The American public education system has been under scrutiny for its alleged lacking performance on a national level. As reported by the Washington Post, math scores for 15 year olds have fallen by a record 13 points on the exam known as the Program for International Student Assessment. While American scores are average across developed countries, math scores have been on a decline.
A noticeable difference between America and the rest of the world is the flexibility of the coursework. Alfred Chan, a senior who attended school in Taiwan, enjoys having a say in the pacing of his education. The average American student has an average six to seven classes in a day, while Taiwanese students have 15 classes a day.
“Most of the (class content) usually doesn’t stick in your mind as long because you’re rushing through them,” Chan said.
Hana Elshtawy, a sophomore who attended school in Egypt, commented that differences between American education and other countries do not stop at the level of leniency schools provide. When she first arrived, Elshtawy was unfamiliar with using computers at school.
“I had to get used to not using books for studying, and I had to also get used to typing on the Chromebook,” Elshtawy said.
Rohit Rao, a senior who attended school in the United Kingdom, recalled how the UK Education system had a mapped out curriculum. From elementary school to their sophomore year of high school, UK students take a standardized curriculum designed to cultivate “holistic development for a child,” as Rao put it.
“I’d say (the American education system) is alright, but I would say there’s a lot of moving parts,” Rao said. “If there was one streamline, standard set of classes, it would be easier.”
Compared to Taiwan, the UK and Egypt, American schools are typically more lenient with students. Both Taiwan and the UK have a “no cellphone” policy in schools and school uniform requirements.
“(In America) the teachers give more control to students,” Rao said.
Rao explained how teaching styles differed between America and the United Kingdom. UK education is more focused on learning from the textbook rather than learning from a teacher.
“ If you don’t listen to (the teachers), that’s fine (the exams) are on the textbook language,” Rao said.
Aasees Kaur Sandhu, a senior who attended school in Australia, recollected how there were gender-separated classes in fifth and sixth grade, which was implemented after studies provided results that suggested that girls and boys learned differently.
“I loved that system, especially because the guys had guy teachers and the girls had girl teachers,” Sandhu said.
Sandhu also noted that the college admissions in America are holistic and consider multiple parts of an applicant’s application, beyond solely test scores.
“In Australia you take the (ATAR), and it basically determines the type of career you have because it determines the college you get into,” Sandhu said. “It’s insane.”
While the American education system is allegedly declining in quality, there are upsides to it.
“American education taught me that it is okay to admit your mistakes, to ask for help when you don’t know the answers and that not everything has to be centered around competition,” Chan said.