Reflection Paper - Educational System of USA

Leonardo Z. Camboja Jr.                                                     Teaching Profession

BEE – 2                                                                             Olga C. Alonsabe, Ph.D.

Reflection Paper – Educational System of USA

March 11, 2013

Education in the United States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: local, state, and federal, in that order. Child education is compulsory, and there are also a large number and wide variety of higher education institutions throughout the country that one can choose to attend, both publicly and privately administered. Public education is universally available. School curricula, funding, teaching, employment, and other policies are set through locally elected school boards with jurisdiction over school districts with many directives from state legislatures. School districts are usually separate from other local jurisdictions, with independent officials and budgets. Educational standards and standardized testing decisions are usually made by state governments.

The ages for compulsory education vary by state. It begins from age’s five to eight and ends from ages fourteen to eighteen. Compulsory education requirements can generally be satisfied by educating children in public schools, state-certified private schools, or an approved home school program. In most public and private schools, education is divided into three levels: elementary school, middle school (sometimes called junior high school), and high school. In almost all schools at these levels, children are divided by age groups into grades, ranging from kindergarten (followed by first grade) for the youngest children in elementary school, up to twelfth grade, the final year of high school. The exact age range of students in these grade levels varies slightly from area to area.

Formal education in the United States dates from 1635, when the Boston Latin School was founded in colonial New England. Grammar schools were established in the larger cities of each colony throughout the rest of the 18th century, as well as several religious colleges. Formal education for women started with the American Revolution, and for black children with the American Civil War. However, Homeschooling remained predominant, especially in the south, until the mid-19th century (the 1840 census revealed that about 55 percent of children attended some form of primary school). Government supported, free public schools for all started being established after the revolution, and expanded in the 19th century, as the results of efforts of men like Horace Mann and Booker T. Washington. By 1870, all states had free elementary schools, albeit only in urban centers. As the 20th century drew nearer, states started passing laws to make schooling compulsory, and by 1910, 72 percent of children attended school. Private schools continued to spread during this time, as well as colleges and—in the rural centers—land grant colleges. The year of 1910 also saw the first true high schools.

The American educational system comprises 12 grades of study over 12 calendar years of primary and secondary education before graduating, and often becoming eligible for admission to higher education. After pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, there are five years in primary school (normally known as elementary school). After completing five grades, the student will enter junior high or middle school and then high school to get the high school diploma. Schooling is compulsory for all children in the United States, but the age range for which school attendance is required varies from state to state. Most children begin elementary education with kindergarten (usually five to six years old) and finish secondary education with twelfth grade (usually eighteen years old). In some cases, pupils may be promoted beyond the next regular grade. Some states allow students to leave school between 14–17 with parental permission, before finishing high school; other states require students to stay in school until age 18 Most parents send their children to either a public or private institution. According to government data, one-tenth of students are enrolled in private schools. Approximately 85% of students enter the public schools, largely because they are tax-subsidized.            The curriculum in public elementary education is determined by individual school districts. The school district selects curriculum guides and textbooks that reflect a state's learning standards and benchmarks for a given grade level. Learning Standards are the goals by which states and school districts must meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) as mandated by No Child Left Behind (NCLB Elementary School teachers are trained with emphases on human cognitive and psychological development and the principles of curriculum development and instruction. Teachers typically earn either a Bachelors or Masters Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Middle school and Junior high school include the grade levels intermediate between elementary school and senior high school. "Middle school" usually includes sixth, seventh and eighth grade; "Junior high" typically includes seventh, eighth, and ninth grades. The range defined by either is often based on demographic factors, such as an increase or decrease in the relative numbers of younger or older students, with the aim of maintaining stable school populations. At this time, students are given more independence, moving to different classrooms for different subjects, and being allowed to choose some of their class subjects (electives). Usually, starting in ninth grade, grades become part of a student’s official transcript. Most homeschooling advocates are wary of the established educational institutions for various reasons. Some are religious conservatives who see nonreligious education as contrary to their moral or religious systems, or who wish to add religious instruction to the educational curriculum (and who may be unable to afford a church-operated private school or where the only available school may teach views contrary to those of the parents). Others feel that they can more effectively tailor a curriculum to suit an individual student’s academic strengths and weaknesses, especially those with singular needs or disabilities. Still others feel that the negative social pressures of schools (such as bullying, drugs, crime, sex, and other school-related problems) are detrimental to a child’s proper development. Parents often form groups to help each other in the homeschooling process, and may even assign classes to different parents, similar to public and private schools.             For K–12 schools, according to a 2005 report from the OECD, the United States is tied for first place with Switzerland when it comes to annual spending per student on its public schools, with each of those two countries spending more than $11,000. However, the United States is ranked 37th in the world in education spending as a percentage of gross domestic product. All but seven of the leading countries are in developing countries; ranked high because of a low GDP. U.S. public schools lag behind the schools of other developed countries in the areas of reading, math, and science. The federal government contributes money to certain individual school districts as part of Federal Impact Aid. The original idea was that the federal government paid no local real estate taxes on their property to support local schools. Children of government employees might move in and impact an area which required expenditure for education at the local level. This aid was a way of equalizing the unexpected impact. An issue facing curricula today is the use of the English language in teaching. English is spoken by over 95% of the nation, and there is a strong national tradition of upholding English as the de facto official language. Some 9.7 million children aged 5 to 17 primarily speak a language other than English at home. Of those, about 1.3 million children do not speak English well or at all.

Reflection Paper - Educational System of Mexico

Leonardo Z. Camboja Jr.                                                     Teaching Profession

BEE – 2                                                                            Olga C. Alonsabe, Ph.D.

Reflection Paper – Educational System of Mexico

March 1, 2013

The Catholic Church played a significant role in Mexican education during the Colonial era, which extended from first European contact in the early sixteenth century until the Mexican revolution.The Roman Catholic Church and Spanish crown, on the other hand, wanted to establish a colonial form of feudal privilege and religious dissent. Clearly, the Catholic Church was intent on cultural genocide, often building their churches on sacred sites of the aboriginal idols.Franciscans provided the early education of the Indians and mestizo peasants, which consisted mainly of instruction in Catholicism. The Jesuits and Augustinians, on the other hand, provided the more classical education for Spanish emigrants and the criollos. Vasco de Quiroga, a liberal Catholic judge and Bishop, is credited with starting the first school for the natives, the hospital-school of Santa Fe established on the outskirts of Mexico City in 1531.

Recently, basic education is normally divided in three steps: Primary school (primaria), comprising grades 1-6;the ration per classroom is 28:1, while junior high school comprising grades 7-9 (secundaria); and high school comprising grades 10-12 is 17:1 per classroom.) And the medium language is Spanish. Depending on the school, a bilingual education may be offered from the beginning, where half the day instruction is in Spanish, and the rest is in a second language, for example, English or French.At this level, more specialized subjects may be taught such as Physics and Chemistry, and World History.When the student's age is 15 to 18 years old, students may choose between 2 main kinds of high school programs.Secondary education is divided in two levels: lower secondary, or secundaria, and upper secondary education.

Since 1993 secundaria has become part of compulsory basic education. Lower secondary is structured into three grades and is offered in several modalities, including general, telesecondary, and technical ordistance education. This type of education is offered to children between the ages of 12 and 16 years who have completed elementary school. People older than 16 years of age can obtain secundaria education by attending secondary school for workers or for adults, two other available modalities.The second level of secondary education is upper secondary education; this level of education involves several options and is available to those who have completed compulsory education. There are three subsystems in this category: general upper secondary, which includes open and distance upper secondary education; technical professional education, which trains qualified professional in different fields; and technological upper secondary, which offers the opportunity to obtain professional technician degrees and prepares the students to continue on to higher education. General upper secondary education is offered through bachiller colleges (CB), preparatoria schools, science and humanities colleges (CCH), and incorporated bachilleratos.

In general, in the compulsory school grades, boys and girls are almost equally represented: males, 92 percent; females, 91 percent. However, this balance is upset in the upper grades. Even though the gap is closing, males tend to be represented in greater numbers than females, particularly in higher education. With the exception of vocational, technical, and teacher education, representation of men at all levels of education (including university undergraduate and graduate levels) is higher than women's. Teachers were held in high esteem in their communities, but as the fervor of revolutionary nationalism began to subside, the sense of mission, which motivated many teachers, started to wear off. Mexico does not appear to have a shortage of teachers. Salaries, like in just about any developing country, are low for teachers. In 1998 the entry level, gross annual salary for elementary school teachers in Mexico City was $6,068. Teachers with 10 years of experience earned an annual gross salary of $7,904. These earnings included bonuses, vacations, and other benefits. Jobs in Mexico City are among the best paid. Considering that a campesino in one of the poorest regions may earn the equivalent of about half the entry level salary of a teacher, the profession is no longer seen as prestigious as it once was.

Reflection Paper - Educational System of United Kingdom

Leonardo Z. Camboja Jr.                                                     Teaching Profession

BEE – 2                                                                             Olga C. Alonsabe, Ph.D.

Reflection Paper – Educational System of United Kingdom

March 6, 2013

The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved national administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a third of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.

Prominent English figures from the field of science and mathematics include Sir Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle, Priestley, Charles Babbage, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, Christopher Wren, Alan Turing, Francis Crick, Joseph Lister, Tim Berners-Lee, Dirac, Andrew and Richard Dawkins. Some experts claim that the earliest concept of a metric system was invented by John Wilkins, the first secretary of the Royal Society, in 1668. As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, England was home to many significant inventors during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Famous English engineers include Isambard Kingdom Brunel, best known for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, and numerous important bridges, hence revolutionizing public transport and modern-day engineering. Thomas Newcomen's steam engine helped spawn the Industrial Revolution. The physician Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccine is said to have "saved more lives [...] than were lost in all the wars of mankind since the beginning of recorded history.

 With over 53 million inhabitants, England is by far the most populous country of the United Kingdom, accounting for 84% of the combined total. England taken as a unit and measured against international states has the fourth largest population in the European Union and would be the 25th largest country by population in the world. With a density of 407 people per square kilometer, it would be the second most densely populated country in the European Union after Malta.

As its name suggests, the English language, today spoken by hundreds of millions of people around the world, originated as the language of England, where it remains the principal tongue today Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in England, as it has been since the Early Middle Ages, although it was first introduced much earlier, in Gaelic and Roman times. It continued through Early Insular Christianity, and today about 59% of English people identify as Christians.  

The Department for Education is the government department responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including education. State-run and -funded schools are attended by approximately 93% of English schoolchildren. Of these, a minority are faith schools, primarily Church of England or Catholic. Between three and four is nursery school, 4 and 11 is primary school, and 11 to 16 is secondary school. After finishing compulsory education, pupils take a GCSE examination, following which they may decide to continue in further education for two years. Further education colleges, such as sixth form colleges are either separate or attached to the secondary school institution and prepare students to sit A-Level examinations, for higher education at universities.

Although most English secondary schools are comprehensive, in some areas there are selective intake grammar schools, to which entrance is subject to passing the eleven plus exam. Around 7.2% of English schoolchildren attend private schools, which are funded by private sources. Standards in state schools are monitored by the Office for Standards in Education, and in private schools by the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

Students normally enter universities in the United Kingdom from 18 onwards, where they study for an academic degree. There are over 90 universities England, all but one of which is public. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is the government department responsible for higher education in England. Students are generally entitled to student loans for maintenance. The first degree offered to undergraduates is the Bachelor's degree, which usually takes three years to complete. Students are then eligible for a postgraduate degree, a Master's degree, taking one year, or a Doctorate degree, which takes three.

England's universities include some of the highest-ranked universities in the world; the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, the University of Oxford and University College London are all ranked in the global top 10 in the 2010 QS World University Rankings. The London School of Economics has been described as the world's leading social science institution for both teaching and research. The London Business School is considered one of the world's leading business schools and in 2010 its MBA programmed was ranked best in the world by the Financial Times. Academic degrees in England are usually split into classes: first class (I), upper second class (II:1), lower second class (II:2) and third (III), and unclassified (below third class).The King's School, Canterbury and King's School, Rochester are the oldest schools in the English-speaking world.^] Many of England's better-known schools, such as Winchester College, Eton College, St Paul's School, Rugby School, and Harrow School are fee-paying institutions. England’s known also as a rich in poetry, literature, philosopher, architecture and visual arts.  

As what the reporters trying to show is that, UK educational system cannot be comparable of others nations because they are rich and supportive in all dealings in terms of welfare of the people through education. As we all know that famous and prestigious universities are found in UK that most people are dream to enroll. The word that can I say to their educational system is excellent.

Reflection Paper - Educational System of South Africa

Leonardo Z. Camboja Jr.                                                                         Teaching Profession

BEE – 2                                                                                                 Olga C. Alonsabe, Ph.D.

Reflection Paper – Educational System of South Africa

March 4, 2013

Poised in a geographically strategic location, South Africa for centuries was the object of battles fought between European invaders and the indigenous Africans. South Africa today is a rich kaleidoscope of people, languages, and cultures. With its extremely ethnically diverse population, South Africa has 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu. Of the original African peoples who lived in the southern African tip, only a few members of the San ('Bushmen') and KhoiKhoi communities (Hottentots) have survived. Anthropologists describe the majority of South Africa's indigenous people as Bantu-speaking people. (However, since aBantu refers to people and Isintu to language, this group of Africans should more accurately be designated Sintu-speaking people.) The Bantu include the Nguni, two-thirds of the African population who speak closely related 'languages' (more accurately, dialects of the Nguni language—isiZulu, isiXhosa, isiNdebele, and siSwati). The second largest group of indigenous South Africans is the Sotho speaking group, while the Tsonga and the Venda are smaller groups. The "Coloureds," along with the Afrikaners (descendants of mainly Dutch, French Huguenot, and German settlers), speak Afrikaans, a language developed from Dutch by KhoiKhoi and Malaysian slaves as a pidgin language. South Africans of British and other European descent (notably, Jews from the Baltic States) identify themselves as English-speaking South Africans, while the Indian South African population mainly speaks Tamil, Hindi, and Gujarati.The arrival of Europeans in southern Africa was by far the most traumatic experience the indigenous communities had ever experienced by the 1600s. In 1652 the Dutch set up a mainland base in the territory of the KhoiKhoi for their East India Company (VOC) as a victual ling station for their own passing ships.

The South African academic Year it is started on January and end up to December. Education composed of Primary School reception to grade 6; Secondary School or Junior Secondary, from grades 7-9; Further Education and Training ages 10-12 respectively. In higher education they will received Certificates and Diplomas (generally 1-2 years of study); for Bachelors’ Degrees (from 3 years to 6 years of study, depending on course); Honor’s Degrees (1 further year of undergraduate study, requiring a thesis);  Master’s Degree (2 years of post-graduate study); Doctorate (variable in duration with a minimum of 2 years, following a Master’s). South Africa has 11 official languages, but schools and universities generally use either English or Afrikaans as the language of instruction. Students who have attended an English-medium high school or university and have performed well academically can reliably be granted a waiver from the TOEFL. Secondary Education, schooling is compulsory through grade 9, but under the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) students may opt at the successful completion of grade 9 to obtain their General Education and Training Certificate and to pursue employment or technical training at Further Education and Training (FET) institutions. Those continuing into senior secondary school for grades 10-12 sit the nationally set and moderated matriculation examinations, or an approved alternative such as the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) test series, to obtain the National Senior Certificate (NSC) at the end of grade 12. From grade 10, senior secondary students must take 7 subjects, 4 of which must be English, a second South African language, Life Orientation, and either Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy. The remaining 3 courses are selected from 27 options, which range from Accounting, Art (which includes theory and history), Business Economics and Computer Technology, to Tourism and Woodworking. Courses in science (Physical or Life Science) are optional, as are the social sciences (History, Economics and Geography). Students wishing to pursue university studies, however, are often constrained in their choices at tertiary level unless they take the more rigorous Mathematics.

Life and education is not easy, they have tremendous experiences like slaves, massive hunger, political turmoil, tribalism, prostitution, HIV/AIDs and more problems. Many political leaders fight for stabilization of economic status to gain upliftment of people especially belongs to the very poor constituents. The Ministry of Education addressing these concerns to adapt a quality education to change the face of South Africa by letting the poor can give equal access of education. Many programs have been adapted to reach these vision reduction of dropped outs. According to Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, Doctor of Medicine, former World Bank Director for Economic Affair and an Anthropologist. She stressed out the importance of education and economic sustainability for the betterment of the community.

If I will compare the economic status of South Africa and here including the educational system, I can say better live Philippines than South Africa because we did not experience too much massive hunger comparing their status. In regards to education, our government addressing all possible solutions to upgrade educational problem like school dropped outs, insufficient of classrooms, textbooks, chairs and others related concerns of educational standard. The DepEd continue find solutions for the betterment of school throughout the country, a lot of programs for the good of the institutions.

During our presentation, we choose issues that can touch the heart of the educators or aspiring educator to witness the real world of education and real world of economic situations of tribe people. The political division brings the people to ruin their lives because of personal interests that affect much of their development. The high rate of HIV cases bring down their outlook in life to stand for their future. As I learned from my research, different NGO’s, foreign aid organization are hand in hand helping to stabilized their economic status like livelihood programs to sustain their lives.

Reflection Paper - Educational System of Japan

Leonardo Z. Camboja Jr.                                                     Teaching Profession

BEE – 2                                                                             Olga C. Alonsabe, Ph.D.

Reflection Paper – Educational System of Japan

February 22, 2013

          The school system in Japan was changed from a dual system to a single-track school system through educational reforms influenced by the United States after World War II. The 6-3 school system means not only extension of the period of compulsory education from 6 years to 9 (6+3) years, but also the articulation between elementary education schooling and secondary education schooling into a single-track school system.
As Japanese society developed and became more sophisticated, the incidence of advancement following compulsory education rapidly increased. It became difficult to meet the actual educational needs of people under the unified school system. School system reforms have been implemented to build a life-long learning society. Cooperation or fusion between school education and social and out-of-school education are viewed as challenges leading to a relaxation of the rules of Japan educational system.
The first system is the structured system from university (the highest level of educational institutions), that is a place for the most advanced study and research, to preparatory schools (grammar schools): or a system from top to bottom. The second system introduced during the modern period involves schooling for basic education, including teaching literacy to the common people. Kindergartens are educational facilities that are superintended by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, Sports and Technology (MEXT) for children from 3 to 5 years old, and that give young children appropriate surroundings and encourage the development of their mind and bodies. While in theory school can only be established by the state, autonomous regional entities and scholastic corporations, the present time kindergartens can also be established by religious corporations and individuals. Day care centers and kindergartens comprise a dualized structure of institutions for infants in terms of age, time for service, content of care, teachers qualifications and precincts. Given the uneven distribution of day care centers and kindergartens, ongoing changes in mothers work situations, and the difficulty of achieving administrative and financial efficiency of facility maintenance due to the decline in birth rates, efforts to integrate and unify the two tier system of preschool education (day care centers and kindergartens) provide a challenge. Nowadays, enrollment by 4-year old in 2-year preschools account for the largest proportion, followed by enrollment of 5-year-olds in a 1-year preschool and then 3-year-olds enrollment in a 3-year preschools. Of the nearly 110,000 full-time preschool teachers in national, public and private preschools, more than 90% are female. Elementary schools established in Japan under the compulsory education system aim to provide general basic education. The State, local governments and incorporated educational institutions have the right to establish such schools. Most elementary schools have been established by local governments except for schools attached to national universities and private schools. The curriculums of the elementary schools are based on the Course of Study and consist of the following subjects (Japanese Language, Social Studies, Arithmetic, Science, Life Skills, Music, Drawing and Handcraft, Home Economics, Physical Education), Moral Education, Special Activities and the Period of Integrated Study. With the revised Course of Study in 2002, teaching of English during the Period of Integrated Study was approved with the provision of greater leeway for local school discretion; The creation of special curricular-oriented schools is being promoted. As compulsory education, the educational contents of lower secondary schools are required to be similar. At the same time, since educational contents should have sufficient flexibility to be relevant to a student courses after graduation and facilitate self growth during puberty, electives are provided.
The basis of public lower secondary school administration is similar to that in elementary schools, since both are compulsory municipal schools. Public lower secondary schools are established by municipalities as components of the compulsory educational system while public upper secondary schools are established mainly by prefectures as non-compulsory education school. Achievement tests are required to enter upper secondary schools. The negative effect of these tests on education and instruction at lower secondary schools has been criticized despite the fact that virtually all students proceed on to secondary schools. Secondary schools were established as a new school system to facilitate unified education. Later, educational institutions subsequent to compulsory education were diversified through institutionalization of colleges of technology, specialized training colleges and comprehensive six-year secondary schools. While the colleges of technology might appear to be similar to special / vocational schools that have special curriculum and specialized training colleges under the old Japanese educational system, they are completely different institutions in their five-year educational programs, the first three-years correspond to upper secondary school and the last two years correspond to junior college. The advantage is that these colleges provide five-years of systematic technical education. The disadvantage is that they become fixed on training of mid-level technicians as the demand for highly skilled technicians by industry becomes stronger.