Dan Kimura teaching Kumon math to Kate Naunheim.

Parents say the Japanese Kumon system of mathematics instruction also teaches self-esteem.

By Renee Stovsky

Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

It's 5:30 p.m. at the Brentwood home of Drs. Rosanne and Keith Naunheim. Their children -- Kate, 11, Ted, 9, Matt, 7, and Molly, 5 -- are gathered around the dining room table, pencils in hand, each trying to complete a set of math worksheets as quickly and accurately as possible.

Sixth-grader Kate is concentrating on pre-algebra problems. Ted, a fourth-grader, is doing sixth-grade-level computations. Second-grader Matt is studying multiplication and division with remainders. And Molly, a kindergartner, is learning to add things like 35 plus 2.

When they finish their worksheets -- it usually takes 15 to 30 minutes -- Rosanne Naunheim notes the time it took to complete every assignment and checks for errors. Then each child corrects any mistakes he or she has made.

The math exercises -- part of the Kumon (pronounced KOO-mawn) math-instruction system developed 35 years ago by Japanese math teacher Toru Kumon -- are a daily ritual in the Naunheim household. And Rosanne Naunheim is convinced that they are the reason her children not only excel in math at school, but also have terrific self-esteem.

"When my oldest child started school, the emphasis was on new math -- very conceptual math," she says. "I was dismayed by the lack of concern for any rote computation skills, so I looked around and found the Kumon program. The kids don't always like to do the exercises, but they sure like the way it helps them perform at school. They have so much self-confidence."

The Naunheims are certainly not alone. An estimated 50,000 American students embraced what Newsweek magazine calls "samurai math" last year to try to reduce math anxiety and raise test scores. (Worldwide, about 2 million children in 28 countries -- including 1.6 million in Japan -- study Kumon math in after-school centers.)

And with the miserable ranking -- 15th out of 20 nations -- the United States posted recently in "Learning Mathematics," a much-publicized survey conducted by the International Assessment of Educational Progress, there's bound to be growing interest in Asian mathematics programs like Kumon. At age 13, U.S. students lagged far behind countries like China, Korea and Taiwan in the survey, barely beating out pupils in developing nations like Jordan and Mozambique.

That doesn't surprise Dan Kimura, who opened St. Louis' first Kumon center in 1984. Kimura, a computer science professor at Washington University, was dismayed by the "deficient" math skills his two sons had in elementary school. But when he went to discuss the problem with their teachers, he was informed that the boys were the best pupils in their classes.

"I said, 'If that's the case, we're in trouble,'" recalls Kimura.

When he went back to Japan for a high-school reunion, he discovered Kumon and imported it here. Today about 130 students attend his center each Saturday at the College School in Webster Groves.

Nine centers now serve the St. Louis area Kumon pupils pay a one-time registration fee of $30 and $65 each month to take part in the program. For more information, call the regional office, Kumon Educational Institute in Arlington Heights, IL, at (708) 640-8384, or (800) YES-MATH.

The Kumon approach to mathematics never varies. Each entering pupil -- they range from preschoolers to college students, although most are elementary and junior high school kids -- is given a diagnostic test to determine his or her appropriate skill level, independent of grade level. Then the pupil is assigned a series of worksheets -- usually about 10 -- to complete daily, as quickly and accurately as possible.

For preschoolers, worksheets might concentrate on tracing lines -- a precursor to writing numbers -- or counting dots. At its highest levels, Kumon goes beyond calculus to introduce probability, statistics and permutations.

"One of Kumon's unique features is that 100 percent is the only acceptable score," says Kimura. "Students must rework every incorrect answer before going on to another level. It's a sequential method of learning, rather than the spiral method most American schools use. Kumon ensures that each individual student has a good foundation and understanding for a skill before moving on to the next one."

Another unique feature of the Kumon system is its emphasis on parental involvement. Although students go to a Kumon center onc -- or sometimes twice -- a week to check in with their teacher, exchange worksheets, perhaps work a number board game or do some timed computations, they are expected to complete 10 to 30 minutes of daily drill at home. And it's up to the parents to enforce the habit, as well as correct the assignments.

"Kumon is similar in that regard to the Suzuki method of musical instruction; in fact, Mr. Kumon and Mr. Suzuki share a headquarters building in Osaka," Kimura says. "Both programs are based on the premise that children develop the facility to perform certain functions -- doing arithmetic or playing violin -- prior to grasping theoretical foundations."

Kumon is being touted not only for gifted children but also as a remedial aid. Julie Huddleston of St. Louis says she enrolled her fifth-grade daughter, Lindsey, this fall after receiving a note saying she was failing several subjects at school.

"Lindsey was lacking in math facts, but even more, she needed a program to help instill confidence and good study habits," says Huddleston. So far, she's pleased with the results. "Lindsey's last two test scores were both 88," she says.

Most Kumon instructors agree that the program should be viewed as a supplement to -- not a replacement for -- the daily school math curriculum.

"The best approach is an integrated approach that stresses math concepts, math computations and problem solving," says Kimura. "But too many American schools focus on concepts and ignore exercises. Learning math is like learning music. You can teach someone the concept of playing the piano, but knowing the concept is not enough to play Mozart or Beethoven. You have to play scales every day."

As to the concern about overloading young children, Kimura says: "Pressure is a matter of relativity. To me, expectations are so low in America. Fifteen minutes of drill a day is not going to disturb any child's emotional health It's good discipline, just like insisting that a child brush his teeth twice a day.

"Math proficiency is just like everything else. As Americans are fond of saying, 'No pain, no gain.'"

Note: As of January 2001

Mr. Toru Kumon passed away in 1995.

Kate Naunheim is enrolled at Stanford University.

Molly Naunheim is enrolled at John-Burroughs School and is completing her 8th year of Kumon study with Dr. Kimura.

Dr. Kimura's two sons completed their graduate study at Cornell/Harvard and at Stanford/WU Med School.

More than 230 students are enrolled at the Ladue Kumon Center.

The current monthly tuition is $80.

There are more than 2.5 million Kumon students worldwide and 80,000 in U.S.A.

At age 13, U.S. students are ranked 19th among 38 nations compared by TIMMS-R study in 1999.