This volume tackles perceived myths surrounding the academic excellence of East Asian students, and moves beyond Western understandings to offer in-depth analysis of the crucial role that shadow education plays in students’ academic success.

Introduction: Shadow Education in East Asia: The Historical and Cultural Heritage of Learning Fever and Academic SuccessPart 1: Shadow Education, Trans-boundary Learning Culture, and Academic SuccessChapter 1: Shadow Education Studies as Post-Truth Discourse: Ruins of the Tradition and Theorizing Academic Success with "Learning Capital"Young Chun Kim and Jung-Hoon JungChapter 2: Four Secret Variables of Shadow Education Practices for Academic SuccessYoung Chun Kim, Michael McVey, and Jung-Hoon JungChapter 3: With/Without Public Schooling: The Trans-Boundary Learning Culture as an Emerging Feature of Academic SuccessYoung Chun Kim, Jae-seong Jo, and Jung-Hoon JungChapter 4: Learners as Nomad: East Asian Students’ Changing Identities for Academic Success under Shadow EducationSungEun Min and Jae-seong JoPart 2: Top Tiers of Pisa: World Class Learners and Use of Shadow EducationChapter 5: South Korea: Currere of Learning under Shadow Education Myung Hee ParkChapter 6: South Korea: Preview Learning in Shadow Education for School SuccessSangwon Jung, Seongho Choi, and Jung-Hoon JungChapter 7: Japan: Forms and Functions of Shadow EducationRobert J. Lowe and Ryo MizukuraChapter 8: Taiwan: Changing Learning Culture led by Shadow EducationJeng LiuChapter 9: Hong Kong: Students’ Learning in Shadow Education Kevin Wai Ho YungChapter 10: Singapore: Shadow Curriculum between ‘Private Tuition’ and ‘Enrichment’Søren ChristensenPart 3: Shadow Curriculum, Race for Academic Success, and Winner-takes-it-allChapter 11: Making Smart Students Smarter: The Cultural Production of Olympiad Winners through Secret Shadow CurriculumYoung Chun Kim, Jae-seong Jo, and Jung-Hoon JungChapter 12: The Other Side of Learning for Scores and School Grades: The Hidden Curriculum in Shadow EducationYoung Chun Kim, SungEun Min, and Jae-seong JoChapter 13: Fearful Future: The Worldwide Shadow Education Epidemic and the Reproduction of Inequality outside Public Schooling Steven R. Entrich and Wolfgang Lauterbach

Shadow education is often misunderstood and viewed as an inequitable source of excessive household resources devoted to enhancing children’s academic success. This excellent book takes an in-depth examination of East Asian shadow education and shows how it is embedded in historical and cultural conceptions of family responsibility for instilling in their children a commitment to the value of academic learning. This is a must read book for its’ powerful message, especially today, when learning is being overshadowed by the price tag of gaining admission to a selective university rather than the value of learning and how it is encouraged and supported by Asian families.-- Barbara Schneider, John A. Hannah University Professor Michigan State University, USAIt is a must read for anyone interested in theorizing shadow education and in understanding it’s role in East Asian educational success.-- Michael A. Peters, Distinguished Professor of Education, Beijing Normal University, ChinaFor decades researchers have attempted to uncover the 'secret' that explains East Asian students' academic success. Explanations have ranged from intensive mothering (e.g., Tiger moms), to culture, to the role of test-driven education systems. The authors of this book demystify the so-called magic that underpins students' success by illuminating the critical role of shadow education and placing it within the broader ecology of schooling. Readers of this book will find value in the practical descriptions of how shadow education is expressed (e.g., home-visit, internet-based, institutes), the forms of shadow education (e.g., cram schools, franchises), how and why students use tutoring (e.g., prepare for school learning), how shadow education varies (e.g., Singapore versus Taiwan), and the scale of shadow education.-- Janice Aurini, Associate Professor, University of Waterloo, Canada"This collection of essays and studies by scholars across East Asia have carefully examined the rise and place of Shadow Education through the examination lens of curriculum Studies and learning culture. And, the book clearly lays out that not only is Shadow Education firmly placed in the culture of many countries, but it has also contributed to the academic success of many Asian nations as measured by results on international tests and through the admiration of political leaders across the globe." -- Michael McVey, Professor of College of Education, Eastern Michigan University, USA