European Education System versus American Education System - Term Paper Example

European education system Vs American education system Education systems in various countries in the world may differ depending on the structure and needs of the people living in the country. The education systems are meant to develop skills and knowledge that are necessary to be used in surviving in the society. Similarities The education systems of both Europe and America have a few similarities despite their differences. The structure of elementary schools in both continents is the same with only twenty to twenty two students in every class. The classes in both the continents are said to be coeducational. The ages at which children join the elementary schools are similar in both Europe and America. In both America and Europe, each teacher is allocated a particular subject in a class. In both continents, a larger percentage of teachers are women. This is because they are able to handle kids in a gentle manner. Only a few male teachers are found in elementary schools in both Europe and America (Henry, 2007). Furthermore, the subjects that are taught in elementary schools in America and Europe are similar. The subjects that are taught include: mathematics, writing, art, sports, music, introduction to science and reading. The ages in which children attend elementary school are similar on the two continents. In both, the required of joining elementary school is six years old. The age of finishing elementary school for both is at the age of twelve years. To further on the similarities, the duration of being in schools is similar with both having a standard of nine years in school in elementary school and four years in high school. Both systems aim at preparing students for the future by teaching them the life skills that they will need and how to be employed in the coming future (Gemeinsam, 2014). Differences However, the education systems between America and Europe have major differences. In both continents, the standards of education that are up held are different depending on the need of the countries where schools are situated. Firstly, the types of schools in both continents differ. In Europe, schools are not divided into sections. Elementary and secondary schools are combined as one. The system flows from the first grade to the last grade at sixteen years old with not subdivisions of the grades. Contrast to this, the American education system has a division between the elementary school and secondary school. The elementary school involves nine years of study while secondary school involves four years of study (Well, 2010). Another difference comes in the number of days of schooling. In Europe, it is required that students attend 237 school days while in America; schooling days are required to be 170. The hours that students spend in class in a day also differs. In Belgium, students spend an average of eight hours in school while in America students spend half a day in school. The schedule in European classes is divided into two with morning classes of approximately 5 hours and 3 hours in the afternoon (Emily, 2014). Additionally, the education system of Europe and America differs in the time that one goes to college. In German, students have to choose between vocational training schools and academic preparatory and a tender age of ten. This is a determinant of the kind of college that students attend depending on their performance. However, this is not the case with America because students do not have to choose between the two schools. The education system of America gives an opportunity for anyone who has finished high school to either join college or the university depending on their performance in high school (Well, 2010). The ways in which private schools are handled in both continents differ. In Europe, most of the private schools that have been put in place are religious while in America, private schools belong to individuals, practitioners, institution or to an organization (Emily, 2014). In addition, the government is involved in the payment of private schools in Europe which is not the case in America. In Europe, the government helps in paying a larger part of fees for students in private schools depending on the location. The government pays 80% in Austria and Denmark, 85% in Norway and 70% in Hungary. However, this is not the case in America because parents of students are the ones who pay for all the fees if their children are in private schools. The number of students who attend higher education also differs between the two continents. In America, approximately 50% of students who graduate from high school join either the university or college. Contrary to this, only 30% of students in Europe who finish secondary school join college or university (Well, 2010). Before a student joins high school in Europe, he or she must go through a test in 9th grade to determine the kind of high school he or she will go to. In addition, before a student proceeds to the nest grade, he or she must under a test. However, this is not the case in America. Students are not tested to join high school as long as they attend all the classes. Students in America are also not subjected to several exams to test their understanding of what they have been taught. Due to this, it becomes difficult to identify is a student is competent enough to go to the next grade. For students in Europe, hard work is valued because for a student to go to the next grade, he or she must have passed the exams. It is also important to note that the subjects and principles that are taught in Europe and America are different (Emily, 2014). The curriculum of the elementary schools differs in both continents with children in Europe being introduced to learning English and other foreign language. In the US, children are not exposed to learning foreign language as it is done in Europe. American schools are divided into three while European schools are divided into four sections. In Europe, the sections are the kindergarten, primary school, junior high school and senior high school (Hofman et al, 2005). On the other hand, American system of education has three sections including preschool and kindergarten, elementary school and junior and senior high school. The education system of European schools does not involve sporting activities in the school curriculum and students get to play be participating in teams based in the community surrounding. In the US, sporting activities are part of the curriculum of the education system making students more involved in one another and active in the learning process. Additionally, American schools have lockers in school while Europe doesn’t. United States has two different types of high schools while Europe has three different types of high schools. They involve traditional college-track and vocational high schools in America and vocational, college-track and professional. Another difference between the two education systems is that a high percentage of students in Europe attend professional and vocational schools. Contrary to this, the United States has a small number of students joining vocational and professional schools (Henry, 2007). The Europe education system aims at ensuring that students and children in elementary schools perform well in their studies and also making sure that they grip the concepts that are taught. This is achieved by the many exams and tests that students have to sit for to test their potentials and competencies. However, this is not the case with the American education system where examinations are not administered to students. The system only focuses on ensuring that students pass through all the levels of education and get a degree to be recognized as being learned in the society. America’s education system also focuses on giving students an opportunity to develop their talents and creativity and to be what they want to be. Due to this, they are not very concerned about the performance of students in school. In Europe, the age at which a student is in school does not matter as long as he or she performs well to go to the next grade or class. In the United States, students who are the age of 19 are required to attend remedial classes for them to get a certificate of high school diploma (Greg, 2009). Summer vacations for students in the United States take a period of two and half months from late August to late May or early June when school resumes again. In Europe, vacations last for only two months because of the tight schedule of the system of education that lasts for 267 days. Teachers in Europe are evaluated now and then by external examiners depending on their performance and their effectiveness in delivering the best information to students. Due to this, teachers are alert and pay attention to the level of education they give students and pay much attention to the performance of students. Contrary to this, the American system of education does not pay attention to the performance of teachers and neither does it evaluate its interaction with students and their performance. This has led to shallow teaching of subjects making students less knowledgeable and less professional (Gemeinsam, 2014). Each of the different education systems has their own strengths and weaknesses. The European education systems can be seen to be better than the American because it puts much focus on the performance of students. Before students goes to the next grade, they must go through testing to evaluate their level of performance. This is not offered in the American system of education making it difficult to access the performance of students. Due to this, students from European schools are found to be more competent in the job market in the world today because of the persistence in excellence in their education system. Additionally, Europe’s education system favors students from poor families because the government pays for almost 80% of the fees for students in private schools making it easier for students and parents. Due to this, the number of students who graduate from college and university are many (Henry, 2007). On the other hand, the American education system can be considered to be better than Europe’s because it does not force students to learn what they cannot understand in school. Instead, it gives students an opportunity to choose the kind of high school to attend and what to study about. It believes that success does not only come from programmed education but from people doing what they are best in and have passion for it. The system also involves sporting activities in the curriculum which is important in the development of the brain of students. Additionally, they have long summer vacations giving students enough time to rest from school work. In this area, Europe’s education system has failed since it does not include sporting activities in the curriculum and most of the time is spent in class making students’ minds tired (Arthur, 2008). Conclusion From the discussion above, the education system of America and Europe has a few similarities and major differences. Similarities in the education system between Europe and America come in the ages in which students join secondary schools. They both have elementary schools with a majority of the teachers being women. The education levels are also similar with children studying from the first grade to the ninth grade. The differences come in the time schedules in which each system allocates its classes. Additionally, the models used for students to join high school, colleges are different in Europe and America. The structures in which the education systems are developed are also different. Although the United States and Europe countries are similar, their education systems have great differences. References Arthur, E.T. (2008).Positive values in the American educational system. New York, NY: American Council on Education. Emily H. (2014). European Education Vs. American Education. Retrieved April 29, 2014 from http://www.tigernews/europen-education-vs-american-education.news.html Gemeinsam M. (2014). School Systems In Europe And America. Retrieved April 29, 2014 from http://inhalt/seite/school-systems-europe-and-america.html Greg W (2009). Focus on: the European and American high school experience. Retrieved April 29, 2014 from http://www.academic/focus-european-and-american-high-schools-experience.html Henry W (2007). Education in Europe and the United States. Oxford: University press of America, Inc. Hofman R., Hofman, A., Gray J., & Daly P. (2005). Institutional Context Of Education Systems In Europe: A Cross Country Report. Dordrecht: Kluwer academic publishers. Well B. (2010). Schools And Class In Europe And America. Retrieved April 29, 2014 from http://www.economist/schools/systems-in-america-and-europe/difference.html Read More