Comparison between Educational Systems
You will compare the U.S. educational system with that of another country. Do
the following:
1.Go to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: Education GPS �
United States (OECD, n.d.):
2.Read through the claims identified for the country�s attributes.
3.Select �Change selection of country or topic.� Under the tab �Analyze by country,�
select one country that scored higher than the U.S. in 2015 as shown in the PISA report
in Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Science, Reading, and Mathematics
Literacy in an International Context: First Look at PISA 2015 (Kastberg, Yin Cahn, &
Murray, 2016).
4.Using evidence from the report and your research, develop a 2- to 3-page comparison
paper that addresses the following:
o How much higher were the scores of the country you chose over the scores of the
U.S.? Why do you think this is so?
o Of the two countries, which one:
? Provides the greatest opportunity to educate all citizens?
? Has the highest achievement for post-secondary students?
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? Invests the most resources for citizens who are in the education institution?
o Which country�s educational system would you want to teach in? Why? Provide
empirical evidence to justify your claims.
o Do you think the PISA report (Kastberg, Ying Chan, & Murray, 2016) should be
considered a reliable source of evidence for schools and policy makers to use when
making decisions? Provide evidence to logically support your claim.
Canada is the second largest and the most educated country in the world. The United States of
America is an emerging country regarding the increase in education. The comparison of these
two countries on the PISA report of 2015 showed some surprising results. Canada had overall
higher mean scores in all three things- Science, Reading, and Mathematics. In Science, the mean
score for Canada was 32 points above that of U.S. In Reading, the mean score was 30 points
more, and in Mathematics the difference between the mean scores for Canada and U.S was 46
points making this the largest difference among all three categories. (Nationmaster, 2017)
In my opinion, this difference is from history, Canada has gone through a series of reforms in its
education system. These changes include giving a more focused education to kids and building
healthy relationships between students and teachers. The teachers and educators are trained in a
better way too now, allowing them to deliver the lesson simply and effectively. For the United
States, the education system has seen a downfall in the past decade. With cuts in the education
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budget, schools are being closed in every other community forcing the children to quit education.
The advent of technology in classrooms has also played a role in disrupting education in the U.S.
For teachers, using a television screen to play a video is much easier than actually teaching the
kids. For kids, understanding the lessons being taught by teachers in the higher grades gets
difficult every day because they are not used to learning like that. These reasons have led to a
huge overall difference between the education being provided in the U.S and the education given
in the Canada. The results of the PISA show which country is succeeding and which country has
to work harder to provide quality education to kids. (Fullan, 2017)
Comparing Canada and United States, the country which provides the greatest opportunity to
educate all citizens in Canada. Canada is an advocate of human rights and since the very
beginning has always promoted education for all. The highest achievement for post-secondary
students is also in Canada. Canada has comparatively less tuition fee as compared to U.S and this
allows the students to work harder without worrying about the tuition fee. Canada also invests
the most resources for citizens who are in the educational institutions. Over the years, the
economy of the United States has grown but the resources being spent on education has declined
in comparison. Canada, on the other hand, has invested more in its public schools and made
education better for all communities.
The country where I would want to work as a teacher would be Canada. Canada has the highest
pay for teachers compared to educators around the world. In Canada, teaching is not taken as a
secondary profession as is done in U.S. They are respected, they work hard, and they are given
their due share in all benefits. It is true that according to research, for a group of 1000 students,
there are more teachers available in the U.S than in Canada, but this is perhaps another reason for
me to choose Canada, because this indicates that there is no need for more teachers in the U.S.
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The U.S needs to invest more in its teachers who are already working and needs to make them
better. I would want to work in a well-established educational system where I can grow and learn
more myself. (Rushowy, 2015).
I think the PISA report (Kastberg, Ying Chan, & Murray, 2016) should be considered a reliable
source of evidence for schools and policy makers to use when making decisions. It is a very
comprehensive report that covers many of the major issues faced by the education systems of the
world. It answers questions related to each category of the education system and also highlights
the various reasons which contribute to this low level of education in most countries. When using
the PISA report, it should be noted that various cultures and values differ in the countries. If the
policy makers need to make a positive difference, they have to take into account these cultural
aspects and then come up with practical and possible solutions to this education problem.
(Kastberg et. al., 2016)
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References:
Fullan, M. (2017). “What America Can Learn From Ontario’s Education Success.” The Atlantic,
Kastberg, D. Yin Chan, J. Murray, D. (2016). “Performance of U.S. 15-year-old Students in
Science, Reading, and Mathematics Literacy in International Context (PISA 2016)” by National
Center for Education Statistics, p. 14, 37-38.
Nationmaster, (2017). “Canada Vs United States: Education Facts And Stats.”
Rushowy, K. (2017). “Canadian Teachers Among Top Paid Worldwide, Study Finds | Toronto
Star.” Thestar.Com,
