The Comparative Social Policy - Report Example

Comparative Social Policy Cross­ national Account of Social Policy of France and Germany in School Education. Student’s name Institution’s name Comparative Social Policy Cross­ national Account of Social Policy of France and Germany in School Education. Introduction Comparative social policy includes assessment of the social developments between states or through different types of cultures (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011). Such processes would include systems within specific nations or states such as education and health among other systems. Germany is one state in the world that has one of the best and most widespread school and campus systems which appropriately addresses the needs of its people with divergent capabilities and characteristics (Phillips &Walford 2013). The essay will elaborate on the Cross­ national Account of Social Policy of France, and Germany in School Education. Various students attend class-room based schooling that organizes them to study at a wide selection of higher education institutions otherwise choose to embark on one of the two systems through adult learning at a later date (OECD 2010).Other young people benefit from vocational training and learning which involves on- the-job teaching joined with classroom guidelines (Phillips &Walford 2013).In the end of this system of education every graduate enters the job market with a valuable skill or occupation. Other learners may decide on a combination of components from these two education systems or otherwise choose to embark on one of the two systems through adult learning at a later date (OECD 2010). On the other hand, the constitution of France states that it’s the state’s responsibility to see that free and mandatory education is provided at all stages of learning (Adema, Fron& Ladaique 2011). The French education system was established over extensive ideologies motivated by the French revolution in 1789, and has continued to shape the learning systems to date through established governmental texts (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011). This paper will provide a comparative, cross­ national account of social policy of France and Germany in School education. Germany Social Inclusion The state of Germany has undergone various reforms in the education sector after the release of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reports in 2011(OECD 2010). PISA offers the most widespread and laborious set of universal assessments of the skills and knowledge of high school students, allowing an individual to compare states on processes such as average education results, the degree to which education outcomes are shaped by socio-economic circumstances, their share of poor performing schools and the frequency in which their institutes bring out outcomes of high quality (OECD 2014). Germany Schools and Teacher Quality Germany’s teachers were perhaps the main root of the obstacles exposed by the statistics from PISA (OECD 2010). For instance, the state had employed a huge number of over-aging teachers due to the baby boom of the seventies, who lacked motivation and necessary qualifications. The Government solved the problem by hiring younger teachers with better qualifications who tremendously changed the learning system (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011). Presently a teacher needs to acquire a degree from recognized university in order to qualify to teach in Germany high schools (OECD, 2010). The candidate teachers were to select two subjects of their interest and major in them have to do another two-year course of combined directed teaching and associated coursework prior to the actual employment (Kaiser etal 2015). The teachers would also have an extra year in mentoring and tight supervision as well as an extra examination before they assume complete responsibilities of a recognized teacher (OECD 2010). The teachers also agreed to the prolonged school day without equivalent pay rise. The outcome was a consistent respect for teachers in the public domains and the privilege to a significant position in the board of education policy (Kaiser etal 2015). Thus, the reform process delegated more power to the teachers in the end (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011). Germany Dual Education System The education system in Germany is called “dual” since it combines internships in a company; vocational training at a vocational college is one Programme (OECD 2010). In the workplace, the trainee receives applied teaching which is complemented by academic training in the vocational institute, and close to 60 percent of students learns a skill in Germany (Phillips &Walford 2013). There are numerous training professions including woodwork, car mechanics and roofing and the training takes a period of two years or more and is assessed through a national examination (Wiseman & ‎ Anderson 2015). The dual system is a tremendous education system because it prepares students straight to the occupation (Wiseman & ‎ Anderson 2015). The probabilities of getting an attractive paying job are minimal without proper qualifications though you are not assured a job; you are assured training in the employment and on school (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011). In addition, there are quite a number of internships available that offer a combination university grades as well and work experience as well as financial support (Furubo, Rist, &Sandahl). In other words they get more value for the job than the cost of hiring them as apprentices. These cost-effective benefits to managers can be replicated in other industrial states with ease using the suitable economic policies (Phillips &Walford 2013). In addition, apart from the benefits to employers, it also benefits students who learn through practice and therefore dual system is very appropriate for modern schooling (Wiseman & ‎ Anderson 2015). Students tend to achieve significant skills at the expense of the employer. For those students going to Gymnasium with hopes of joining the university and they are undertaking dual stint, it is a very essential insurance policy in the event that their college requests fail (Phillips &Walford 2013). Numerous companies are committed to taking gifted students back to the university at their own expense hence various students stand a chance of furthering their studies through this system (Wiseman & ‎ Anderson 2015). Addressing the Issue of Liability and Transparency in the system After PISA reports exposed the lack of transparency and liability or accountability in the education system of Germany, the state set itself to alter some of its practices in order to enhance transparency and accountability (Phillips &Walford 2013). Even though the government thought that they had standardized systems, according to PISA report, it did not and therefore it came up with several recommendations for reform. The first thing was to come up with public standards of assessment with an international look (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011).In the Grade 4 in primary the learning standards would include the Germany language and arithmetic; and standards for an overseas language like French or English, and Science for Grade 9 and 10 in Lower Secondary educations (Wiseman & ‎ Anderson 2015). Extra standards were included at the end of upper secondary schooling in seven subjects among them; Science, mathematics, chemistry and Germany (Phillips &Walford 2013). These performance principles give detailed particular skills expected to be met by students of this class in Germany (Strietholt, Bos& Gustafsson 2014). The standards are also compulsory to all Germany states and are benchmarked alongside the universal standards. Another thing was the introduction of new assessments founded on the standards which includes collective assessment for comparison of the performance on several grades centered on illustrative samples of students from all the states of Germany (Kaiser etal 2015). The state also devoted itself to participate in three key universal programmes of competent nationwide student testing including, Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), at secondary level as well as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study at the elementary schools (Phillips &Walford 2013). In addition, the government of Germany formed the Institute for Educational Progress at the Humboldt University in Berlin so that they may provide the technical capacity and the structure needed for the enhancement of the new monitoring system (Adema, Fron& Ladaique 2011). The state Government and the Lander decided to print out a gauge-based system of reports; Teaching in Germany to be established on a constant, information-based and problem-focused examination of the Germany schools structure(Becher & ‎ Kuhlmann 2012). The Germany people are divided concerning the importance of this system (Phillips &Walford 2013). Whereas many view it as a key foundation of the state’s manufacturing power, there are some who see it as a system that is overtaken by time and that which will in the end slow Germany’s development and reduce its competitiveness (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011). The critics argue that the face of the job market is changing swiftly and rather than teaching students on the basis of specific jobs, students should be taught in preparation of the a changing world that is daily evolving due to technological changes and new systems of work organization(Kaiser etal 2015). They also visualize the rising forces of mainly migrant students who do not get opportunities into the dual education system as a national disaster that lurks the sustainability of the economy of Germany and challenges the validity of the dual systems (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011). On the other hand, the supporters of this system argue that although it used to take a long time such as 10 years to create a new job, the method of generating new employments can be accomplished within one and half years(Becher & ‎ Kuhlmann 2012). They also see the improved penetrability of the system due to the many paths accessible to students presently (Kaiser etal 2015). The dual system is constructing needed alterations to ensure that the system remains relevant even with the changing technology and they prove this through the persistent interest of employers in offering internships to students (Furubo, Rist, &Sandahl). Germany Social Spending OECD states dedicated more than 20% of their financial resources to community social support in 2014 (OECD 2010). Public spending- to- GDP ratios are highest (over 30% of their GDP) in countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Italy (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011). Germany has also devoted more than a 25% of its GDP to communal social spending (OECD 2010). Recent OECD data indicates that countries like Canada, Hungary, Greece and Germany have faced considerable declines in social spending in relation to their GDP nevertheless social spending in other countries has remained high (OECD 2014). Many OECD states compensate family units which lack adequate resources to sustain themselves though the degree to which nations use income-tested Programmes differs among countries (OECD 2014). For nations that have insurance -grounded support systems like Belgium, France and Germany, the role of those income-tested programmes is generally limited (Becher & ‎ Kuhlmann 2012). Understanding the Influence of the German Schooling Reforms Various issues arise in attempting to connect the developments in Germany’s learning performance to the reforms (Phillips &Walford 2013). First of all the fact remains that the changes in policies were not created or implemented at the same time instead they were spread over some years and they were occasionally applied in a different way by diverse states (Becher & ‎ Kuhlmann 2012). There has never been adequate time for the significant enhancements to Germany Kindergarten Education and in the reading ability of the toddlers from non-German talking homes to show up in the performance of the 15-year-old students tried by Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in the year 2009 (Becher & ‎ Kuhlmann 2012). Another thing is the fact that although the new standards have motivated a great deal of debate among German educators, it is not easy to clarify that there has been adequate time since their issuing in 2004 for them to have a solid influence on the performance of the 15-year-old learners (Kaiser, ‎Maassen, Meek, Van Vught, Weert&Goedegebuure2014). Nevertheless there have been a number of activities to the reformation of the renowned German tripartite organization of secondary education in various states, the total number of reorganized schools as a percentage of all German secondary schools is still fairly insignificant, so one cannot point a great deal of the improvement in German learners’ performance on PISA to the institute’s reform programme (Phillips &Walford 2013). However, it was difficulty before the reforms to quantify performance due to poor research methods and therefore the enhanced Germany research systems will now be able to trail the application meticulously and soon additional and higher class data will be accessible to education experts and strategy makers (Kaiseretal 2015). In addition, there has been considerable development in performance since the PISA valuations although the reforms are not fully implemented as at now hence it might not have had impact on students who were 15 years during this assessment (Furubo, Rist,&Sandahl). Therefore we probably anticipate the performance of Germany learners to keep on accelerating in future years since a greater percentage of students are exposed to the restructurings (Becher & ‎Kuhlmann 2012). France Social Spending on Education France social spending is comparatively higher than Germany at over 30% in relation to the GDP of the state (OECD 2010). The state is currently spending 7% of its GDP on domestic schooling which amounts to over 130 billion Euros which is quite a high spending compared to Germany (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011). The illustration below shows the state’s expenditure on domestic education (Buisson-Fenet& Pons 2014). France Schools and Teacher Quality Enrolment of teachers in France is done through competitive examination after which the teachers become Government public servants (Buisson-Fenet& Pons 2014). Teachers of private schools are also enrolled through competitive exam and they have a rank of public contractors. Candidate teachers undergo a compulsory two-year major so that they may gain an entry to the competitive exam (Strietholt, Bos&Gustafsson 2014). The state of France does this in order to raise the level of qualification for teachers. In addition, students are allowed to undertake work engagement as they get ready for their competitive exam and this is done through teaching under supervision or alternatively through observation(Buisson-Fenet& Pons 2014). Subsequently, successful applicants develop into novice teachers and are allocated an institution for a period of one year after which they attain permanent employment if the result of their assessment satisfies the examiners. Education System in France France education system includes nursery, elementary and secondary schools (Buisson-Fenet& Pons 2014). The advantage with France education system is the fact that children can join nursery school at an early age of 2 years provided they are available spaces (Strietholt, Bos& Gustafsson 2014). Nearly every child is able to attend school at the age of 3 years although it is not compulsory at this stage. The ordinary skills for pupils are organized through the various stages of life (Strietholt, Bos& Gustafsson 2014). The state provides teachers with tools for evaluating the performance of all learners at the elementary level so that they may identify the ones facing problems early in advance (Buisson-Fenet& Pons 2014).The syllabus recommends annual upgrading in approximately all the disciplines (Neave 2012). From 2008 to 2009 academic year, pupils are taught for twenty four hours weekly, divided over nine half days or less but those with schooling problems are accorded tailored support for two hours on a weekly basis(Cowen 2012). Lower secondary recruits all pupils from elementary cycle without an assessment exam at the age of 11years and this stage aims at helping the students to master the public primary skills and knowledge (Strietholt, Bos& Gustafsson 2014). In addition, it organizes pupils towards the remaining courses of vocational and technological learning at a later date in life (Cowen 2012). The reorganization of Upper Secondary includes the balanced orientation of the pupils, individualized support for all the pupils as well as teaching of and excellent understanding in two contemporary languages (Neave 2012). Core courses include about 60% of the total learning in the Upper Secondary and this simplifies changes of course gives pupils the liberty to select a different series at the end of that stage (Cowen 2012). French Education Abroad There are various schools abroad which provide the French curriculum in both elementary and secondary schools and they are authorized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the ministry for Foreign Affairs (Cowen 2012). They aim at extending public schooling to over 100,000 pupils in attendance (Strietholt, Bos&Gustafsson 2014). Likewisethey contribute to the national influence by providing education to close to 200.000 overseas pupils (Strietholt, Bos& Gustafsson 2014). France Social Inclusion France has adopted over 6 million pupils at primary level out of which over 125,000 arein modified institutes and incapacitated schools (Council of Europe, Council for Cultural Co-operation &Programmeeuropéend'évaluation1991). Among those pupils in disabled schools 43,000 have joined Classes pour l’ inclusions colaire (CLIS), Classes for Social Inclusion (Neave 2012). In general France has contributed a lot in the social inclusion area and has worked to ensure equal opportunities to all its residents (Strietholt, Bos& Gustafsson 2014). Through the equivalent opportunities policy, the state purposes to correct the impacts of socio-economic inequalities in learning achievement, and also ensure the understanding of the common core skills by every pupil by the end of the mandatory teaching in order to decrease the achievement gap between pupils (Neave 2012). First of all, the policy targets institutes with the extreme difficulties. Boarding schools for excellence are also another avenue through which boys and girls who do not have appropriate learning environment are provided an opportunity to increase their chances for educational realization and their personal growth as well (Strietholt, Bos& Gustafsson 2014).In those boarding schools, learners profit from favorable environment, organized assistance with assignments plus social and sporting consciousness delivered through organizations which approve universal awareness (Strietholt, Bos&Gustafsson 2014). Understanding the Influence of the France Schooling Reforms France Schooling System has come up with very effective reforms on its education system (Cowen 2012). The issue of social inclusion at every stage of learning is one way through which France has tried to deal with the socio-economic inequalities in the state (Strietholt, Bos&Gustafsson 2014). France has adapted many institutions through which incapacitated students are able to learn properly and this has helped a great deal in bridging the socio-economic gap (OECD 2010).Some of these institutions include boarding schools for excellence and local social inclusion classes which include schools for disabled people (Strietholt, Bos&Gustafsson2014). Through these institutions, France has endeavored to give equal opportunities to all its residents (Strietholt, Bos&Gustafsson 2014). Another area has been France’s social expenditure on education which is quite high compared to Germany and other states (Adema, Fron&Ladaique2011). Other issues that have contributed to the excellent performance include the France School structure or system, the teacher quality improvement, the tailored support for its needy students and the excellent redistribution of resources as well as the expansion of its education abroad(Cowen 2012). In conclusion this paper has discussed the cross-national account of social policy of France and Germany in School Education. In Germany reforms there are various policies that have contributed to the excellent performance in its schools worldwide and these include the issue of social inclusion, the state’s dual system of education, policies aimed at increasing the accountability and transparency of the system (OECD, 2010). Furthermore, improving the teacher quality as well as the inclusion of other international agencies such as PISA to assist them in assessing their outcomes. On the other hand, France has been in the forefront in the issues of social inclusion, social spending, and redistribution of resources and the creation of a good learning system (OECD, 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, despite the fact that both education systems are admirable and a lot could be borrowed from them, challenges are still there especially in ensuring that these policies are completely implemented nationwide. Therefore, there is need for both countries to keep on restructuring their education systems so that they may relate with the changing world due to the evolving technology in our modern world. There is need for frequent evaluations of the present education systems and the adopted policies so that alterations may be done where necessary in order for the learning institutions to achieve their objectives. Either way the Germany dual system presents a very good model for industrialized countries because the system trains people while already on the job and therefore it becomes easier to apply their skills on real experiences rather than the theoretical system. France also stays ahead in enhancing social spending on education systems so that it may offer equal opportunities for all as well as reducing the socio-economic inequalities. Bibliography Adema, W., P. Fron and M. Ladaique (2011), “Is the European Welfare State Really More Expensive? : Indicators on Social Spending”, 1980-2012; and a Manual to the OECD Social Expenditure Database (SOCX)”, OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers,No. 124, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5kg2d2d4pbf0-en Becher G. & ‎ Kuhlmann S. (2012). Evaluation of Technology Policy Programmes in Germany. Springer Science & Business Media. Buisson-Fenet H. & Pons X (2014). School Evaluation Policies and Educating States: Trends in France. Peter Lang Pub Incorporated. Council of Europe, Council for Cultural Co-operation &Programmeeuropéend'évaluation (1991). Cultural Policy in France. Strasbourg. Council of Europe. Cowen R. ( 2012). The World Yearbook of Education 1996: The Evaluation of Higher EducationSystems. London. Routledge Furubo J., Rist R. &Sandahl R. International Atlas of Evaluation. London.Transaction Publishers. [Acessed on May 9, 2016] John Baldock .Social policy, social welfare, and the welfare state. Kaiser F., ‎ Maassen P., Meek L., van Vught F., Weert E. &Goedegebuure L. ( 2014). Higher Education Policy: An International Comparative Perspective. New York. Pergamon Press. Neave G .(2012). The Evaluative State, Institutional Autonomy and Re-engineering Higher Education in Western Europe. Palgrave Macmillan OECD (2010), Lessons from PISA for the United States, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264096660-enOECD. OECD (2014), "Social Expenditure Update - Social spending is falling in some countries, but in many others it remains at historically high levels”.http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264096660-en OECD. PhillipsD.&WalfordG (2013).Tracing Education Policy: Selections from the Oxford Review of Education.New York.Routledge. Strietholt R, ‎ Bos W. &Gustafsson ‎J. (2014). Educational Policy Evaluation through International Comparative Assessments. WaxmannVerlag. New York. Wiseman A., ‎ AndersonE.( 2015).Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2015. Emerald Group Publishing. Read More

The candidate teachers were to select two subjects of their interest and major in them have to do another two-year course of combined directed teaching and associated coursework before the actual employment (Kaiser et al015). The teachers would also have an extra year in mentoring and tight supervision as well as an extra examination before they assume the complete responsibilities of a recognized teacher (OECD 2010). The teachers also agreed to the prolonged school day witan out even equivalent pay rise. The outcome was consistent respect for teachers in the public domains and the privilege to a significant position in the board of education policy (Kaiser et al 2015). Thus, the reform process delegated more power to the teachers at the end (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011).

The education system in Germany is called “dual” since it combines internships in a company; vocational training at a vocational college is one Programme (OECD 2010). In the workplace, the trainee receives applied teaching which is complemented by academic training in the vocational institute, and close to 60 percent of students learn a skill in Germany (Phillips &Walford 2013). There are numerous training professions including woodwork, car mechanics, and roofing, and the training takes a period of two years or more and is assessed through a national examination (Wiseman & ‎ Anderson 2015).

            The dual system is a tremendous education system because it prepares students straight to the occupation (Wiseman & ‎ Anderson 2015). The probabilities of getting an attractive paying job are minimal without proper qualifications though you are not assured a job; you have assured training in the employment and on school (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011).  Also, there are quite a several internships available that offer a combination of university grades as well and work experience as well as financial support (Furubo, Rist, &Sandahl). In other words, they get more value for the job than the cost of hiring them as apprentices. These cost-effective benefits to managers can be replicated in other industrial states with ease using suitable economic policies (Phillips &Walford 2013). Besides, apart from the benefits to employers, it also benefits students who learn through practice and therefore the dual system is very appropriate for modern schooling (Wiseman & ‎ Anderson 2015). Students tend to achieve significant skills at the expense of the employer. For those students going to Gymnasium with hopes of joining the university and are undertaking a dual stint, it is a very essential insurance policy if their college requests fail (Phillips &Walford 2013). Numerous companies are committed to taking gifted students back to the university at their own expense hence various students stand a chance of furthering their studies through this system (Wiseman & ‎ Anderson 2015).

After PISA reports exposed the lack of transparency and liability or accountability in the education system of Germany, the state set itself to alter some of its practices to enhance transparency and accountability (Phillips &Walford 2013). Even though the government thought that they had standardized systems, according to the PISA report, it did not and therefore it came up with several recommendations for reform. The first thing was to come up with public standards of assessment with an international look (Adema, Fron&Ladaique 2011).In Grade 4 in primary the learning standards would include the German language and arithmetic; and standards for an overseas language like French or English, and Science for Grade 9 and 10 in Lower Secondary educations (Wiseman & ‎ Anderson 2015). Extra standards were included at the end of upper secondary schooling in seven subjects among them; Science, mathematics, chemistry, and Germany (Phillips &Walford 2013). These performance principles give detailed particular skills expected to be met by students of this class in Germany (Strietholt, Bos& Gustafsson 2014).

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