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Using the same principles as above, why do we not go to some of these countrys who are preforming better and preforming better while spending less, and in some cases actually have more children to teach, and find out what they are doing differently. We dont have to implement everything, or even anything they do, but we should at least look because the sad truth is we are raising a nation of dumb kids now. I dont mean the kids are dumb, they can learn, our system is just not giving them that opportunity.
Just my 2 cents.
Actually this was done when a great deal of attention was given to the Japanese and German educational methods in the late 80s and early 90s. It was found that the Japanese schools are very disciplined and assign over three hours of homework a night. They go to school around 240 days a year. If you multiply this out, you will find that a Japanese student may have up to 720 additional days of school over an American student. This divides out to 4 years of American school - all in the same 12 year period. Parents, especially the mothers, take a strong interest in the education of their children and nothing interferes with study. However, Japan had, at that time at least, the highest suicide rate among young people among the developed countries.
According to this report:
Students are tested in to high school and college. Good scores and you go to college prep high schools. Bad scores and you go to a blue-collar, career-oriented high school.
In Japan, you have a lifetime employment with a company. Good news - you may have a job. Bad news - it's your lot for life.
Japanese students are taught conformity to group norms. This does lead to respect for peers and constant worry about what others think. Lots of bullying goes on. On the flip side, American students are taught individuality and creativeness.
Germany "tracks" its students, which means that students are identified early as to talents and abilities and thus educated accordingly. America offers educational opportunities to one and all, regardless of abilities or talents.
This report echoes what I learned about German schools during the time I am referencing: Quote:
In Germany, a typical school day starts at 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning. Classes are on a college-style schedule, with some courses offered only two or three times a week. There is also school on Saturday mornings, in some areas only on alternate Saturdays. Although the school year is ten months long and the summer vacation period only lasts about six weeks, students get many more holidays and short vacations during the school year than do U.S. students. (School days per year — Germany: 220; U.S.: 180). The curriculum usually focuses on mostly academic subjects, even in vocational schools, with a limited offering of physical education, sports, art, and music. Religious instruction is required, but students over the age of 14 can opt out. Interscholastic sports competition is rare, though there may be an occasional track and field contest. Computer science courses are increasingly available (the Germans in particular have begun linking many of their schools via the Internet), but access to computers and other technology is still often quite limited. A 15 or 20-minute break around 10:30 am, called the große Pause, gives students and teachers the opportunity to have a snack and relax before classes start again. There is usually no school cafeteria, as the school day typically ends at around noon or 1:00 pm. (Many schools in the former DDR [GDR] still have cafeterias.) Students go home for lunch, and in the afternoon they usually have a fair amount of homework to do.
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