When I was in sixth grade, I went to a summer camp that people all over the world could attend. There I meet many people from various countries and not only learned about their different cultures, but also their school life.
Among them I met Chinese girls learning calculus in middle school, and a Canadian who had done multiplication games since he was five and is now a national math champion.
Then there was me, who in third grade had to learn multiplication at home, since my teachers did not realize that I was solving three times three through addition.
At this camp, surrounded by students from dozens of countries who were my age, I realized how far behind academically I was — how far behind America was — compared to the rest of the world.
In 2015, students in 70 countries took the Programme for International Student Assessment, an assessment evaluated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in which 15-year-old students all around the world test for reading, math and science. According to Business Insider, the top five scoring countries were all Asian countries: Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Following these countries were Finland, Estonia, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Canada. In these rankings, the United States tied with Italy at 28 out of 70.
With the United States being home to so many prestigious universities but having a mediocre performance in terms of high school education, one can’t help but wonder: What are we doing wrong?
Schools in Asia score high, but tend to be about rote memorization and are often high stress, resulting in higher suicide rates, especially among teens.
Rather than following the standard East Asian route for academics, America could benefit from the contemporary Nordic style education system.
What are these countries doing right? How is their approach to education different? Unlike most of countries that rank highly in the list, children in Finland tend to start school at a later age — around seven years old. Furthermore, Finland also differs from the Asian style education system in that, according to the Smithsonian Magazine, Finnish students only complete one standardized test throughout their academic careers compared to the numerous tests completed in the United States and other countries. The Finnish government also reexamines their education plan every fours years to adapt to new needs that may arise in the education system.
In Finland, teaching is a more respected profession, and it pays better than most other countries as well. According to The Atlantic, a teacher in Finland must have a masters degree to considered for hiring.
The Finnish school system differs greatly in that they emphasize the quality of their early education, and they attempt to lessen the gap in education that can occur with income and race. Private schools are also nonexistent — the educational system is entirely funded by the government. Rather than individual quality, Finland tends to focus on equality. According to Business Insider, 93 percent of Finnish students graduate from high school, which is 17.5 percent higher than the U.S.
On the other hand, some American students are put at a disadvantage based on their family income and resources available to them. While wealthier families can afford tutoring or other educational programs, lower-income families often find it more difficult to find time or means for such programs. It is important that the U.S. implement a system in which schools attempt to lessen the problems that can arise from family income.
However, the U.S. already spends more money compared to other countries in education, ranking fifth in government spending per student (at $115,000 per student), according to the OECD. This money could be utilized for reform in the education system rather than spending more money on top of the excess already being spent. More money being spent is not necessarily an indicator of a better education; the way the money is used determines quality of education. Furthermore, money excessively used on already over funded schools can instead be redistributed to underfunded schools.
According to the OECD, these countries, especially the Asian ones, tend to emphasize the training and selection of teachers, and they usually allow teachers more freedom in their classrooms. While the East Asian style school system emphasizes rigorous and highly competitive learning, the Baltic style school system prioritizes equality.
With more and more rankings being released each year, America continually ranks at an underwhelming level compared to other developed countries.
Hopefully, when educational leaders realize that it’s time for change, American students in all cities and states can prove to be strong competitors against foreign countries, and American students can have a more equal opportunity to thrive and succeed in school.
