Objectives:
When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to:
- Describe the wide range of educational systems that exist in the world.
- Describe the issues that educational systems in various countries have in common.
- Describe the differences among educational systems in the world.
- Compare aspects of education in the United States with those in other nations.
- Assess the attainments of U.S. education relative to educational systems in other countries.
- Describe outstanding educational programs in various nations that may be worth emulating.
Focus and Refocus Questions:
When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions from your textbook:
Focus Questions
- What do educational systems in various countries have in common? In what respects do they differ?
- How do educational systems differ with respect to the resources they devote to education and the percentage of students they enroll?
- How does the achievement of U.S. students compare with that of students in other countries?
- Which countries provide examples of outstanding educational activities that may be worth emulating elsewhere?
- What should be done to improve education in developing countries?
- How do the purposes and attainments of U.S. schools compare with those of other countries?
Refocus Questions
- Are there any other characteristics that you believe may be common to schools in many countries? In what other ways, besides those described, do you think you might be similar to teachers in other countries?
- How do you think U.S. schools would be affected if the country devoted a greater percentage of its resources to education and children's well-being? What might be the effects if the United States began to devote fewer resources?
- How do you think that your work as a teacher may be affected by international comparisons of achievement? How should it be affected?
- Which of these suggestions do you believe would be of most use to developing nations?
- What are the potential benefits of using the educational reforms of other nations as models for improving one's own schools? What are the drawbacks and cautions that educators should observe in adopting school reforms from other countries?
- Do you believe that the increasing similarities between developed nations will eventually lead to increasingly similar educational systems?
