Education Systems of France and America Essay

There are present many differences in the way of life between France and the United States of America; from the social structure to the job market, from the political atmosphere to the legislative structure; from the language to fashion and so on. The focus of my research paper is a comparative study of the system of education of the two nations; highlighting the individual traits of each and discussing the similarities and the differences between the two. I will focus on the following: †¢ How the educational systems of France and the USA are alike and how they differ; – Similarities and differences between the French and American primary education; – Similarities and differences between French secondary and American high schools; †¢ Approaches to educational reform undertaken by France and the U. S. An examination of these areas intends to offer a clearer insight to the French and American educational systems. Basic Differences between the French and American Systems From the origin of the two systems of education, to the policies governing teachers, the federal budget allocation for education; the dissimilarities are many. I will highlight the major differences between the two distinct systems. According to â€Å"Education in France,† 2006, in 2006, the French federal budget for education was $83 billion (or 64. 6 billion Euros) whereas the American budget was $69. 4 billion (â€Å"Education in America,† 2006). The Ministry of National Education is France’s largest employer, employing educators at every level – from elementary to professors, whereas in America, teachers are employed by district and professors directly by their respective College or University. There is no unified body, unlike the Ministry of National Education in France, which manages educator employment. French schools are comprised of four components: 1. Kindergarten or Maternelle, 2. Primary school or Ecole elementaire, 3. Junior High or College, and 4. High school or Lycee, American schools are generally divided into three or four parts, according to Cozic (1992): 1. Preschool and kindergarten 2. Junior high 3. High school France’s philosophy of education is essentially unlike that of the United States, as highlighted below, quoting Fraser (1963): â€Å"In 1957 the Ministry of National Education gave the following account of school organization in France: ‘The hierarchy of the three great branches, Primary, Secondary, and Higher, as conceived by the Constituent Assembly and built by Napoleon – to which was later added Technical Education – remains the basis of our school organization. ‘† French education is divided into three parts; basic American education is in effect branched into only two, primary and secondary, with the third component, higher education, is fast becoming a privilege, not enjoyed by too many students in the current era. The high school graduation rates also differ between the two nations. In 2001, it was estimated that 70% of American public high school students graduated (Greene & Forster, 2006). France was aiming to achieve 80% high school graduation rate. This seemingly small difference has significant consequences on the literacy levels of the nations, which then become evident in other areas, such as the employment rate, a nations technological or scientific level of advancement, higher education levels of a country (percentage of the population who has attended College or University). Differences in the Primary Educational Systems of France and USA Education at the primary level is highly stressed upon in both the countries. The principals and philosophy of education between both the nations is most similar at this stage in a child’s academic career than any other stage. Kindergarten and elementary school, or maternelle and ecole elementaire is viewed as a critical juncture in the life of a child. Attendance in kindergarten and maternelle is compulsory in both the countries; however parents chose to send their children at as young an age as possible – 3 or 4 being the average age of attendance. In France, preschool or maternelle is divided into three one-year periods. These are: 1. Petite section (age 3), 2. Moyenne section (age 4), and 3. Grande section (age 5). There exist also pre-maternelle institutions (or daycare centers), which parents often decide to send their children to (Lee& Sivell, 2000). Primary School Children of both France and the U. S. are required to attend primary schools. In France, a national mandate has been set which dictates the compulsory school attendance of all six year old children ( Education in France,† 2006). This isn’t the case in America, where the policies differ between the states. A child can start at 5, or 6 depending on the educational laws in the state of residence. It is generally agreed however that children in both America and France should attend school as early as possible, which proves to be beneficial in the cognitive and learning development of a child; helps to develop their social skills and instills disciplinary values. Elementary School Elementary school attendance in both the nations is compulsory too. In America, this usually entails the duration between 6 years to 11 or 12, depending on the state’s (of residence) policy on education. The elementary schooling system runs from 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade and so on in the American system. The sixth grade is included in the Elementary system in some state, while not in others. In France, however, due to the national guidelines on education, children begin ecole elementaire from the age of 6 to 10, in the duration of which they pass through five grades, cours preparatoire, cours elementaire premiere annee, cours elementaire deuxieme annee, cours moyen premiere annee and cours moyen deuxieme annee. In the early stages of elementary system (or ecole elementaire) of both the countries, one or two teachers are assigned to teach all the subjects, which too are very similar, including: †¢ language, †¢ history, †¢ geography, †¢ social studies, †¢ math, †¢ science, †¢ art or music and †¢ physical education Religious education is avoided at this level in France and in America only a very few Elementary schools provide religious courses. High School (or Lycee) methodology While the teaching philosophy and methods between both the countries are unique, they fundamentally serve similar purpose: equipping students with a solid educational base to prepare them for their futures. The differences between the French secondary schooling system (college, and lycee) and the American junior high and high school are many. There exist similarities too – both systems require attendance (although in France no attendance is required after the age 16). In both systems, school selection is based on the area of residence and in both nations parents can pay a little more and educate their children privately. In the American secondary system, middle or junior high is the gap of 2 or 3 years between elementary and high school. In France, however, middle school or college normally begins in grade 6, denoted as 6e, at 11 years of age. This lasts four years, going down to grade 3e when the students are about 14. Grade 2e follows, and begins the high school (lycee), a three year period, ending with their last year or terminale. In the American system, students commence junior high either at the 6th Grade (age 12) or the 7th Grade (age 13), staying at this stage for 2-3 years and then moving on to Grade 9 (or High School) around the age of 15 (Urdan, 2001, p. 112). This phase extends to four years, ending at the completion of the 12th Grade. Another major dissimilarity between the two systems is that U. S. students are usually required to take standardized tests as soon as the Grade 6, including the SATs or ACTs occasionally during middle and high school. In France, students can take the standardized tests, or the baccalaureat after the completion of their schooling, to help determine what route they’ll take after lycee. The French baccalaureat is the equivalent of the U. S. high school diploma, only difference being that French students have to clear specific tests to acquire their bac (as it is called. Also, students may decide not to take the bac, since it is â€Å"in law more an exam for entrance into university than a lycee completion exam† (â€Å"Baccalaureat† 2006). A notable aspect of the French lycee is that students are provided the opportunity to specialize in particular courses the last few years of high school. Both the U. S. and French secondary systems require student attendance, but students in France are obliged to attend only till the age of 16. After that certain exams are to be undertaken which decide what courses the student will take for the rest of his/her schooling. Students who do well on these examination are given a chance to attend a lycee to study for the baccalaureat till they are 18 years old. Vocational Courses offer those students a shortened study period of two years who don’t score well on the entrance tests. That is considered one of the strengths of the French system. Instead of isolating the vocational branch, they amalgamate it within the secondary schooling system, which is encouraging for students to not only learn about other areas within their current educational system, but to remain with their peers too. Regarding the courses, French students are permitted only a restricted number of options for the path they choose to take. They are restricted to a few courses and the number of electives they can take are very few. American students, on the other hand, aren’t restricted as such. Most schools permit their students to take electives, provided they fulfill certain pre-requisites and the extra courses will eventually help them lead up to a diploma. French students who don’t do well on the in 2nde grade exams can prepare for for Brevet d’Enseignement Professionel (BEP – a certification in teaching), or Certificat d’Aptitude Professionelle (CAP – a certificate of professional aptitude). Both these are easily adaptable to earn the student a â€Å"baccalaureat professionel,† which, although not as esteemed as a baccalaureat in other areas, like as math or science, but would still be a huge advantage to students pursuing other areas (Guichard, 2000, p. 62). French students who decide to take the bac are given a choice between three â€Å"streams†, all of which entail exclusive specializations and carry different ‘weights’. They are: 1. Scientifique (natural sciences), 2. Economique et sociale (a blend of sciences and literature with some economics and social studies), and 3. Litteraire (French language, geography, history, foreign languages and literature) (â€Å"Baccalaureat,† 2006). Educational Reform In the recent years, the topic of educational reform has been gaining momentum. The Bush administration set forth a â€Å"Leave No Child Behind† educational reform policy (McGuinn, 2006), with the aim of providing education to every child in the United States. Similarly, in France, educational reform often turns into political issue for the leaders, who bicker over sections of the core curriculum in regards to what is best for the nation. There is a significant disparity between reform in France and America. As stated earlier, France has a standardized curriculum for its public schools, whereas in the United States, the curriculum has to be set by the states and school districts. This is one of the reasons French educational reform is less extensive than the reform bills and acts passed in the U. S. to modify the educational system. Conclusion Taking into view all the ways in which education differs between France and the United States, it is debatable which country has the superior system. Each of the two countries have pros and cons. The question of which system is superior is irrelevant in this context. There is no one correct or incorrect way to educate a child; what works well for one student might fail for another. Selecting one structure over the other would be meaningless since both have their own set of accolades and setbacks.