Which superpower has the better education? (U.S. or China?)
Let’s begin with China and their education system. Chinese students have a long day of school. In general, the average day of a Chinese student is from 6:50a.m. to 6:00p.m. Basically, Chinese students attend about 12 hours and 50 minutes of school for six days of the week, on average. Most students decide to take extra classes after school. Chinese students are high school students after secondary education; starting 10th grade. Like American colleges, students entering 10th grade must pay a tuition fee depending on academic achievement. Chinese education emphasizes memorization in subjects such as Math and Science. I was reading an article in Travel Pod titled A Day in the Life of a Chinese Student by Pchun88 (Aug. 25, 2005). The article had an interesting quote that related to my research on education: “In place of three electives, high school students are required to take physics, biology, and chemistry simultaneously for three straight years.” This reminded me of the PISA test that was administered around the world. In 2009, students in Shanghai, China proved to be the smartest from others around the world, which has made a powerful statement among its global counterparts. China has a well respected educational system that many countries all over the world admire.
Although China has an amazing model for education starting from elementary to secondary, China’s worst enemy in higher education is itself. USA World had interesting article by Katy Chu (Feb. 1, 2011), which made me think that Chinese educational system is in need a specific reform: “What the Chinese are very good at doing is achieving short-term goals," says Jiang Xueqin, deputy principal of Peking University High School, affiliated with Beijing's Peking University, known as the "Harvard" of China. "They're good at copying things, not creating them."” The quote made me think about what China’s educational system really proposes. China’s education lacks to innovate students to be of the world, not just of China; therefore, Chinese students’ psych is to become a professional based on their parents’ beliefs or choice. While China motivates its students to memorize and solve complex math problems, it does not create a professional of self rather than basing ideas off others.
The educational system in the U.S. is not country-wide, rather yet the power of controlling education was given to the States during the creation of the Constitution. Our education system consists of basic fundamentals such as K-5 elementary schools, 6-8 middle schools, 9-12 high school, and specific levels of degrees earned throughout college. Since the beginning of Kindergarten, children are exposed one of the most valued idea of the U.S.; Amendment I of the Constitution or the freedoms of speech, religion, petition, assembly, and press. Emphasis is given to speech because as a democratic country, opinions count. I was reading an article in TIME by Andrew J. Rotherman (Jan. 20, 2011), where I found an interesting statement: “There are differences between countries that international assessments fail to capture. The American educational system is remarkable for the second chances it offers students who struggle in school. If you have to repeat a grade, we don't tell you that you can never go to college. Likewise, if you fail a test, it doesn't automatically put you on a different life path. Even in some industrialized nations, high-stakes tests mean a lot of kids get kicked to the curb. That's not our way.” America gives many options to the widest range of people they can get. For example, many teenagers take the SAT; in my opinion, a very strategical test. Although not many students across America score in the 2000s, there are schools that will accept people with grades below that. The U.S. allows students different options for their academics in high school, a test grade like the SAT will never “make or break” anyone.
While the U.S. may have been an educational power in the world, during the 20th century, the prestige of primary and secondary education has faded away. After the PISA test, which involved many countries in the world, the U.S. placed around 17th overall. The U.S. has not had any academic reforms that have empowered more learning in schools. At the same time, we have about 180 days of school on the average year. According to the article Education (or lack thereof): America is getting dumber by Stan Marsh (no date available) said: “Lack of education isn't the problem: It's the lack of work ethic that is causing Americans to "get dumber." Sadly most young students just don't care, and if they do they don't think to ask for help because it is becoming normal to not be able to spell or speak correctly.” I agree with this quote because American teenagers have become less caring about school because they do not realize how important education is in the U.S. and in global terms. Most people just care about getting the homework done, but others put the extra effort to learn and make themselves a strong candidate for future jobs.
After a whole comparison between the good and bad of U.S. and Chinese education, there still remains the inquiry: Which superpower has the better education? In my opinion, to this day, America may lack in primary to secondary education, but higher education is our forte. A degree from the U.S. is valid in many countries around the world and sometimes seen as “gold”. U.S. higher education has proven to prepare and enhance professionals, even if they failed throughout primary and secondary school; and wish to turn their life around. The U.S also homes what we like to call, the best university in the world and otherwise known as, Harvard. Our higher education system allows students to become highly trained and master their skill of choice. Many U.S. post-college graduates decide to pursue careers outside the country and help those in need or strive for change in their own countries. The U.S. may be lacking the correct educational system for those in primary as well as secondary education, but we end up being the top “dog” in higher education.
This comic shows what the land of opportunity is really about.
Comments
Dear CFlores, I liked your
Dear CFlores,
I liked your post, "Which superpower has the better education." (China or America) because that is a really interesting topic to research about. Even though America and China are the biggest country out there, which one has the better education. Which students come out to have better knowledge. Does the kids in China learn faster than the kids in America. Everything is made in China these days and it seems like they are more technologized. The way they teach in China is really different from the way they teach here.
One sentence that you wrote that stands out for me is: "Let’s begin with China and their education system. Chinese students have a long day of school. In general, the average day of a Chinese student is from 6:50a.m. to 6:00p.m. Basically, Chinese students attend about 12 hours and 50 minutes of school for six days of the week, on average. Most students decide to take extra classes after school." I think this is really insane because these kids in China have to go to school for such long hours. Most of their time is in school then at home. Even after school is over, some of these kids even want to take extra classes. With these kids taking these extra classes, they can furthur their education even to a higher limit where they learn even more, 2x more than we learn here in America.
Another sentence that I enjoyed was: "t's the lack of work ethic that is causing Americans to "get dumber." Sadly most young students just don't care, and if they do they don't think to ask for help because it is becoming normal to not be able to spell or speak correctly.” This stood out for me because most students in America doesn't really care about education. Many American students lack education in their field to study in school for a certain period of time. Many of the students in America drop out of school, not even finishing high school yet. Most American students don't realize that the teachers are there to help them, when they need help, they should ask for it instead of just sitting there and being confused.
Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. One time when I went back to Malaysia, I was talking to my cousins about school to see the different between the education over there and here. The education over there is really different from over here. They go to school for such longs hours and I ask them " How can they stay in school for such a long period of time." They just said that is how the lifestyle is here, we stay in school for long periods of time and learn a lot. I was wondering why can't America be like that, but if it was like that, wouldn't there be more high school student drop rates?
Thanks for writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because what you wrote about is really interesting. I am researching stuff about education as well so it is really cool that you are researching the same topic. My topic is about Is education really that important. I am researching this because many students don't think that education is important because the celebrities out there don't need to furthur their education to stand where they are in life now.
Dear Christian,I was really
Dear Christian,
I was really impressed by your post, “Which superpower has the better Education? (U.S. or China?)” because it made me think about the importance of education. Your post made me think about the education in China and how strict it is. I know that China’s education system is much stricter than the one in the United States. In my opinion, I think that while China might have a higher education system, the United States enables students to explore and be more open minded.
One sentence that stood out for me was: “ In general, the average day of a Chinese student is from 6:50a.m. to 6:00p.m. Basically, Chinese students attend about 12 hours and 50 minutes of school for six days of the week, on average. Most students decide to take extra classes after school. Chinese students are high school students after secondary education; starting 10th grade. Like American colleges, students entering 10th grade must pay a tuition fee depending on academic achievement. Chinese education emphasizes memorization in subjects such as Math and Science.” I think that China’s education is very harsh and students are not able to enjoy themselves. I do not think that students need to “prisoners”of school because along with school you need to have time to go beyond academics. Memorizing things about different subjects does not help you to think for your own and explore things yourself.
Something that stood out for me is: “The American educational system is remarkable for the second chances it offers students who struggle in school. If you have to repeat a grade, we don't tell you that you can never go to college. Likewise, if you fail a test, it doesn't automatically put you on a different life path. Even in some industrialized nations, high-stakes tests mean a lot of kids get kicked to the curb. That's not our way.” America gives many options to the widest range of people they can get. For example, many teenagers take the SAT; in my opinion, a very strategical test. Although not many students across America score in the 2000s, there are schools that will accept people with grades below that. The U.S. allows students different options for their academics in high school, a test grade like the SAT will never “make or break” anyone.” I think that the United States education system is big n giving opportunities. It gives students the chance to improve along with freedoms. Students can be more creative and have more of their own thinking. Like you, I think that SAT is a very strategical test because it tests students on their ability to know how to take a test. This helps students with academics and know what their capacities are.
Your post reminds me of how my father used to talked to me about how important education is. In my family education is very important to progress, yet they do not make me go beyond what I can. They implement that I should always try my best but at the same time be myself and happy with what I can do. I take education serious and I try to the best of my ability but I do not go beyond that because I am satisfy with what I have achieved.
Thanks for your writing and hope to hear more from you. This post was really interesting and I got something out of it. I realized that I am glad to be part of the United States education system.
Dear CFlores, I really
Dear CFlores,
I really enjoyed reading your post and learning more about education in China versus education in the United States. It is very interesting to see how different the world is in comparison to the US. I also found that people in the US live a very sheltered life and don't know much about other countries, their policies, and their cultures. I have always known that China produces many very intelligent people but your article really helped me understand the differences fully. Currently, I am working on a research paper that is focusing on ancient Chinese foot binding and throughout the course of the paper I have realized that many people are still in the dark about this particular Chinese culture that has now been made illegal. I invite you to check out my post at docs.google.com/document/d/1tbYZBz7hEZwhkwsHT47M2aFNftMOf5HWzhGM7WAsn0k/edit. Any comments are welcome.
I might have to disagree with your comment that higher education is our forte. I believe that we are not as weak as many people and many countries believe. We do have a good education system however I feel that the Chinese really encourage education from a very young age. "Chinese education emphasizes memorization in subjects such as Math and Science." This is part of why Chinese students in general do better than American students, because they put extra stress on some of the most important subjects. Take a look at this study that was done at the University of Michigan. It is mostly basic facts that you have already mentioned but you might find something interesting. sitemaker.umich.edu/vanschaack.356/strenghts_and_weaknesses_of_both_systems. It compares the strengths and weaknesses of both systems in a very down to earth way. Some people claim that our education systems (Chinese and American) are so completely different but your post really opened my eyes to how similar and how not inferior we are.
I strongly recommend that you continue writing about this topic and I eagerly await your next post on the subject. I learned a lot and I hope to learn even more. Thank you for writing!
Rima
Dear Rimma: I enjoyed your
Dear Rimma:
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "I also found that people in the US live a very sheltered life and don't know much about other countries, their policies, and their cultures. I have always known that China produces many very intelligent people but your article really helped me understand the differences fully." I think this is a bit true because our economic system being Capitalism, does not really allow time for us to really think about competition in terms of an international level. This is due to most teenagers in high school not really paying attention to what is happening in their surroundings and just paying attention to their needs of bettering themselves in school or other aspects of life. I have noticed that in my grade, many of the students could careless about events such as the Japan disaster or the U.S. losing its “steam” in math, science, technology, and education.
Another sentence that I found fascinating was: "This is part of why Chinese students in general do better than American students, because they put extra stress on some of the most important subjects. Take a look at this study that was done at the University of Michigan. It is mostly basic facts that you have already mentioned but you might find something interesting." This stood out for me because the site really brought strong arguments as to which country has better education. However, I did not see the author emphasize certain advantages of U.S. education, compared to Chinese education.
I don't strongly agree with you that China has a better higher education. One reason I say this is because of a few contradictions made on your behalf. You claimed that the Chinese higher education system was superior, however in the link that you posted, the author explains that the U.S. higher education system is better. Another reason I agree/disagree with you is the international heroes that the U.S. has produced over the course of years. Certain presidents from other countries have come to study in the U.S. such as the president of Colombia and Ecuador. They have studied here and are creating movements in their home countries.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because you did bring a strong arguments and I like to know that you seem interested in the world, in a broader spectrum. I liked your research paper, very interesting. If you would like, you can take a look at another article that I posted: http://youthvoices.net/node/51282.
Flores, This topic is very
Flores,
This topic is very interesting. I will not lie to you, I do not know a whole ton of empirical data that leans either way. One suggestion I have is to read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, there is an entire chapter devoted to why Chinese are gernerally better at math. According to Gladwell it actually ties into history and rice paddies, etc... very interesting. The book also outlines sokme of the flaws in the U.S. system of education.
I also came accross this L.A. Times articles. It addresses your very topic. What I ultimately take away from the article is that the two systems are very different. In the U.S. there is more of an emphasis on critical thinking, which gernerally leads to creaticity, unrivaled by China. China tends to have a more strict and rigid system, which generally turns out students who are better at things like math and science, but not as creative.
Here's a link to that article: http://articles.latimes.com/2007/apr/08/world/fg-school8/2
Dear Michael: I liked your
I liked your comment, "Flores, This topic is very," because you brought several great points to further my knowledge about my topic. Every comment and link, helps me understand the U.S. and China’s differences in education.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "This topic is very interesting. I will not lie to you, I do not know a whole ton of empirical data that leans either way. One suggestion I have is to read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, there is an entire chapter devoted to why Chinese are gernerally better at math." I think this is very kind of you because I love suggestions and I do put it into consideration. It made sense to me what Gladwell explains, as you briefly describe on the sentence after the ones I quoted from you. One theme that plays a major role in education is the whether liberty or suppression creates the better student.
Another sentence that I enjoyed was: "What I ultimately take away from the article is that the two systems are very different. In the U.S. there is more of an emphasis on critical thinking, which gernerally leads to creaticity, unrivaled by China. China tends to have a more strict and rigid system, which generally turns out students who are better at things like math and science, but not as creative." This stood out for me because this aspects of society plays the most important role in education. We do not produce students that know their times tables up to 13 or 14 by age 8, but we do produce students that have the ability to express their opinion and judge on what is wrong or right. Americans produce professionals that help people in other countries and we have taught a handful of presidents from other countries.
Your comment reminds me of something about the U.S. I think that this country allows people to do as they wish with their professional career. We do not emphasize memorization because we strongly believe that critical thinking brings a brighter and open minded person.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because you took your time to respond to my post and I wish that you suggest posts that you would like to receive feedback to. Great to know that you find my topic interesting.