The Asian Education System versus the U.S. System

There was a time when America’s education system was top-notch according to the culture and society. With time, a myriad of things has changed, but unfortunately what has not evolved is the American education system. The country is still following a system which was not designed for the current global economic climate. Equality, as positive as it sounds is not as sufficient when it comes to education. The system treats students equally yet expect a similar culmination and outcome. Every child has his individuality and distinct abilities; one cannot judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. Conversely, a few of the prominent reasons why the education system is failing are overcrowded schools, the rise of technology, and following the same old school hours.

Is America’s public education system benefiting in helping students succeed or is it taking part in students lacking crucial information? In “The Problem with American Education” Zastrow Marvin C. states that “our country grew and flourished as it developed the most extensive, the most elaborate, and the most expensive educational system the world has ever known” (233). There are other systems around the world that maybe more effective, use a smaller budget, and are less time consuming. Students in American schools are beginning to score lower and lower on state wide standardized tests. Also more and more students are beginning to walk out of public education schools lacking crucial life knowledge. One different education system around the world that is more efficient and cost less money is Finland. Also this education system is less time consuming than America’s system. In America it is important for students

There is no need to be alarmed over education in America. While many critics are quick to point out the fact that American students have fallen behind in the academic realm, they fell to mention that the American students rank high in competitiveness and creativity, giving the American students the advantage (Bracey, par. 1).

Education plays important role in society. It determines the final development of an adult’s personality. In today’s society most jobs require a University degree. To receive a University degree students need to rely on a good education system. Does America provide this? The American education system has relied on the grade point average system for a long time. The problem with this is there is not a universal GPA grade point system varying from course to course. This creates an inaccurate way to determine ones overall achievements. Teachers have different standards than others, grade inflation can occur and students can be exposed to different learning environments. Does the education system need to change to create fairness?

Americans believe in multiple chances to succeed. Failure is okay as long as you learn from it and move on to a successful attempt. That driving force to succeed makes for more innovative thinkers. Being fed facts and made to regurgitate them for testing purposes does not spark imagination and lead to new discoveries. Different studies result in different opinions of which style of education is better. When broken down and actually comparing apples to apples, America’s educational system is a clear winner and “trains more engineers per capita than either India or China does.” (10).

Alexandra Robbins in chapter four of overachievers, has said throughout the chapter that students cannot cope with so much school related stress that it affects their mental health and general well-being. She does this by addressing the concerns of the students that she has been following that results in stress. She emphasizes students lack of sleep that ultimately affects their attentiveness at school. She also includes the effect of No Child Left Behind and how school practices have transitioned into focusing on america’s testing culture than the pursuit of creativity from students. She claims that cheating is on the rise and is becoming a standard practice within students because it helps relieve the pressure that students get buried in. Skeptics would disagree with her arguments of students’ unhealthy school relating stress by pointing out that students have their own right into what they choose to participate and how well they want to excel in a classroom and if it's too much they can stop. But like AP Frank and many other students across america including myself; parents force their children to achieve higher, And creating the image that they aren’t good enough or they won't get into college. And one thing I can strongly agree on is the lack of sleep that really creates stress!

Education is a necessity across the globe, from America to Africa to China. Some education systems, however, are more successful than others and hold differing views and approaches to education. Culture greatly impacts education, which in turn impacts further opportunity. As unfair as it may be, a child’s cultural background largely determines their level of success. The American education system is lacking when compared to various other world cultures, and this is causing the socioeconomic gap to grow. Because of this inadequate education, more and more families are dipping beneath the poverty line. This could be due to poor discipline as well as the diversity of students. The diversity of the students results in a wide array of needs that are not being met by the public education system. This issue could be minimized by working to create a more inclusive academic environment to ensure equality and success.

One reason that Japanese students are better educated than Americans is that the Japanese students are more intelligent than American students. Strong evidence that proves this is true is that Japanese students take “cram schools” to help get better, higher scores for entrance exams that they take. In 1996, it was not uncommon for a Japanese student to commit to studying and doing homework about two hours every weekday.

Although often taken for granted, education is a privilege the U.S. offers to aid in achieving the “American Dream”, in which some define as opportunity and success. The U.S. proves being the “greatest country in the world” by leading other countries in military strength, political strength, plentiful resources and a powerful economy. In order to maintain a mighty military, the “Department of Defense deploys 1.8 million soldiers in active duty and owns 29,819,492 acres of land worldwide.” (military.com/military-trivia-facts.html) Economically, the U.S leads the United Nations in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with an annual production of $16,768.1

Each country has its own kind of education, and education always plays an important role in affecting students’ life and study on many aspects. Having received ten years of education in China and two years of education in the U.S. I would like to compare and contrast a few significant aspects of these two different kinds of educations. Knowing that no two education systems are the same, the differences between American education and Chinese education allow countries to take the essence and discard the dross through learning from each other so as to improve their own current education systems.

The differences that exist between the Chinese and American education systems are great and obvious. However, some of these differences don’t play to the strengths of the representative country. American schools allow for greater freedom of movement and choice, while Chinese schools decide the “what”, “where”, and “how” of educational circumstance for the students (Bush, tony, and Qiang Haiyan). These differences in structure should lead to a greater educational standard being held by China, but that isn’t always the case. This paper will examine the differences in education system in the two countries and show that the Chinese system, while

     You would think that America being number one in almost everything; education would be at the top of that list. Well compared to other countries in the world it really sucks. The Asian educational system is among the top in the world. They are the leaders in math and sciences. Do you

The educational system differs throughout the world; its viewed and taught differently because of cultural differences. Many cultures view education as a necessity of life therefore family are strict and get more involved in there child’s education. Around the world, education is given to students to prepare them for their future. The American education is considered one of the strongest systems of education therefore many countries the American system. The American education system contains many differences and similarities to the foreign system of education; however, students in the American system are not as successful as those in foreign countries like Japan.

The comparison between Japanese and North American educational systems is often used. The Japanese system, along with other Asian cultures, places importance on the group and the interdependence of its members (Cole & Cole, 2001, p. 541). The North American model, in contrast, focuses on the ideals of individuality and independence (Cole & Cole, 2001, p.541). This contrast is due to a conflicting cultural/social structure and outlook of the world. Japanese look at the development of self as doubled sided: the inner self and the social or public self (Hoffman, 2000, p.307). Within the Japanese education system, the teacher's goal is to develop and cultivate both layers.

     For years, people have always felt that the Japanese school system was superior or more effective than that of the United States. Although some feel this way, others feel that the Japanese system is too strict and not flexible enough for those who may need extra help along the way. Through researching two different case studies, and also reading other materials, I have found many similarities along with many differences between the two, including teaching methods, overall emphases, and student involvement. Both countries have developed very effective and intricate systems of teaching, which compliment, and clash against one another. The Japanese system is not in all ways