Recent calls for educational reform have focused on secondary schools, but results emerging from a cross-national study suggest that the reasons for American students' achievement problems lie not only in American schools but also in American homes. In the study, American, Taiwanese, and Japanese first and fifth graders were tested in reading and math, parents were interviewed, and classrooms were observed. Results showed that the American students were behind their Asian counterparts in both reading and math. The data indicate that the results cannot be explained by differences in cognitive ability, parents' educational status, or teacher training or experience. Major differences did appear, however, in the amount of time spent in school and in the proportion of school time spent on instruction (less for Americans in both cases). Other differences included the following: (1) outside school, American children spent more time playing, performing household chores, and sleeping; (2) American mothers were the most positive about their children's performance and the most likely to value ability over effort; and (3) American mothers believed communication and taking an interest in their children to be the most important factors in helping them do well in school; a much greater number of Japanese mothers favored helping the child with homework, reading, and other school subjects. (CMG)