After reading my book, The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got There by Amanda Ripley, I concluded that the author had 3 main ideas that she wanted to convey.
1) There is a problem with education in America. The requirements for becoming a teacher are at very low standards compared to the top educated countries such as Poland, Finland, and Korea. For example, in some colleges, there is no need to major in math to attain a teacher’s degree. The reason for children in America have a lower math efficiency than the rest of the world because of their educators. The quality of education that children receive is automatically set to a low bar. Ripley states that acquiring a career in the teaching field in America is simple because it isn't competitive.
2) There isn't a common core standard throughout the U.S. Each state, or group of states have their own standards in education. This variation of standards causes a rift between the performances of students. Minnesota for example is competitively ranked with China and Korea in math. Whereas Oklahoma stands at almost last place in international performance for math. The variety of courses that are taught in each state directly correlates to the academic achievement of the children.
3) Education in America is relatively easier than other countries due to the curriculum standards and level of competition. The credentials and requirements for jobs are set at a lower bar than other countries. To put the difficulties of acquiring careers in the U.S and acquiring careers in other countries such as Poland into perspective, it is as difficult to get a teaching job in Poland as it is becoming a doctor in America.
That's really interesting; the fact comparing the relative difficulty of obtaining a teaching career in Poland vs. the difficulty of becoming a doctor in the United States is what I found most noteworthy.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experiences, what Ripley is saying is without a doubt correct. I always see in the math and science competitions that we go to that Asian students tend to be in abundance, and I have to believe that this is the product of the competitiveness that you alluded to in this post. On top of that, we both have heard of how competitive the Indian education system is, so without a doubt, the argument that is presented must have basis.
As it pertains to our question, I'd have to think that the differences in the education systems are largely responsible for breeding the differences in cultural attitudes toward the sciences; I don't think that it can be argued that Asian cultures seem to idolize mathematics and science at the expense of other disciplines, so this clearly shows the power that education can have in sculpting these societal attitudes. Asian cultures, and likely certain European ones, are geared to be more favorable to the sciences than American culture.
The state of education in the United States has also changed over the course of its history. During the era of Thomas Jefferson, the wealthy members of society were primarily the ones who received an education. But the education that these wealthy members or society received was holistic and allowed them to become lifelong learners. For example, Thomas Jefferson, through his education in history, philosophy, Enlightenment thought, and the arts, Jefferson utilized the knowledge that he gained for the remainder of his life.
ReplyDeleteHowever you say that the lack of a common core standard and lower qualifications for teachers in the United States is producing a comparatively lower education standard in our country relative to that of other countries. Is this to say that the standards of education of those who receive an education have decreased over the course of United States history? Or is it perhaps the rise of a standardized education that is perhaps causing this.