In general, students from Germany, Japan, Ukraine, India, etc seem to be better educated than the typical teen Joe Schmo. However, despite complaints of a lack of public school funding, the US spends a lot more on schools than many places - and yet the students fall behind.
While I have taken trips abroad, I don't have extensive knowledge on "foreign" education. As Americans (w/ the exception of Native Americans), we all have ancestors from countries that today seem to thrive intellectually, relatively speaking, so it shouldn't be inferior DNA!
I'm 17, and even while poking around in other countries, I already notice teens discussing topics that MOST (I won't generalize) American teens wouldn't even think about.
Most Europeans are bilingual. That's not the case in the US, even with an increasing immigrant population.
Yes, there are bright Americans and uneducated foreigners, but on a large scale, why aren't we on par with everyone else?
Answers:
Well first of all because their economy requires very well educated and skilled individuals. The competition is really really hard out there!! In Brazil, the country I'm from, if you don't have at least a Bachelor's degree, you are a nobody. Here in the U.S. you can make some type of decent money if you work with a high school diploma. I think for one, it's an economical thing. Second, in most developing country, people don't have the comfortable life American kids have. Here they got cell phones, computers, video games, all just so easily given to them, they spend so much time doing these things that there's no interest in reading, studying, general culture. In developing countries, we learn to enjoy reading books and newspapers, and learning about other cultures and languages since we're toddlers. In our birthdays we're usually given books instead of computers, because our parents just can't afford it! And also because like I said, it's a cultural thing. Here is too much TV and video game. In Brazil for example there's a lot going on culturally, usually for free: museums, plays, classic music concerts, art expositions, etc. Here I don't hear about them much (free ones, and not too many of them). It's just a matter of culture and economy, on the bottom line.
The main reasons that I see are that in other countries students study math and sciences all day for 3 days a week and Social Studies 2 days a week.
This helps them in their comprehension and allows the teacher to spot the ones slipping behind so they can work with them. Moving from class to class and subject to subject isn't conductive to learning.
because american kids are lazy. once the foreigners get americanized they become lazy too. as always we who were born here tend to be lazy and sometimes rely on our families to get ahead.notso,with foreigners, if mommy don't have it you can't get it so it's up to you to get it for yourself.what you say about foreign kids getting a better education is true in some cases,when u have a jerk who upsets the class and kids who are just there to hang out,knowing nothing is gonna happen to them it breaks down the education system for those who want to learn.while in other countries you act like a jerk you get thrown out keeps the system in check and in order.remember 1 thing the asian kids or foreigners in class for the most part will never go back to their home country,you know why?BECAUSE THIS IS THEIR HOME COUNTRY NOW!they will be americans and like it or not they like the IRISH,ITALIAN,JEWS AND OTHER EUROPEANS WHO CAME BEFORE THEM AND HAVE ASIMILATED INTO THE AMERICAN CULTURE ,THEY TO WILL BE AND ARE GOING TO BE AMERCIANS 1 DAY SO DON'T FRET JUST GO TO SCHOOL DO THE BEST YOU CAN DO AND HOPE THAT SUNSHINE FOLLOWS YOU THRU LIFE.
the reason y they tend to be more educated is because they (foreigners studying in different countries) have a duty to fulfill and that is to study... soem even apply for scholarship grants.. foreigner like very much to exchange cultrual ideas and learn more about the host countries.. they have nothing more to do but STUDY AND LEARN
People outside the USA don't take education for granted. Yes it true that Europeans are bilingual they have to. No le matara lol. Some have said that school have two hours lunch. No In Ireland for example lunch break is only twenty minutes. School starts at nine and finish at four. All children go to pre school from the age of three and then enter school age five. By that time they have at least some knowledge of a European language. From five on they have Irish, English.Then they enter secondary school which you call it high school. They have a choice of other languages to study. German, Italian, Latin, Greek, and Spanish. Beth said that children with special needs don't get good education in Europe that is not correct. In fact Beth use the term "Handicap" that is not politically correct term to use, and very out of date expression to use. Christy Brown famous for his book "my left foot" was made into a film with Daniel Day Lewis got a good education here in Ireland. Gymnasium are mostly of former communist countries. They are not part of western European education system.
I would suggest that a great deal of your answer lies in the students that you meet. If you are traveling with student groups or interacting with exchange students, you are meeting the educationally elite of those countries. Most other countries have tiered secondary education. In other words, the brightest and most motivated go to the highest level of schooling -- designed for entrance into college. In many European countries, this is called a gymnasium. The majority of students that come to the US are gymnasium students.
In the US, we have a "one size fits all" take on education. Our schools must educate EVERYONE from the genius to the totally mentally handicapped (and everyone in between). We also put more emphasis on special education than other countries do. It's my opinion that many students don't get the education they need and deserve because of those reasons.
Another problem is we put the bar too low. We make it too easy to pass required classes (see point one, educating all). Many schools place an emphasis on the process (bringing supplies, doing homework, etc.) than on what is learned. We don't give the students the responsibility for their own education.
Anyway, my take! This is after hosting 12 exchange students and many, many nights talking about the differences in our respective systems.
well the american education system is pretty young, so it still has many flaws. Also, most other countries go to school until the evening with a 2 hr lunch break in between, and these kids are taught foreign language since theyre young and able to pick it up quicker in elementary school
This article contents is post by this website user, EduQnA.com doesn't promise its accuracy.
More Questions & Answers...