ABSTRACT
Parents in Korea understand that merely relying on public education to satisfy their children's learning needs completely is not conducive to their growth. Public education in Korea mainly follows the relatively static curriculum structure—the national curriculum. Students of lag behind and advanced students feel dissatisfied with what they learn in schools because it caters to the average level of students’ academic abilities. Thus, many Korean students find opt for private supplementary tutoring, known as shadow education. This chapter explains what such individualized shadow education programs are, their characteristics, and how they are more conducive for students in comparison with the curriculum and instruction delivered at public schools.
Shadow education is one key aspect that explains the Korean academic excellence. Most Korean students—left-behind, gifted—learn from shadow education; therefore, selecting the most appropriate programs and instructors for their learning purposes is crucial. Shadow education provides highly individualized curriculum and instruction for each student which are mostly not provided by public school teachers. As shadow education offers numerous options in terms of the level of learning, learning styles, instructional approaches, programs, and purposes of learning, students can find what works best for their educational success. As the title says, as many McDonalds, shadow education in Korea is caters to most students—although the kinds become different based on familial financial investment—because it is effective for each student to meet their intellectual abilities, learning preferences, and educational goals at various stages.
