im not sure about american education etc.. but in where im from (Penang, Malaysia), Chinese (like myself) have 2 options if they were to attend government schools. u can either go to the chinese school or english school. im from a chinese school, and the difference i notice among my peers who are english educated are that they are more open minded perhaps, more sociable and proactive when compared to the chinese educated students here. maybe it has something to do with the fact the chinese schools are more strict towards the students. mistakes are taboo and you are encourage to conform rather than to stand out. where as its the other way round in the english schools. however, a majority of those from english schools do not know how to write in chinese (but most of them do speak in their mother tongue of chinese dialects) because mandarin is not a mandatory subject where as in chinese schools mandarin is compulsory along with english and malay.due to the fact that they are chinese but doesn't really know their mother tongue as well as they should, the english school people are sometimes nicknamed "banana" as in yellow on the outside but white on the inside.get it?haha.

I cannot answer for an American school, as I am in Australia, but I think there are many similarities between our systems. As a parent of two young children, it is a topic that interests me, and when I have visited China, I have asked other parents about their views. In very broad terms, Chinese school students are required to remember facts, and as sern said, conform to the schools rules. They are very exam focussed, and spend long hours trying to remember every detail of the subjects. The highest marks go to those with the best memories. In Australia, while there is still a requirement for rembering facts, far more emphasis is put on on teaching students how to find the information they require. Rather than remembering the list of kings and queens of England, they are taught how to find the information in libraries, and increasingly from the internet, and then re-present that information in a new manner, to build their creativity. They spend a lot less hours at school, and I believe that tired students cannot release their creative side. Personally, I think it is a better system, and I think the parents I discussed it with in China agree, mainly because it better prepares the child for a future that is rapidly changing.

Students in primary and secondary schools in the U.S. usually begin school at 7 or 8 in the morning and go home at around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. They don't usually go to tutoring or buxiban like students in China do. Some may join sports, band, or some extracurricular activities and stay at school until around 5 or 6PM. When I visited Wuhan, our friend's teenage son was at school until 10PM! I think the students in China are horribly over-schooled while the students in the U.S. are horribly under-schooled. Also, students in public schools in the U.S. do not have to pay for tuition. The problem with free education is that students usually don't want to be there to learn while they prefer to socialize. Also, they do not always respect the teachers while those who form cliques do not respect other groups. Watch some films like Mean Girls, and you will understand.

语言。常常中国学校用中文。美国学校用英文。但是中国学校你学习英文。美国学校最近开始学习中文课。

You should compare between the policy of these two countries, then you'll find the answer easilly.