<p>let me speak as a non US citizen (Syrian one).
first ,you can’t compare between Japan and US because if the US wants to build good high school in every single city >>the US is about 20 times bigger than Japan so that would cost millions.
eventually ,the higher education is more important than the secondary or high school.
the high school mission is not being like MIT ,its mission is to supply the students with a good background in Mathematics,physics,chemistry …etc and not making them geniuses in these subjects.
you can develop your self as much as you want/can when you go to college.
for example take the Medical schools in the US,they are incomparable>>>they are the best.
some people say that having a top institutions like MIT,GT,CalTech doesn’t mean the system is good>>>listen to this short story:
my uncle finished his 9th grade in Syria and went to the US ,he got a PhD form the university of Florida and then he got a training course for 2 years in Harvard ,now he is a professor at Case Western Reserve (his major is genetics science) ,so what I want to say is if you fail it is not the system fault >>IT IS YOURS.</p>
<p>THE CONCLUSION:
I guess countries like Germany,Japan,Finland … need years till they have higher education institutions like the ones in the US.
I won’t talk about companies like Lockheed Martin or Boeing so that these countries don’t be embarrassed. :D</p>
<p>^^^totally agree. The downfall of our educational system is rooted in the fact that teachers no longer have the ability to teach our kids how to think…they are forced to teach to the test.</p>
<p>I’m from Canada, but my cousin goes to school in Atlanta and we’ve compared what we’re learning and its pretty much similar, maybe it has to do with teaching styles (because Canada is usually higher on the list)? But we have A LOT of Chinese exchange students in my school and my math teacher has told us that the stuff they are learning in Grade 10 Math and Science were things they did back in 7th grade. They are literally bored out of their minds in those classes.</p>
<p>When I first started reading CC I was pretty shocked on how much pressure is put on the SAT’s and other standardized tests. While I can’t speak for all of Canada, or my province even, I haven’t experienced anything like that. Ever. Even my cousin talks about how big testing is and how much pressure is put on the students. Even some classes in certain schools are named “SAT Preparation ______”. Of course this doesn’t represent all of the US, but that’s crazy. While kids do need to prepare for college and a good career, the main point of school is to learn. Isn’t that what education is?</p>
<p>Now I’m not saying that every country outside of the US has it right, and the US is the only country with a flawed system nor am I saying that every student in the US has only been taught test taking or whatever. I think that teachers should be teaching life skills such as problem solving and critical thinking and making class more stimulating and fun. Not how to take a test.</p>
<p>Does anyone take into account the non-standardization of US education. Also, does anyone consider the fact that many of the countries the US is compared to have programs that weed out the less-academically gifted very early on. Whereas, we require the same education for everyone?</p>
<p>That’s one of the biggest problems. In many other countries, people are basically funneled into different schools depending on their strengths and their abilities. This allows groups that are considered to be very gifted to get a much higher level of education…and groups that are considered to be less gifted aren’t being held back by being held to the same standards as everyone else.</p>
<p>I totally agree with comfortablycurt up there. I think if we want to get somewhere we have to stop holding everyone to the same standards. Humans are naturally diverse as a whole. Treating students all the same isn’t going to get kids very far. For example, look at the approach tutoring companies take. Majority (if not all) usually tell you that they’re the best because they identify where the students problem lies and work up from there. That way you can ensure that your student will understand everything. Why can’t we take the same approach with public schooling?</p>
<p>Oh, and something to watch about education: Ken Robinson’s talk at TED about education. Very insightful and funny too :)</p>
<p>Higher education? Sure, I’d be inclined to agree to an extent.</p>
<p>But can you honestly look someone in the eye, with the knowledge of inner-city school districts such as Detroit Public Schools and Chicago Public Schools, and tell them those kids are being well educated?</p>
<p>To me, the problem with the US education system is the lackadaisical attitude many students harbor towards education. Teachers are important, to a degree (actually really really important, but I digress), however what needs to be cultivated in the US is the motivation and drive to learn. And that cannot be taught. </p>
<p>I think what should happen to stimulate this drive is more practical examples of how what is being learned applies and is used in the real world. Such as more “field trips” to museums and symphonies or research facilities and actual jobs that relate to the area being covered. Less standardized testing, like what has been talked about, couldn’t hurt, but it is tangent to the actual problem.</p>
<p>I’d agree with that point to an extent. It’s definitely part of the problem. Students aren’t getting interested enough in their fields to develop a passion for them.</p>
<p>However, I’d argue that this really comes back to holding everyone to the same standards. Kids that aren’t quite as bright are struggling to keep up, so their minds are consumed with simply struggling to learn the material that they’re being taught…they don’t have time to develop a passion for what they are learning. Conversely, the high achieving students are more or less being held back, because the classes aren’t able to move as quickly as these students might be capable of moving.</p>
<p>Our public education system has a lot of problems, but it’s really a result of numerous issues all adding up to one big problem.</p>
<p>Because in primary and, to a lesser extent, secondary school, American teachers tend to teach to the bottom 20% or so, which doesn’t help them learn better (dare I say it - “bootstraps”) and keeps the better students bored.</p>
<p>The U.S.‘s university system, IMO, is very good when compared to other countries’, with the possible exceptions of a few like the UK’s.</p>