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Contents Introduction

Students from most East Asian countries repeatedly take top places in international comparative studies of cognitive achievement in math, science, and reading literacy. The causes of East Asia’s extraordinary educational performance record are largely unknown. We show how family background, schooling resources, and institutional features matter for student performance and how the impact of these variables differs across East Asian schooling systems. Our main results are: (1)family background is a much stronger predictor of children’s educational performance in South Korea than in the other countries considered, (2)there is no evidence for a consistent positive effect of smaller classes on student performance in East Asian countries, (3)school autonomy in the salary decisions appears to strengthen student performance in Japan and Singapore. By identifying key factors that may be responsible for the success of East Asian students in international comparisons of cognitive achievement, our results may offer insights for educational reform in other countries.