ABSTRACT
According to international observers, East Asia has some of the highest-performing education systems in the world. This chapter aims to understand the dreams East Asian education systems wish to achieve by examining the reform efforts of China, Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore. It presents a year-long qualitative study conducted on behalf of the Mitchell Institute for Public Health and Education Policy in Australia. The globalizing economy and rapidly changing technological landscape made East Asian systems seriously examine their traditional and existing practices and policies. The Asian systems have restructured their curriculum to introduce new learning experiences to students. These new experiences aim to expand students' education beyond traditional academic subjects and provide them with more authentic life experiences that cultivate twenty-first-century skills. China (Shanghai), Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore have all had a long tradition of excessive use of testing in education. These systems have all recognized the dangers and damages of over-testing students.
