羅振玉早年關心農業與教育，曾辦東文學社教日語，出版《農報》，譯農書，故受張之洞聘請，掌湖北農務局及農學堂。1901年辛丑詔改各省書院為學堂，獲張之洞與劉坤一共薦率員考察日本教育兩個月。先後訪談重要政教人物，參訪東京、京都、奈良等地學校24所，蒐購中小學教科書及理化器材。因時短、行程緊湊及語言限制，未讀前人考察紀錄，自認收穫有限。返國後，他曾獲張之洞五次接見，並命向鄂官員講說教育。又代張之洞擬教育制度草案欲與劉督會奏，但因劉屬官反對遂寢。他遂出版訪日紀錄及資料，並發表〈學制私議〉等文建議興學，部分被鄂參採。當朝廷擬訂壬寅及癸卯學制時，羅未參與而資料只供參考，但章程規定中小學堂學科八科及小學堂以學國語為主等二項，可能與其建議有關。隨行陳毅曾譯日教育法規並兩度遊日，起草奏定章程時，當不會只憑文獻閉門造車，但主政者乏直接經驗，故教育借用日制時難盡合國情。

Chen-Yu Lo had concern about agriculture and education. He was invited by Governor-General Chih-tung Chang to preside over the Agriculture Department of Hubei and its Agriculture School. In 1901, ordered by Chang and Governor-General Kun-I Liu, he led a group of delegates to visit educational institutions in Japan. Within two months, he discussed with influential politicians and educators, visited 24 schools in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara, and purchased elementary and secondary school textbooks and laboratory equipments. When he returned, he had five meetings with Chang, and lectured on education for Hubei officials. On behalf of Chang, Lo had drafted a new educational system, and it was to be presented to the throne by Chang and Liu, however, the proposal was withdrawn due to the objections of Liu’s subordinates. Later, Lo made the collected materials public, and published his account of the visit to Japan, he also presented his own version of educational plan in the Journal “Education World”. Unfortunately Lo was not engaged in the planning the Ren-yin and Kuei-mao school systems, and his publications were only used as one of reference sources, even though two of his proposals probably adapted by the officials in charge. The planner of Kuei-mao, I Chen, was a translator of several Japanese education acts and he took the educational visit to Japan with Lo; however, because the key policy-makers were inexperienced the school system borrowed from Japan could not completely meet the educational need of Ch’ing dynasty.