Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon?: Why China Has the Best (and Worst) Education System in the World

About the Author xi Acknowledgments xiii Introduction: Fatal Attraction America s Suicidal Quest for Educational Excellence 1 1 Fooling China, Fooling the World: Illusions of Excellence 13 2 The Emperors Game: A Perfect Machine for Homogenization 29 3 Governance without Governing: The Retreat of Authoritarianism and China s Economic Boom 49 4 Hesitant Learner: The Struggle of Halfway Westernization 71 5 Fooling the Emperor: The Truth about China s Capacity for Innovation 93 6 Hell to Heaven: The Making of the World s Best and Worst Education 119 7 The Witch That Cannot Be Killed: Educational Reforms and Setbacks 141 8 The Naked Emperor: Chinese Lessons for What Not to Do 165 Notes 191 Bibliography 217 Index 225