When he visited a public kindergarten, he could hardly believe his eyes. He expected to see students sitting at their desks doing worksheets to build their cognitive skills, like in the United States. Over time, American kindergarten has become more like first grade. Students spend more time on spelling, writing, and math—and less time on dinosaurs and space, arts and music, and free play. How else could they get ahead on core competencies and be ready to ace standardized tests in seven years?
