Many countries around the world have put great emphasis on the one thing that provides a foundation for society: education. Although their intent is analogous, a prominent difference is execution. Some countries structure their curriculums one way, and others detest the idea of implementing a similar system. A notable question is, what works and what doesn’t?
PISA – Measuring International Academic Achievement
To understand the specifics of academic performance worldwide, there needs to be a standard way of measuring each milestone. A perfectly capable method is the PISA. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a global test that evaluates how well 15-year-olds can apply their reading, math, and science skills to real-world situations. It is measured by a score from 0-1,000. Conducted by the OECD every three years, it goes beyond memorization to assess critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. The results give countries a chance to see how their education systems compare, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. By learning from high-performing nations, educators and policymakers can make changes to better prepare students for the future.
Structure Matters
When it comes to academic performance, the structure of these systems is of vital importance. They are what mold young minds and shape futures. The academic foundations are either centralized or fragmented. Either way, both can be successful but must be used wisely.
A centralized education system operates like a well-organized orchestra, where every school, teacher, and student follows the same set of guidelines, ensuring harmony and uniformity across the country (practices.learningaccelerator.org). Nations like France, China, and South Korea use this structure to maintain consistency, fairness, and efficiency in education. By implementing a unified curriculum and standardized teacher training, students receive the same foundational education, regardless of their location (consultancy-me.com). This apparent uniformity seems to be awakening better results, consistently leading some countries with centralized systems to the top (worldpopulationreview.com).
Charlie Chen (10), a student at Yorba Linda High School, shares his experience with students in China, a highly performing country: “I saw students in China buried in textbooks at coffee shops, reciting formulas on the Subway.”
Joseph Lee (10), another Yorba Linda High School student, shares that when he studied in Taiwan, which consistently places highly on the PISA test, he realized that “the environment is very different from the American experience. Teachers are more strict and there is a lot of emphasis on getting good grades and just doing well.”
Fragmented Systems
In a fragmented education system, decision-making is spread out across different regions, districts, or even individual schools, allowing each to set its own policies on curriculum, teaching methods, and funding. Countries like the United States and India have this system, where states or provinces have a lot of control over their education. While this can lead to more tailored solutions for local needs, it can also create gaps, with some areas having more resources or better-trained teachers than others (cambridge.org).
Why America’s Fragmented System Isn’t Working
The U.S. has historically scored far below other education systems (nces.ed.gov). This could be traced back to the centralized decentralized debate on education. Regardless of their positive and negative attributes, we cannot argue that what we are doing now is regressive. Additionally, the Department of Education is reportedly cutting its workforce. As a result, the department now operates with roughly half its staff, responsible for enforcing civil rights laws, providing student loans and grants, and tracking student achievement (npr.org). Without the DEO, students with low income and special needs are gravely affected. Programs like Pell grants and loans help those who are not financially equipped to attend college (epi.org). Why do we still strain a system that is bound to break?
