The American educational system which is mainly provided by the public sector gets its control and funds from the federal, state, and local governments. Due to local differences, the American education system seems puzzling to the global students who go through it. Additionally, the arrangement and procedures at American post-secondary institutions vary fairly from other systems such as the British form. In this case, this educational system is split into primary; secondary, undergraduate and graduate education.
It is of importance to note that, American secondary education is divided into junior high and high school. In this case, high school students are supposed to take several courses in languages, arithmetic, science, and social sciences. It can be seen that American public schools are organized and managed by the local school district. When comparing the American educational system with Belgium which is a member of the OECD; the education system is almost the same except that Belgium is divided between Dutch and French communities (Ravitch 40-67).
On the other hand, the ‘Belgium secondary education’ model comprises four broad groupings that include diverse information that differs from one school to the other. These general categories include ‘General Secondary Education, Technical Secondary Education, Vocational Secondary Education, and Art Secondary Education’. It can be argued that all children in America are required to enroll in the American education system. The same case applies in Belgium where education is compulsory for pupils aged between 6-18 years.
Based on ‘Belgium’s education system’, the model is organized and managed by two key societies; the ‘Flemish and French societies’. Importantly, the U.S education leads in languages and literacy rates but ranks low in science and mathematics performance as compared to Belgium, Austria, Korea, and Japan; among other developed countries (Balfour 209-216).
Additionally, another member of the OECD is Austria whose education system consists of primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. In this case, secondary education is divided into lower and upper levels where students at moderately young ages enroll for academic, technical, or professional secondary school education. As with the American system, Austrian education is compulsory for pupils aged 6-15 years.
Based on this, the Austrian higher education system provides vocational studies to students for them to specialize in their careers. Importantly, the education system in Austria normally takes after the European form of ‘free public education and a diversity of secondary schools for academic and occupational education. In this case, this education system contrasts with the American model of sole inclusive high school for all students. On the other hand unlike the American education system; where public schools are organized at the local level, the Austrian system of education is centralized having the central management in Vienna where the key function is accountability for curriculum and the financial support of the school s (Balfour 209-216).
In addition, like in the American education model where education to children aged 5-16 years is compulsory; the same applies within the United Kingdom education system. In this case, schools in the United Kingdom and Scotland are funded by the ‘Local Education Authority. Just like the American education model, the main courses in Britain’s secondary education are languages, arithmetic, and science. Further, the American notion of ‘school transcript’ is unknown in the UK. In this case, students in the UK are not graded in their years of study but according to standards of GCSE, SCE, AS, and A-level assessment outcomes.
Based on this, there is no certified system of comparing the British and the American primary and secondary education credentials. This can be justified based on that; the two educational systems are different, and efforts to equate them ought to be done on a firmly provisional base. Nevertheless, usually, five GCSEs in the United Kingdom; are well-thought-out to be equivalent to the US high school diploma. Additionally, the main variation between the two educational systems is that American universities offer liberty of option of workload as weighed against the overloaded and extended courses, which a student has to take in covering a complete educational year in U.K. universities (Balfour 209-216).
Further, the education system of Canada like that of America; requires that all pupils between the ages of six and sixteen attend school on a compulsory basis. Based on this, Canadian education is diversified among the provinces as it is controlled and managed by provincial governments. It can be argued that secondary education in Canada follows the American pattern of junior and high school education.
In this case, education in Canada is split into primary, secondary, and post-secondary education just the same as in America’s case. Further, it can be argued that, even though education in Canada is governed by the provincial administration, there are few differences in the national curriculum. Also like the American educational system, primary and secondary education is studied for twelve years. From the information about the Canadian education system, it is indicated that basic education in Canada is, in any case, one year behind; compared to the American syllabus. Another similarity between the two educational systems is that free and compulsory basic education is offered (Sowell 20-50).
Moreover, the South Korean education system is the most effective one, among those of the OECD members. In this case, a centralized government controls and manages the progression of education from pre-primary to the final year of high school. Based on this, it’s clear that the education system is divided into pre-primary, primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Like the American educational system, South Korean secondary education is split into middle and high school education. The South Korean education system is very inflexible taking the form of a vertical chain of command set; predisposed by Confucianism.
From this explanation one can supposedly say that; the South Korean system is replicated from the American system. However, the American system is highly spread out and open as compared to the South Korean system. It should further be noted that the American administration allows individual states to implement the wide-ranging standards and prospectus to go by. On the other hand, the South Korean basic and secondary schools whether public or private; pursue the same nationalized prospectus and make use of similar textbooks. Based on the two educational systems, South Korea has a 6-3-3-4 education system pattern while America has a 5-3-4-4 one. It is also indicated that both countries have compulsory and free primary education (Park et.al 103-122).
In conclusion, it can be deduced from the above comparisons that, almost all developed countries have more or less the same educational system where basic education is free and compulsory. Further, the European education system is more complicated and offers a heavier workload to its students, especially in the United Kingdom as compared to the American system. South Korea has the most effective educational system, which is based on the Confucian religious hierarchy settings, and governed by the central government.
Works cited
Balfour, Graham. “The Educational Systems of Great Britain and Ireland”. Whitefish: Kessinger Publishing Press. (2007): P. 209-216.
Park, Namgi, Namgi, Park. & Weidman, John. “Higher Education in Korea: Tradition and Adaptation”. New York: Routledge. (2000): P. 103-122).
Ravitch, Diane. “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education”. New York: Basic Books Publishers. (2010): P. 40-67.
Sowell, Thomas. “Inside American Education”. Illinois: Free Press. (1992): p. 20-50.