Abstract This paper discusses the educationsystems in both Britain where it is similar to that in the U.S. and Japan which has one of the most rigorous educationalsystems in the world. It briefly describes the structure of both systems and the level of involvement of the government in both countries in setting the curriculum as well as relevant statistics. It provides a compare and contrast analysis between the educationsystems in both countries highlighting definate similarities such as compulsory education between the ages of 5 and 16 and major differences such as social problems in Japan due to pressures to excel. Common issues in both the British and Japaneseeducationsystems are enhancing diversity, providing children with the tools necessary to remain current with technological advances, strengthening the relationship between schools, families, and communities.
From the Paper "There are two parallel educational systems in Britain: the state system, where education is provided free, and the independent system, where parents normally pay fees. (The British Education System). Nearly 1 in 13 British school-age children are in the independent system. (The British Education System). Britain has a national curriculum, i.e., a statement of the minimum learning requirements of all children at each stage in their education. (The British Education System). This curriculum is compulsory in the state system and while independent schools are not bound by it, most of them teach what the national curriculum demands. (The British Education System)."
Abstract This paper queries the sustainability of the educational methods of Cuba, South Africa and Sudan in terms of creating egalitarian and socially equal societies that empower the masses. Furthermore,the paper continues with Anders Breidlid's ideas about Cuba saying that "The social capital injected into communities over generations has paved the way for the possession of cultural capital, not only for a small elite, but for the majority of the population." The paper further discusses this in conjunction with Carnoy's concept of "state-generated social capital" in Cuba and compares them to South Africa's ideological educationalsystem as seen by the declarations of its curriculum and Sudan's educationsystem being Islamic. Pertinent questions are raised and discussed by the paper. The paper further asks whether the Cuban model is replicable without an authoritarian, coercive environment to ensure its success.
Outline:
Introduction
A Mechanistic Vs. an Ecological Approach to Sustainable Education Cuba's Educational Discourse and Equality
The Educational Discourse of South Africa's C2005
State-generated Social Capital in Levelling the Field
Language in Education in South Africa
Sudan's Islamic Educational Discourse
Education Towards a Theocracy?
Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses in Sudan
The Discourse of Inclusion/Exclusion, Gender and Sustainability
Critiquing Cuba's Paternalistic Educational Discourse
Conclusion
From the Paper "Civil society is now questioning the revolution's legitimacy in providing access to knowledge. For instance, the Biblioteca Independiente Felix Varela was established by Mexidor and her husband Ramon Castillo with the aim of providing other sources of information and knowledge other than that promoted by the government through voluntary donations. Within a year, 13 such independent libraries operated in the island. However, they were soon subjected to government harassment and persecution to the extent that the couple had to seek asylum abroad in 2001 (Cruz-Taura 2003: Online). With reference to Sterling's (2001) table above, Cuba's educational ethos is clearly a mechanistic one of manipulation, control and dependence with a centralized power-base hierarchy that aims at standardization and homogeneity. "
Abstract This paper focuses on the prison educationsystem. The paper examines parents that are incarcerated, and the hopelessness that they feel in attempting to care for their children, and how this can lead to crime. The paper explores the elements of prison education that can serve as rehabilitation to these individuals, and the affects of incarceration on the children of inmates. The paper draws conclusions based on the research, and provides an insight for prison education that is not often considered within society.
From the Paper "More than 30% of single mothers are living at or below the poverty level in the United States. 60% of all households in which the single mother is Hispanic, and 45% of all households in which the single mother is African American are poor. 25% of those in poverty do not have a high school diploma. 13 million children each day suffer from the deprivations that poverty brings ("Poverty", 2005). What if just one of those children belonged to you? What if you cold not qualify for welfare because you had a minimum wage job, but the job barely paid the rent, and there was no spousal support, and no family to lend you a hand? What if then the children cried for food? What would you do?"
Abstract This paper studies America's educationalsystem, which it says is rife with problems that stem from inadequate and inequitable funding, opportunity and quality. The paper examines and assesses ways to improve U.S. schools, examining the role that a wide variety of players can take: from the teacher in the classroom to the parent at home, from local school boards to state and federal governments. The paper concludes that while improvement of America's schools requires a community-wide cooperative effort, the bottom line is that funding must be increased.
Outline:
Teachers' Role in Improvement
Parents' Role in Improvement
Local School Boards' Role in Improvement
State Governments' Role in Improvement
Federal Government's Role in Improvement
Final Recommendations
From the Paper "As employees in the public sector, teachers are in the not-for-profit business. Naturally, within an organization that does not function for a profit, salaries are less than that of organizations which function for monetary gain. One of the most often heard complaints from educators is the low salary. The amount of work that is required to teach using methods known as best practices monstrously overshadows the amount of time actually spent with the students. This lack of pay for preparation leads to teachers putting less effort and time into preparing their lessons which lead to a decline in the quality of education that is given to the students. The question is how to increase the pay of public school teachers to their contentment with the support of the taxpayers who supply the funding. This tends to be a great issue especially in areas with aging populations who do not directly benefit from the school system in the area."
Abstract This paper explains that the Japanese Distribution System is completely non-conventional from the perspective of Western business practices, which makes it difficult for any Westerner to understand the complexities of the relationship between the various channels and their workers in Japan. The author points out that channel management assumes that active players, not passive consumers, form the major part of this system; they have individual needs and wants and apply these different needs and wants in no regular pattern. The paper stresses that the easiest and quickest method, by which to enter this market, is to form a strategic alliance with an established Japanese company such as the partnership of Kentucky Fried Chicken with Mitsubishi Keirishi.
From the Paper "The fact is that the Japanese Distribution System came into being during the early years of the seventeenth century, when several cottage industries in combination with the growing urban population gave rise to the phenomenon of a brand new class of people, known as the 'merchant class'. Another important fact to remember is the truth that almost all Japanese companies generally operate on the principle of very little equity, and a large amount of debts, wherein the manufacturers are ready to supply their goods to wholesalers in return for what are known as 'promissory notes' with terms that range from six months to more. "
Abstract This paper explains that the contrasting educationalsystems of China and the United States have much to do with their history: The Chinese educationsystem is driven by the central government; whereas, in the United States, the system is based on locality. The author points out that, although China values higher education and the overall process of education within its youth, the culture itself demands both obedience within its students as well as respect for elders; therefore, the educationalsystem's focus is not on innovation but rather on memorization and appreciation for the past. The paper relates that the American educationalsystem takes an almost opposite approach to its cultural education philosophy; since this nation was founded on the principle and spirit of innovation, its educationalsystems promote, for the most part, the spirit of ingenuity and constant innovation.
From the Paper "The United States system is differing in that its K-12 system is consist on a national level. Therefore, no emphasis is given to any crafts and education is on general information through the entire k-12 process. The importance of this is that it gives everyone an equal opportunity to go to college, but it also prevents those who do not go to college from receiving special and specific training early on in their careers. The pros and cons of this system involves its education standards. While the national creed is that of equality and excellence, the focus of schools in the United States is to achieve uniform excellence, and areas of poverty and strife are often glossed over for areas of extreme wealth and intelligence. Therefore this system does not grant as much equal opportunity as one might assume on face value. However, there is more opportunity in general for students to have the opportunity to go to college and pursue higher education, whereas in China the possibility might very well stop once a student enters high school."
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to underline the relationship between the elements of the state of Saudi Arabia and the reality these elements shape, with a focus on the educationalsystem the Saudi state set in motion, especially in the second part of the 20th century. The focus of the paper is on a wide account of the educationsystem in Saudi Arabia, with all its stages of evolution, values, and influences. The first part constitutes a brief historical background of the Saudi state. The second aspect dealt with in this paper involves the actual evolution of the educationsystem in Saudi Arabia.
Outline:
Historical Background
The Evolution of the EducationalSystem in Saudi Arabia
Current Issues in the EducationalSystem in Saudi Arabia
Reformation of the EducationalSystem in Saudi Arabia
Women and the Educational Reform
Conclusions
From the Paper "Therefore the stand of the official executive branch represents a clear distinction between the need to develop and the spiritual needs of each Muslim. Despite the fact that first and foremost every Saudi thinks himself as a Muslim and then as a Saudi citizen, the recent priorities of the government tend to change focus and develop more initiatives that would eventually develop the country.
"The perspective offered by the reformist attempts that are underway in Saudi Arabia is relatively encouraging because it touches on serious yet sensitive issues dealing with the social and political structure of the state. At the same time it is a democratic exercise, from a double point of view. On the one hand, it promotes compromise among the political and religious forces, which is between the Saudi Family and the Wahhabis; on the other hand, it shows the population the state's desire to modernize and come into agreement with the rest of the democratic and prosperous countries.
"However, an important element most opinions seem not to agree upon is the situation of women in the society and in the educational system reform."
Tags: middle east, values history muslim identity system
Abstract This paper examines the widely accepted idea that the Irish educationsystem leads to social inequality. It maintains that it is possible to argue the case that social inequality in Ireland influences and shapes its educationsystem. It holds that, in general, most western educationsystems are based upon societal values and customs. The paper looks specifically at secondary-level education. Using Goldthorpe's model of class categorization to differentiate between the various social classes, the paper concentrates on the working-class and the middle-class categories. The paper also deals with the issue of equality of access to secondary and higher educationsystems, with regards to location, curriculum, social behavior and financial matters. It attempts to determine how and why these factors create social inequality in contemporary Ireland. The paper concludes that, due to social and cultural barriers, the working classes continue to be denied access to a full and healthy educational career.
From the Paper "If we look at the report published by the Department of Education and Science (1998, p.27) concerning educational performance and family background, we see that while over 50% of those in the "Higher Professional" family background leave secondary school with over five honours in the Leaving Certificate, only 4.1% of children whose parents are unskilled manual workers will manage to achieve the same success (Tovey and Share, 2000.) That said, the percentage of children whose parents belong to the "semi/unskilled manual" occupational group attending vocational schools is far higher than that of children from "upper non-manual" family backgrounds (Breen, 1984), according to a survey carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute."
Abstract Modern European / Western education finds in its current form, roots that stretch back to Socrates and further to the earliest forms of oral histories and story-telling. The western model of education is based almost exclusively upon lecture, experience and review, is graduated in complexity and content over time, and covers, in general, approximately 12 years of a student's life. The content of lessons, regardless of context and subject, generally follow a specific structure with a philosophy of development that finds its origins in Locke, Rousseau, and Pasteur. During the 19th century, on the heels of the Age of Enlightenment and through the Romantic Era, education underwent fundamental changes. Many different factors influenced the form and content of that education, most significantly, perhaps, being that of nationalizing and standardizing the educationalsystem. It is the purpose of this paper to examine the history of educationalsystems during the 19th century Europe, differences in gender-involvement, the influence of Napoleon, Locke, Rousseau, Pasteur and other thinkers from the Enlightenment and Romantic periods, all with the intent of demonstrating how our modern model of education has been shaped and determined by these factors.
Abstract This paper argues that the U.S. educationsystem has dealt with the the tension between liberalism and democracy in the American educationsystem by creating a public school system that embraces as many different cultures as possible via a policy of accommodation. In short, the paper looks at how the American educationsystem earnestly seeks to give private individuals and their families some semblance of choice while pursuing an agenda that satisfies the socialization goals of liberal democracies. The paper then discusses and defines the uneasy relationship between the liberal dimension of political liberalism and the liberal democratic demands of political liberalism and briefly looks at how America has dealt with this schism in general. The paper concludes by exploring the modern-day educationsystem's efforts to privilege tolerance for others in a way that still permits individuals to exercise some autonomy - even if the traditional role of parent has increasingly fallen into the hands of the public school.
From the Paper "The relationship between liberalism and democracy is undeniably tense in modern American life and this is especially evident in the United States education system. Meira Levinson writes that the "liberal" dimension of political liberalism seeks to keep as much of the individual citizen's life in the private domain as possible; in short, the objective is to shield people from state interference. Conversely, the aforementioned political liberalism also has a democratic dimension wherein the maintenance of liberal democratic institutions is considered of the utmost importance. Consequently, there is a countervailing insistence that citizens identify with the political community and demonstrate the public virtues of critical reflection, mutual respect, and tolerance (Levinson, 333-334)."
Abstract The paper shows that one of the greatest problems facing the American nation today is that of its failing school systems. It is a favorite rhetorical trope of politicians that education is an investment in our nation's future. The paper discusses how few politicians are truly interested in remedying the situation in real, constructive ways. It explores two ways politicians have recently attempted to improve the nation's educationsystem by introducing an expanded school voucher system and raising state standards for children's education via increased standardized testing. These solutions are attractive to voters because they do not cause much of a drain upon taxpayer's funds. The paper argues however that ultimately the only real solution that will result in a real and long-lasting improvement in the education is that all American children receive increased funding for schools.
From the Paper "This real increase in funds was used to support summer schools, remedial programs, and actual steps to support student's ability to strive for real standards. Such programs do not attempt to close failing schools through heightened competition with the private sector, or support school's attempts to simply set standards without taking real steps to ensure students meet these standards. Recently, Michigan cut over 100 million from its early childhood education and remedial help program for elementary school children. California eliminated its system of monetary awards to public schools that meet standards in the state. Although standards were not lowered in either state, how can students meet such standards without adequate support from teachers and a supported curriculum?"
This paper reviews and analyzes the content in "The Red Pencil," written by Theodore R. Sizer, which is persuasive and powerful critique of the American educationsystem.
Abstract This comprehensive book review examines the views and opinions of author and educator Theodore Sizer, chairman and founder emeritus of the Coalition of Essential Schools. In Sizer's book, the author reflects on experiences from his life and career to offer a compelling critique of the American school system. This paper details the book's content as well as Sizer's contention that the current educational policy should be a product resulting from an amalgamation of family, school and government benefit. The author further discussed the failure in understanding the difference between teaching and learning while insisting that formal schooling must familiarize with and meet the strong influences found beyond the traditional classroom. This paper also discusses the author's concern about the attitude of bureaucracy, which he claims are the real evils that have not allowed the educationsystem to flourish and realize its true potential. He criticizes the mindset of the bureaucrats who try to enfold this broad process of education by their lack of vision and backward attitudes.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
About the Author
Summary & Analysis of the Book
Critical Review
Conclusion of the Book
Works Cited
From the Paper "A dean, teacher, researcher, professor and principal; Theodore R. Sizer brings to readers an appealing and valuable critique of American education enfold in a chronicle. He draws attention on his fifty years by identifying three critical areas wherein policy discussion regarding public education has been seriously ignored. He recommended and argued that this ignorance and silence should be broken and all should rethink of educating this youth. He further discussed the unsuccessfulness of understanding the difference between teaching and learning, as formal schooling should be familiarize with and meet the strong influences found beyond usual classrooms."
Abstract This paper presents many reasons for the failure of the American public educationsystem. The author believes that it is only a matter of time before this antiquated and destructive way of conducting the educational business of America's students forces the United States to seek other ways to educate their children. The paper concludes that the educationalsystem as it exists today is in so much trouble that the federal and state governments must quickly and deliberately seek new options to alleviate this frightening social condition.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Major Disruptive Influences
Outside Influence
Traditional Values
Television and Other Technologies
Teaching Methods
Uncreative Behavior
Negative Reinforcement
Conclusion
From the Paper "An additional factor which has greatly led to the breakdown of the American public educational system is the teaching methods and pedagogical philosophies applied by teachers and educators. Dr. Wilson lists three primary traits which have decreased the functionality of the public school system--first, "a highly authoritarian system that forces children to learn at a pace, a time and in an order determined by the teacher's convenience" (2006, Internet) which indicates that teachers rely much too heavily on antiquated teaching methods and naturally assume that all students learn best in a classroom environment with their peers."
Abstract This paper explains that, in "Part One: Teachers", as the educationalsystem continues to come under increasing amounts of scrutiny, the teacher is ultimately at the fulcrum of pressure. The author points that, in "Part Four: Curriculum", the curriculum essentially is the content that is considered worth learning; but, educators are unresolved over the question of what is worth knowing when knowledge is changing at an exponential rate. The paper relates, in ?Part Six: Foundations of Education?, that pedagogy, and not methodology, is the term used in discussing the habits and patterns a school uses in order to pursue its goals of replacing ignorance with intelligence in the students? lives.
Table of Contents
Part One: Teachers
Part Two: Students
Part Four: Curriculum
Part Five: Instruction
Part Six: Foundations of Education Part Seven: Miscellaneous
From the Paper "In light of the increased levels of demands placed on teachers and the continuing decline of academic performance, it is no wonder that today's teacher is suffering from a loss of self-esteem. Teachers are considered important and valuable for the work they do, but their work is done in relative obscurity. According to Chall, in her piece "Restoring Dignity and Self-Worth to teachers" society values the product of an effective teacher, a well-educated child, but does not value the teacher enough to pay him or her well. This has been the approach of the American education institutions since the time of de Tocqueville."
Tags: instuction, pedagogy, teacher, system, society
Abstract This paper explains that the theory of radical behaviorism assumes that variables of the psychology are actually misidentified responses; therefore, by applying radical behaviorism to society, a better society, without the tremendous number of social ills and individual abnormalities that exist today, can be forged within the relative short time span of three generations. The author stresses that the educationalsystem, the backbone of society from which future workers, leaders and scientists arise, is faltering. The paper outlines three icons of the educationalsystem, which would benefit immensely from radical behaviorism: The grading system, the area of punishment for misbehavior and the class delineations of age and grade level.
From the Paper "Another way that the educational system could be improved through radical behaviorism is in the area of punishment for misbehavior. It is quite common for those individuals who get into trouble in school to be suspended from attending. Using this type of reinforcement is not withholding the reward. School is obviously not the reward for these individuals, yet we tell them if they misbehave bad enough we will not allow them to attend. Punishment for misbehavior needs to be behavior modification drills that alter the bad behavior rather than rewarding it. The goal of education is to impart knowledge, skills, or information. Therefore the educational system should work towards this goal. Punishment for misbehavior sidetracks the educational system by diverting it from its goal."
Tags: misidentified, time, grading, punishment, age
