My thoughts:
(1) If you want to leave the states, better leave after you work
for 10 years otherwise you forfeit SS retire benefits. Of course,
it is good for others who want to stay. SO for the sake of
others who want to stay in the USA, we should encourage
as many as possible to leave teh states after working
only for 9 years
so that all their money go to our benefits.
(2) education is not exact science. No education method
can guarantee a child's future success (sucess for what
anyway?). I think it is too hard on kids to push them too
hard. In America, ordinary people have better quality of
life than in many third world countries so that people
haere have the luxury of not having to push their
kids too hard. Even if a kid grow up to end up being
a janitor, he can still have a relative comfortable material
life. He does not need to be a lawyer, an engineer, a
doctor to get that.
(3) I always heard that math education is weak here.
But it means strong math is not that important.
With powerful computing capabilities, one does not
need to have strong math ability to survive. Let
software do the dirty work. Of course, the society
always need some good math talents no matter what
but I don't see America lack that because a few nerds
always menage to study math well even though the
majority do not master math well.
(4) America is still a big math country. Look at how many
papers are published by American professors. This also
applies to other branches of science. Every year some
Americans win Nobel prizes. Many people always say
that is because America import talents but if you
visit a math department in any American university,
you'll still find many native born professors.
I personally think studying too well in grade and high school
may permanently damage a kid's poetntial in later times.
In my home country, I see alot of good high school students
spend too much time trying to figure out all tricky geometry
problems, But I fail to see any use of such skills either
in real life or acedemic actitivies.
(5) Kids in America spend more time on video games so that
when they grow up, they are better at operating instrucments
such jet fighters, radar, submarines etc.
(6) Finally, it is always a personal choice.