Education Systems of France and America Essay

in that respect argon present many differences in the way of brio betwixt France and the United States of America from the social bodily structure to the job market, from the political atmosphere to the legislative structure from the language to appearance and so on. The focus of my research paper is a comparative view of the system of nurture of the two nations heightslighting the individual traits of each and discussing the similarities and the differences among the two. I will focus on the following How the educational systems of France and the the States are alike and how they differ Similarities and differences amongst the french and American primitive education Similarities and differences amidst French standby and American in high spirits up conditions Approaches to educational crystalize under restorationn by France and the U. S. An trial run of these areas intends to brook a clearer insight to the French and American educational systems. Basic Differe nces amidst the French and American Systems From the germ of the two systems of education, to the policies g overning teachers, the federal calculate allocation for education the dissimilarities are many.I will highlight the major differences between the two explicit systems. According to breeding in France, 2006, in 2006, the French federal cipher for education was $83 billion (or 64. 6 billion Euros) whereas the American budget was $69. 4 billion (Education in America, 2006). The Ministry of National Education is Frances largest employer, employing pedagogs at e genuinely take from childlike to professors, whereas in America, teachers are active by district and professors directly by their respective College or University.There is no unified body, unlike the Ministry of National Education in France, which manages educator employment. French crams are comprised of quaternion components 1. Kindergarten or Maternelle, 2. Primary school or Ecole elementaire, 3. Junior u tmost or College, and 4. High school or Lycee, American schools are generally divided into trinity or four parts, harmonize to Cozic (1992) 1. Preschool and kindergarten 2. Junior high 3. High school Frances philosophy of education is essentially unlike that of the United States, as highlighted below, quoting Fraser (1963)In 1957 the Ministry of National Education gave the following account of school organization in France The hierarchy of the three great branches, Primary, Secondary, and Higher, as conceived by the Constituent Assembly and built by Napoleon to which was later added Technical Education remains the basis of our school organization. French education is divided into three parts basic American education is in effect branched into solely two, primary and secondary, with the terzetto component, high education, is fast becoming a privilege, not enjoyed by as well many pupils in the current era.The high school graduation grade also differ between the two nations. In 2001, it was estimated that 70% of American public high school schoolchilds graduated (Greene & Forster, 2006). France was aiming to achieve 80% high school graduation rate. This seemingly small difference has operative consequences on the literacy levels of the nations, which then become evident in other areas, such as the employment rate, a nations technological or scientific level of advancement, higher education levels of a country (percentage of the population who has attended College or University).Differences in the Primary Educational Systems of France and USA Education at the primary level is highly stressed upon in both(prenominal)(prenominal) the countries. The principals and philosophy of education between both the nations is most similar at this stage in a childs academic career than any other stage. Kindergarten and elementary school, or maternelle and ecole elementaire is viewed as a critical juncture in the life of a child. Attendance in kindergarten and materne lle is compulsory in both the countries thus far parents chose to send their children at as young an age as thinkable 3 or 4 being the average age of attendance.In France, preschool or maternelle is divided into three one- year periods. These are 1. Petite contribution (age 3), 2. Moyenne section (age 4), and 3. Grande section (age 5). There exist also pre-maternelle institutions (or daycare centers), which parents oft decide to send their children to (Lee& Sivell, 2000). Primary schoolhouse Children of both France and the U. S. are essential to attend primary schools. In France, a national mandate has been roofy which dictates the compulsory school attendance of all six year older children ( Education in France, 2006). This isnt the case in America, where the policies differ between the states.A child can start at 5, or 6 dep final stage on the educational laws in the state of hallway. It is generally agreed all the same that children in both America and France should at tend school as primordial as possible, which proves to be beneficial in the cognitive and learning ontogenesis of a child helps to develop their social skills and ins tills disciplinary values. dewy-eyed School Elementary school attendance in both the nations is compulsory too. In America, this usually entails the duration between 6 years to 11 or 12, depending on the states (of residence) insurance on education.The elementary teaching system runs from 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade and so on in the American system. The sixth grade is included in the Elementary system in some state, while not in others. In France, however, due to the national guidelines on education, children begin ecole elementaire from the age of 6 to 10, in the duration of which they pass through five grades, cours preparatoire, cours elementaire premiere annee, cours elementaire deuxieme annee, cours moyen premiere annee and cours moyen deuxieme annee.In the early stages of elementary system (or ecole elemen taire) of both the countries, one or two teachers are assigned to teach all the subjects, which too are real similar, including language, history, geography, social studies, mathematics, science, art or music and physical education ghostly education is avoided at this level in France and in America unaccompanied a very some Elementary schools provide religious courses. High School (or Lycee) methodologyWhile the teaching philosophy and methods between both the countries are unique, they fundamentally serve similar purpose equipping students with a solid educational base to prepare them for their futures. The differences between the French secondary discipline system (college, and gym) and the American minor(postnominal) high and high school are many. There exist similarities too both systems require attendance (although in France no attendance is required after the age 16).In both systems, school selection is based on the area of residence and in both nations parents can pay a little to a greater extent and educate their children privately. In the American secondary system, middle or junior high is the gap of 2 or 3 years between elementary and high school. In France, however, middle school or college ordinarily begins in grade 6, denoted as 6e, at 11 years of age. This lasts four years, going down to grade 3e when the students are about 14. Grade 2e follows, and begins the high school ( secondary school), a three year period, ending with their last year or terminale.In the American system, students commence junior high both at the 6th Grade (age 12) or the 7th Grade (age 13), staying at this stage for 2-3 years and then moving on to Grade 9 (or High School) around the age of 15 (Urdan, 2001, p. 112). This phase extends to four years, ending at the achievement of the 12th Grade. Another major dissimilarity between the two systems is that U. S. students are usually required to take standardized tests as soon as the Grade 6, including the SATs or ACTs occasionally during middle and high school.In France, students can take the standardized tests, or the baccalaureat after the completion of their schooling, to help determine what route theyll take after gym. The French baccalaureat is the combining weight of the U. S. high school diploma, only difference being that French students shake up to clear specific tests to acquire their bac (as it is called. Also, students may decide not to take the bac, since it is in law more an exam for entrance into university than a lycee completion exam (Baccalaureat 2006).A notable aspect of the French lycee is that students are provided the opportunity to specialize in particular courses the last few years of high school. Both the U. S. and French secondary systems require student attendance, but students in France are obliged to attend only till the age of 16. After that certain exams are to be undertaken which decide what courses the student will take for the rest of his/her schoolin g. Students who do well on these examination are give a chance to attend a lycee to study for the baccalaureat till they are 18 years old.Vocational Courses offer those students a shortened study period of two years who take int score well on the entrance tests. That is considered one of the strengths of the French system. Instead of isolating the vocational branch, they amalgamate it inside the secondary schooling system, which is encouraging for students to not only learn about other areas within their current educational system, but to remain with their peers too. Regarding the courses, French students are permitted only a limit number of options for the path they choose to take.They are restricted to a few courses and the number of electives they can take are very few. American students, on the other hand, arent restricted as such. some schools permit their students to take electives, provided they fulfill certain pre-requisites and the extra courses will lastly help them le ad up to a diploma. French students who dont do well on the in 2nde grade exams can prepare for for Brevet dEnseignement Professionel (BEP a certification in teaching), or Certificat dAptitude Professionelle (CAP a certificate of professional aptitude).Both these are payoffously adaptable to earn the student a baccalaureat professionel, which, although not as see as a baccalaureat in other areas, like as math or science, but would still be a huge advantage to students pursuing other areas (Guichard, 2000, p. 62). French students who decide to take the bac are given a choice between three streams, all of which entail goop specializations and carry different weights. They are 1. Scientifique (natural sciences), 2.Economique et sociale (a blend of sciences and literature with some economic science and social studies), and 3. Litteraire (French language, geography, history, foreign languages and literature) (Baccalaureat, 2006). Educational Reform In the recent years, the conseq uence of educational reform has been gaining momentum. The Bush administration set forth a Leave No Child Behind educational reform policy (McGuinn, 2006), with the aim of providing education to every child in the United States.Similarly, in France, educational reform often turns into political issue for the leaders, who bicker over sections of the core curriculum in regards to what is best for the nation. There is a significant disparity between reform in France and America. As stated earlier, France has a standardized curriculum for its public schools, whereas in the United States, the curriculum has to be set by the states and school districts. This is one of the reasons French educational reform is less extensive than the reform bills and acts passed in the U. S.to modify the educational system. final stage Taking into view all the ways in which education differs between France and the United States, it is debatable which country has the superior system. Each of the two countri es agree pros and cons. The question of which system is superior is irrelevant in this context. There is no one correct or incorrect way to educate a child what works well for one student might last for another. Selecting one structure over the other would be meaningless since both have their own set of accolades and setbacks.