>
<p>I have heard that Japan excels at innovation, making existing technology better and the US excels at invention, making new things. That Japan plays the symphony, and the US plays jazz.</p>
<p>The recent empahsis on measuring school performance has lead to standardized tests in lower grades. While teachers used to say they don’t teach to the test, more class time appears to be developing the skills the students will need to score well. House values depend on these scores, so teaching to the test will be a reality.</p>