[fiblye]

This.

Asian schools are great at providing high test scores. Their rigid education really drills the information into the kids and works well.

But that incredible strictness simply would not work with most American children. The culture is simply incompatible with the strict discipline involved (and that’s not to say it’s bad, but only different).

America’s trouble is that there are some majorly divided cultures living together, all under the label of “American”. What works for some people just won’t work for others.

[amibang]

Is it perhaps that the Asian parents can use physical discipline against their kids, whereas e.g. White parents wouldn't get away with that so easily?

[fiblye]

I don’t think that’s it. At all.

Poorly performing students are often the ones who are “physically disciplined”. My most successful friends are generally the ones who had very supportive families who’d struggle to even raise their voices against someone.