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Some families drop out of China's education rat race

Jul 8, 2024
Seeking balance and well-being, urbanites pull their kids out of the country's ultracompetitive system and head to village schools.
Eight-year-old A Wu plays during lunchtime in Sizhai village. He had struggled at a big-city school, so his family relocated.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

Summer school is increasingly important for students, but where are the teachers?

Jun 20, 2022
With many teachers exhausted by the demands of the pandemic, it's harder for school districts to recruit them for summer work.
Summer school programs can be helpful for students whose education was disrupted by COVID. But finding educators willing to work this summer is easier said than done.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images

More high schools may start the day later ... because teens need more sleep

Mar 31, 2022
While pediatricians support a change, some districts say it would upend child care and work schedules for families.
Starting the school day at 8:30 or earlier isn't best for many students' ability to learn, but sending them home at a later time may disrupt family life.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Chinese students, parents stressed by demands of extracurricular classes

Jun 9, 2021
Academic competition pressures families to enroll children in tutoring courses. But some parents are resisting.
Fifth-grader Ziyou cracks under pressure in "A Love for Dilemma," a Chinese TV series about the education rat race.
"A Love for Dilemma"

Essential worker parents struggle with remote school

Dec 17, 2020
Those who work outside the home must often rely on family or pay for help to supervise kids.
Dealing with daycare disruptions and remote school have been especially hard on essential worker parents.
Rose Conlon/Marketplace

Families are worried about the costs of online learning, study shows

Parents are concerned about what online learning could to do their finances and their career growth.
The burdens on families include paying for devices, internet connection and lunches, but also concerns about career growth for parents.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Remote learning boosts back-to-school spending

Aug 11, 2020
School will be remote for many kids in the fall, and parents have been scrambling to outfit their homes with schooling furniture and supplies.
A mother helps her home-schooled daughter learn on a laptop. Parents are buying furniture and equipment to help their kids continue their education at home.
FG Trade/Getty Images

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COVID-19 tests the limits of online schooling tech in China

Apr 21, 2020
Among the challenges: How do you teach gym class to students stuck in tiny apartments?
Ada Lu chats with her classmates in online group discussions every day but she hasn't seen them in person for more than two months and misses playing with her friends.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

Study says support for school principals leads to better test scores

Apr 8, 2019
The report is based on a program of investment in 1,100 principals.
The report is based on a program of investment in more than 1,100 principals.
sshepard/iStock/Getty Images Plus