Bob Compton, executive producer, of the documentary film Two Million Minutes examines and compares the high school educational systems in India, China and the USA. The two million minutes represents the time between finishing 8th grade and graduating from high school.

“American culture – the blend of media, government, family expectations, community values, and behavioral norms – send our children a steady stream of “signals” as to what we as adults value in life. Those signals are decidedly NOT academic or intellectual achievement. When it comes to school, America is a sports and extracurricular culture and our kids get that message … the Indian and Chinese cultures are quite different and better suited for the economic competition the 21st century“.

The study concludes the “fault lies not in our (American) schools but in ourselves.”

“While parents (in China and India) may not come to a single soccer match, they wouldn’t miss a math, science, debate, elocution or chess team tournament …  academics are the priority, with sports played for exercise and team building. Parents invest in tutors to accelerate their child’s learning, not just for remedial work.”

Can you pass the 11th grade qualifying exam for high school students in India? A free online exam (see detailed information below) on the Two Million Minutes website gives you that opportunity to measure up to Indian standards.

The documentary film examines the lives of 6 students in China, India and the USA and shows different global views on education and gives American families and schools some new insights on making the most of those two million minutes of high school. The film examines the students priorities and time spent in class, at home studying, playing sports, sleeping, socializing, or just having fun.

How do family, friends and society influence a student’s choices for time allocation?
Is the push for education in some countries too all-consuming?
Is creativity, participating in more activities, having fun, and learning how to relate to others in social group just as important as formal education?

Mt. Compton states, “A surprisingly large segment of the American population believes India and China’s K-12 education systems are inferior to that of the United States … the conclusion is often the same - America is number one in education and always will be. This of course is not true. American students’ academic achievement has been declining vis-a-vis other developed countries for more than 20 years. What is now surprising and worrisome is US students are even lagging the developing world.”

“China now produces eight times more scientists and engineers, while India puts out up to three times as many as the U.S. Additionally, given the affordability of their wages, China and India are now preferred destinations for increasing numbers of multinational high-tech corporations.”

To test this challenge, The Two Million Minutes website has a Third World Challenge Exam which can be taken for free online. “Think your son or daughter has the education to pass the test required to enter the 11th grade, even in rural India?” The test is a sampling of the questions on the SAT-type exam that each 10th grader in India has to pass before moving on to the 11th grade.

More information on the documentary film and the Third World Challenge Exam can be found on their website.