Unpacking “Double Reduction” Policy in China: Ideas, Values, and Practices

Reducing students’ homework burden is to improve the quality and efficiency of school education. The proposal of “double reduction” aims to call for education to return to the essence of educating people, respect the law of education and the law of talent growth, so that students can achieve personalized development while developing in an all-round way. The “double reduction” policy combines the dual value orientation of equitable pursuit and high-quality development. Reducing students’ homework burden and off-campus training burden is the path and basic goal of the “double reduction” policy. It will be a long and challenging process to promote the quality and efficiency of school education, standardize the ecology of off-campus education, and form an effective interaction between them, so that off-campus education can become a good supplement to on-campus education rather than a necessity.