Author Topic: Tiger Mother  (Read 16159 times)

BayGBM

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Tiger Mother
« on: January 23, 2011, 10:51:16 AM »
Are you a Tiger mother?  Do you know one?

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior
By AMY CHUA

A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:
• attend a sleepover

• have a playdate

• be in a school play

• complain about not being in a school play

• watch TV or play computer games

• choose their own extracurricular activities

• get any grade less than an A

• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama

• play any instrument other than the piano or violin

• not play the piano or violin.

I'm using the term "Chinese mother" loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I'm also using the term "Western parents" loosely. Western parents come in all varieties.

All the same, even when Western parents think they're being strict, they usually don't come close to being Chinese mothers. For example, my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part. It's hours two and three that get tough.

Despite our squeamishness about cultural stereotypes, there are tons of studies out there showing marked and quantifiable differences between Chinese and Westerners when it comes to parenting. In one study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, almost 70% of the Western mothers said either that "stressing academic success is not good for children" or that "parents need to foster the idea that learning is fun." By contrast, roughly 0% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way. Instead, the vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be "the best" students, that "academic achievement reflects successful parenting," and that if children did not excel at school then there was "a problem" and parents "were not doing their job." Other studies indicate that compared to Western parents, Chinese parents spend approximately 10 times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children. By contrast, Western kids are more likely to participate in sports teams.

What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it's math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more.

Chinese parents can get away with things that Western parents can't. Once when I was young—maybe more than once—when I was extremely disrespectful to my mother, my father angrily called me "garbage" in our native Hokkien dialect. It worked really well. I felt terrible and deeply ashamed of what I had done. But it didn't damage my self-esteem or anything like that. I knew exactly how highly he thought of me. I didn't actually think I was worthless or feel like a piece of garbage.

As an adult, I once did the same thing to Sophia, calling her garbage in English when she acted extremely disrespectfully toward me. When I mentioned that I had done this at a dinner party, I was immediately ostracized. One guest named Marcy got so upset she broke down in tears and had to leave early. My friend Susan, the host, tried to rehabilitate me with the remaining guests.

The fact is that Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable—even legally actionable—to Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, "Hey fatty—lose some weight." By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of "health" and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in therapy for eating disorders and negative self-image. (I also once heard a Western father toast his adult daughter by calling her "beautiful and incredibly competent." She later told me that made her feel like garbage.)

Chinese parents can order their kids to get straight As. Western parents can only ask their kids to try their best. Chinese parents can say, "You're lazy. All your classmates are getting ahead of you." By contrast, Western parents have to struggle with their own conflicted feelings about achievement, and try to persuade themselves that they're not disappointed about how their kids turned out... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html

http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Hymn-Tiger-Mother-Chua/dp/1594202842/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295808287&sr=8-1

Mega Man

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2011, 03:50:36 PM »
It's 100% true.....

Its all how you teach you're kid to think and focus. I come from a family of very smart kids (4 to be exact). And as soon as we could under stand basic communication....My mom started to read books to us, take us to the library, and basic math, which are the basics for learing. Also mom would give us great praise and compliments for learning new lessons, and told us how much smarter we were than other kids. Learning to read and count early is key...cause kids can learn to relate words and numbers to life at early stages, making them more mature and smarter for their age.

Also my parents were selective with who I was friends with and spent time with. My mom would let me play with older kids or family friends, that were known to be smart and know to be socialy advanced. Also TV was not allowed during the school week, cause it was distracting while us kids tried to read or do homework.

BayGBM

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2011, 07:04:09 PM »
"... The tiger mother's cubs are being raised to rule the world, the book clearly implies, while the offspring of "weak-willed," "indulgent" Westerners are growing up ill equipped to compete in a fierce global marketplace..."

Migs

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2011, 07:18:25 PM »
i'll sum up the post and book.  ready?

friggin discipline

thats all  :D

BayGBM

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2011, 08:07:15 PM »
The author appeared on the Today show last month.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41005969/ns/today-books/40927341

ToxicAvenger

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2011, 08:12:26 PM »
my parents and most upper class indian/ pakistani parents
Quote
• attend a sleepover
would never happen.....might get in trouble for mention of such idiocy

Quote
• have a playdate
you get 1 hr of sports a week in school....more than enough

Quote
• be in a school play
 ok by parents if you are getting straight As...god forbid if you r in a play and pull a B

Quote
• complain about not being in a school play
not allowed to complain...PERIOD!

Quote
• watch TV or play computer games
1/2 hr of TV before bedtime thru high school...bed time ws 8:30pm. weekends we just chose not to watch TV...no time...homework and we took the opportunity for freedom to play outdoors

Quote
• choose their own extracurricular activities
cricket/horseback riding....ws accepted grudgingly

Quote
• get any grade less than an A
i got in major trouble in 9th grade for pulling a B in math. I got a 93% or so....with a curve..that ws a B. Most kids in class got 100%s
history...geography...re ligious studies....i could fail to my hearts content and nothing ws ever said about it.
everything else had to be Aced
Quote
• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama
my parents would never allow me to go to a school that actually had a drama class. Such bullshit is for slackers and B students

Quote
• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
slackers play instruments. One could get caned for wanting to be an entertainer. btw...entertainer = clown



you can be 3 things in my family. A doctor...an Engineer....or a faliure

carpe` vaginum!

benchmstr

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2011, 08:15:46 PM »
so the idea is to make the kid have no real social skills...

a play date does not create social skills....self initiated reaction with others does that...not mommy introducing you..

cant merge, or make a deal without certain social skills....which Asians severely lack..

bench

ToxicAvenger

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2011, 08:23:53 PM »
so the idea is to make the kid have no real social skills...

a play date does not create social skills....self initiated reaction with others does that...not mommy introducing you..

cant merge, or make a deal without certain social skills....which Asians severely lack..

bench


i had zilch social skills when i started college...with women(and otherwise)...i ws in an all boys high school....

didn't matter though.... when ya start constantly crushing the competition in college...at age 15...a superority complex works just as well, if not better than social skills  :)
carpe` vaginum!

Butterbean

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2011, 08:01:45 AM »
Bay, what does that lady say about Physical Punishment/Discipline? 
R

SWTYGRL

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2011, 09:02:18 AM »
Ms. Chua was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal, the article is titled "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior"  In this article she discusses her parenting techniques which include calling her 7 year old daughter "Garbage, lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic" because the daughter cannot master a piece of music.

Ms. Chua's youngest daughter eventually has a "breakdown" and experiences some rebellion.

The respose in editorials has been tremendous, the highest number of in the history of the WSJ.

Many include the fact that the Chinese community has the highest number of suicides in young adults. 

It is fascinating...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html

Butterbean

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #10 on: January 25, 2011, 11:59:17 AM »
Interesting dynamic between her and her husband:



When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn't do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.

Jed took me aside. He told me to stop insulting Lulu—which I wasn't even doing, I was just motivating her—and that he didn't think threatening Lulu was helpful. Also, he said, maybe Lulu really just couldn't do the technique—perhaps she didn't have the coordination yet—had I considered that possibility?

"You just don't believe in her," I accused.

"That's ridiculous," Jed said scornfully. "Of course I do."

"Sophia could play the piece when she was this age."

"But Lulu and Sophia are different people," Jed pointed out.

"Oh no, not this," I said, rolling my eyes. "Everyone is special in their special own way," I mimicked sarcastically. "Even losers are special in their own special way. Well don't worry, you don't have to lift a finger. I'm willing to put in as long as it takes, and I'm happy to be the one hated. And you can be the one they adore because you make them pancakes and take them to Yankees games."


 :-\
R

loco

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #11 on: January 25, 2011, 12:15:38 PM »
"... The tiger mother's cubs are being raised to rule the world, the book clearly implies, while the offspring of "weak-willed," "indulgent" Westerners are growing up ill equipped to compete in a fierce global marketplace..."

More like tiger mother's cubs are being raised to be on therapy and medication.    ;D

Mega Man

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #12 on: January 25, 2011, 01:42:55 PM »
Enough with the Tiger Mothers......I more interested at being a cub of some hot Cougars ;D

BayGBM

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #13 on: January 25, 2011, 02:17:03 PM »
More like tiger mother's cubs are being raised to be on therapy and medication.    ;D

...in December the latest test results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) was released.  American students were mired in the middle: 17th in reading, 23rd in science and 31st in math--17th over all.  For the first time since PISA began its rankings in 2000, students in Shanghai took the test--and they blew everyone else away, achieving a decisive first place in all three categories.  When asked to account for the results, education experts produced a starkly simple explanation: Chinese students work harder, with more focus, for longer hours than American students do.

...last year, China surpassed Japan as the world's second largest economy.  The U.S. is still number 1--but for how long?  We're rapidly reaching the limit on how much money the federal government can borrow--and our single biggest creditor is China.  How long, for that matter, can the beleaguered U.S. education system keep pace with a rapidly evolving and increasingly demanding global marketplace?  Chinese students already have a longer school year than American pupils--and U.S. kids spend more time sitting in front of the TV than in the classroom...  
 
:'(

BayGBM

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #14 on: January 25, 2011, 02:30:06 PM »
Bay, what does that lady say about Physical Punishment/Discipline? 

She doesn't talk about physical discipline in any of the articles of I have read about or authored by her.

SWTYGRL

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #15 on: January 25, 2011, 02:41:57 PM »
"While I applaud Asian parents for expecting the most of their children, I believe that the problem with this type of strict Asian parenting is that the fear of failure and the constant need to excel lead to children who are risk-averse. They stick to tried-and-true professions and never fully expand their abilities in different directions. This has resulted in an Asian society that follows the lead of American ingenuity. Sure, there may be more failures in America but those who achieve, achieve in such a spectacular manner that it creates opportunities for others."
Cam Nguyen

Chinese often extol the benefits of balance (yin and yang is a ancient Chinese philosophy) I believe balance in parenting would probably be best.  I believe we can learn from the Chinese (high expectations) and they can learn from the West (playdates and participation in sports).


Migs

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #16 on: January 25, 2011, 04:22:02 PM »
Bay, what does that lady say about Physical Punishment/Discipline? 

if it's anything like what i have seen, they are brutal lol.  Someone was always getting hit it a flip flop or some utensil

BayGBM

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #17 on: January 25, 2011, 04:34:13 PM »
A few months ago, I was at an education forum, and I pointed out that the U.S. had fallen to 23rd in math and science.  I suggested that K-12 schools should think about extending the school year or modifying the calendar so that kids go to school year round with perhaps a month long break over the xmas/new year’s holiday, one in the spring and one in the summer.  The teachers went ballistic!  They said summer break was sacrosanct* and that they (and their unions) would oppose any effort to extend the school year or modify the academic calendar.

Seriously, the fact that the U.S. was falling way behind international competitors did not seem to faze them in the slightest.  :'(


* Remember, the current academic calendar was established in the 19th century and based on the fact that back in the day families needed their kids to be home during the summer to help with harvesting crops at a time when the U.S. still had an agrarian economy.  Basically, lots of people were farmers and kids worked on family farms in the summer.  Obviously (to me at least), the original need for a summer break is long gone.

240 is Back

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #18 on: January 25, 2011, 04:51:10 PM »
A few months ago, I was at an education forum, and I pointed out that the U.S. had fallen to 23rd in math and science.  I suggested that K-12 schools should think about extending the school year or modifying the calendar so that kids go to school year round with perhaps a month long break over the xmas/new year’s holiday, one in the spring and one in the summer.  The teachers went ballistic!  They said summer break was sacrosanct and that they (and their unions) would oppose any effort to extend the school year or modify the academic calendar.

Seriously, the fact that the U.S. was falling way behind international competitors did not seem to faze them in the slightest.  :'(

I was a teacher for 6-7 years, and I loved the idea of 45 days on, 15 days off.  9 weeks on (1 quarter), 3 weeks off.

we spent the first quarter of every year reviewing what they forgot over the 11 week break. 

the system was designed around migrant farming.  things aren't like that anymore.

Princess L

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #19 on: January 25, 2011, 07:01:34 PM »
When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn't do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.

Jed took me aside. He told me to stop insulting Lulu—which I wasn't even doing, I was just motivating her—and that he didn't think threatening Lulu was helpful. Also, he said, maybe Lulu really just couldn't do the technique—perhaps she didn't have the coordination yet—had I considered that possibility?

"You just don't believe in her," I accused.

"That's ridiculous," Jed said scornfully. "Of course I do."

"Sophia could play the piece when she was this age."

"But Lulu and Sophia are different people," Jed pointed out.

"Oh no, not this," I said, rolling my eyes. "Everyone is special in their special own way," I mimicked sarcastically. "Even losers are special in their own special way. Well don't worry, you don't have to lift a finger. I'm willing to put in as long as it takes, and I'm happy to be the one hated. And you can be the one they adore because you make them pancakes and take them to Yankees games."

More like tiger mother's cubs are being raised to be on therapy and medication.    ;D

X2
:

BayGBM

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #20 on: January 25, 2011, 07:34:33 PM »

X2



Your agreement here is puzzling.  It is not as if there aren’t lots of young Americans on therapy and medication.  There are (arguably for the wrong reasons) and we are seriously falling behind competitor nations.  In fact America seems to have invented therapy and rehab and it wasn’t because their kids were being driven to excel.  It seems to have happened for precisely the opposite reason: kids have been given way too much freedom and are growing up without adequate parenting or supervision.  In the face of the facts (American young people are falling behind) your agreement appears glib and an insufficient retort.

Is a disciplined work ethic no longer valued in America?  Do parents really believe playing Wii or sports is more important than having their child perform reading and math drills at home or learning to read music and play a musical instrument?

I wonder if your kids will be able to compete with Mrs. Chua’s kids...  :-[


...When Rubenfeld protested Chua’s harangues over “The Little White Donkey,” for instance, Chua informed him that his older daughter Sophia could play the piece when she was Lulu’s age.  Sophia and Lulu are different people, Rubenfeld remonstrated reasonably.  “Oh, no, not this,” Shua shot back, adopting a mocking tone: “Everyone is special in their own special way.  Even losers are special in their own special way.”

With a stroke of her razor-sharp pen, Chua has set a whole nation of parents to wondering: Are we the losers she’s talking about?


 :-\

Princess L

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #21 on: January 25, 2011, 09:00:11 PM »

Your agreement here is puzzling.  It is not as if there aren’t lots of young Americans on therapy and medication.  There are (arguably for the wrong reasons) and we are seriously falling behind competitor nations.  In fact America seems to have invented therapy and rehab and it wasn’t because their kids were being driven to excel.  It seems to have happened for precisely the opposite reason: kids have been given way too much freedom and are growing up without adequate parenting or supervision.  In the face of the facts (American young people are falling behind) your agreement appears glib and an insufficient retort.

Is a disciplined work ethic no longer valued in America?  Do parents really believe playing Wii or sports is more important than having their child perform reading and math drills at home or learning to read music and play a musical instrument?

I wonder if your kids will be able to compete with Mrs. Chua’s kids...  :-[


I don’t disagree that we are falling behind academically.  Obviously that is a fact.  Of course a disciplined work ethic is of value.  This however, seems to be extreme parenting.  Even though I am not a parent, I believe good parenting maintains a balance between demanding too much and accepting too little.

What does it mean to be successful?  Of course there are multiple definitions and interpretations of success.  People can be very successful in terms of outward accomplishments while still feeling empty inside, wondering if they are ever good enough. Part of feeling happy is feeling secure/safe and loved.  Kids need to know that they are loved even when they fail, mess up, and are less-than perfect. It creates positive self esteem. This “tiger” style of parenting relies on ridicule, humiliation, shame, and disgrace as motivation.  Some kids will crumble under a “tiger” style and throughout their lives never feel "good enough" about themselves, no matter how successful they become. Other children will rise to the challenge with an "I'll show you" attitude that makes them feel accomplished. Both are likely to possess some undesirable traits as a result of being driven to perfection.

An adjusted academic calendar has been being proposed for years and the damn unions keep shooting it down.  ::) >:(  That alone would be a huge step in bridging the widening gap...


:

marcie999

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #22 on: January 25, 2011, 10:19:28 PM »


I bet she has an academic understanding of the word mother.


My Dads medical case manager is a high flier Tiger Mother would be proud of. No empathy or people skills at all.

I would ask folks like that be removed from the medical system. Design an empathy test for fields that require contact with vulnerable people and don't let them in.

 >:(
Ripleeeyyyyyyyyyyy

loco

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #23 on: January 26, 2011, 05:57:56 AM »
Ms. Chua was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal, the article is titled "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior"  In this article she discusses her parenting techniques which include calling her 7 year old daughter "Garbage, lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic" because the daughter cannot master a piece of music.

Ms. Chua's youngest daughter eventually has a "breakdown" and experiences some rebellion.

The respose in editorials has been tremendous, the highest number of in the history of the WSJ.

Many include the fact that the Chinese community has the highest number of suicides in young adults.  

It is fascinating...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html


Interesting dynamic between her and her husband:



When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn't do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.

Jed took me aside. He told me to stop insulting Lulu—which I wasn't even doing, I was just motivating her—and that he didn't think threatening Lulu was helpful. Also, he said, maybe Lulu really just couldn't do the technique—perhaps she didn't have the coordination yet—had I considered that possibility?

"You just don't believe in her," I accused.

"That's ridiculous," Jed said scornfully. "Of course I do."

"Sophia could play the piece when she was this age."

"But Lulu and Sophia are different people," Jed pointed out.

"Oh no, not this," I said, rolling my eyes. "Everyone is special in their special own way," I mimicked sarcastically. "Even losers are special in their own special way. Well don't worry, you don't have to lift a finger. I'm willing to put in as long as it takes, and I'm happy to be the one hated. And you can be the one they adore because you make them pancakes and take them to Yankees games."


 :-\


What’s the best advice Warren Buffett has ever received?  You might be surprised: It has nothing to do with money.

In an exclusive interview with Yahoo! News and The Huffington Post, he credited his father for teaching him how to live, and explained that all parents can make a "better human being" by offering their children unconditional love:

"The power of unconditional love. I mean, there is no power on earth like unconditional love. And I think that if you offered that to your child, I mean you’re 90 percent of the way home. There may be days when you don’t feel like it, it’s not uncritical love, that’s a different animal, but to know you can always come back, that is huge in life. That takes you a long, long way. And I would say that every parent out there that can extend that to their child at an early age, it’s going to make for  a better human being."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100708/bs_yblog_upshot/buffett-recounts-the-best-advice-hes-ever-received

BayGBM

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Re: Tiger Mother
« Reply #24 on: January 26, 2011, 07:06:32 AM »
U.S. students get an F in science
by Jill Tucker

Just 1 out of every 100 U.S. schoolchildren excels at science, while less than a third of their peers reach grade-level proficiency in the subject, according to the Nation's Report Card released Tuesday.

The scores are not nearly good enough given the demand for innovators, inventors and problem solvers required to keep the country on the cutting edge of industry and enterprise, education officials said.

"In a world that is increasingly dependent on science, we are failing to educate our kids in science," said Tom Luce, CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative, a nonprofit that awards grants to improve education. "That's putting them at risk and putting our country at risk," he said in a statement.

California students fared worse than the national average on the standardized tests, with fourth-graders, for example, lagging behind 43 jurisdictions - 42 states and the Department of Defense schools - on the science test and in a dead heat for last with three others: Hawaii, Arizona and Mississippi.

Four states did not participate in the voluntary testing, administered in 2009 by the National Assessment Governing Board, an independent and bipartisan group that has members appointed by the U.S. secretary of education.

California education officials called the scores troubling.

Challenging the test
San Francisco science teacher George Cachianes, however, had a different take, calling the test itself troubling, not the state of science education - especially at Lincoln High School.

The mostly multiple-choice test "fails to test creativity, thinking and the ability to solve problems," he said. "At Genentech, they cherish those qualities."

Cachianes would know. He was a researcher for 15 years at the biotech company and Columbia and Stanford universities before becoming a public school teacher.

His high school course syllabus includes lessons on the "function of restriction endonucleases (vs. exonucleases)" and "prokaryotic vs. eukaryotic gene expression." Class lab work rivals that in university graduate school programs, he said.

Cachianes doesn't focus on memorization of scientific principles or formulas, but instead on the ability to think - something that is not easily tested by filling in the bubbles on a standardized test, he said. Students or scientists can always look up facts or formulas, he added.

"If we're teaching to the test, you're going to reward people who memorize well and you're going to turn off people who like to think and apply knowledge," he said.

How they scored
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, the Nation's Report Card, was given to about 150,000 each of fourth- and eighth-grade students nationwide.

About 11,000 12th-graders also took the test, with national results indicating that 2 percent tested at an advanced level while 21 percent were considered proficient. State-by-state results were not available for the high school students.

In 2009, 34 percent of fourth-graders, 30 percent of eighth-graders, and 21 percent of 12th-graders were considered proficient in science.

A greater number demonstrated a partial mastery of the subject, with 72 percent of fourth-graders, 63 percent of eighth-graders, and 60 percent of 12th-graders performing at or above the basic level.

Black, Latino and low-income students lagged behind their white, Asian and wealthier peers, yet another indication of a pervasive achievement gap, officials said.

The results released Tuesday could not be compared with those from previous years because of a new testing format.

The test, which is administered every four years, focused on physical, life, Earth and space sciences, as in the past. But the new exam, which included some written-response questions, emphasized a student's ability to use his or her scientific knowledge rather than regurgitate it, a little more in line with what teachers such as Cachianes would like to see on such exams.

California lags
California's lagging test scores indicate a lower level of proficiency in the content appearing on the national exams, but they also reflect a significant difference in the population of students tested compared with those in other states.

In California, 22 percent of fourth-graders and 20 percent of eighth-graders tested at proficient or above, while 58 percent of fourth-graders and 48 of eighth-graders tested at a basic level or above.

Fifty-one percent of the California students who took the national assessment test were Latino, compared with 22 percent nationally. The state also has a greater percentage of poor students than any other state.

Latino students nationally score lower than all other ethnicities, except for black students. Poor students also lag behind their peers.

It's not an excuse but an explanation, state officials said.

"This test is a less-than-precise measure of student performance in California, but it is one more signal about where we stand and where we're headed," said state Superintendent Tom Torlakson. "Like other educators and business leaders across California, I have become increasingly concerned about this issue - and more determined than ever to see more science taught in our schools."