Compare And Contrast Japanese Education And American Education

A Comparison of Education
The United States versus Japan

In 1947 the Japanese took a page from the American education system and implemented the style of 6-3-3 classroom division (Angela Bartlett). Therefore the Japanese children attended six years of elementary school followed by three years of junior high and three years of senior high school. The major difference comes between the two systems in the area of study disciplines, students’ having a clearer direction earlier, motivation and structured learning environment to name a few, giving the Japanese children a marked advantage above the American children. Early on in the Japanese system the children remain required and encouraged to learn additional sciences, languages and math,
This move has allowed the Japanese people to move ahead of the majority of countries in the areas of research and development in Medicine and Technology and Finance faster than American students. Academic achievement stays a high priority for the students in Japan at a greatly significant rate than those students studying in America, and from an earlier age. This has a profound impact on the knowledge imparted in the Japanese school system. Thus the attitude of Americans that as a culture our citizens are high-quality than the rest needs to be reevaluated, humbling ourselves to the fact that Americans certainly fall severely behind in teaching our children what they need to survive in the world today (Kim). The American Education system needs a major renovation or our students will continue to lose ground in every aspect of our existence. Currently the Japanese government happens to be re-evaluating the education system that they adopted from America after WWII, looking to incorporate the compulsory four year college degree program into the scheme of their educational outlook. Organizing this will place the Japanese at a level
The Japanese education system is built on Confucianism and its disciplines, creating a pronounced commitment to learning at an earlier stage of life (Yamanaka). Hence the students in Japan are also taught academics accompanied by morality and character in the work they complete (Jackie Cooke). The lack of an interrelated American culture is having a detrimental effect, the pride in ourselves on individuality, but that pride is arrogance and the individualism has created a divide that is becoming wider as evidenced by our educational systems. Yet another structural difference between the two educational disciplines is in who organizes the curriculum that is prescribed for each country. The government in Japan has an appointed panel identified as the Ministry of Education that develops and administers a national curriculum. Whereas in the United States, each state builds their own syllabus and how it is administered and tested. Lacking cohesiveness throughout the entire nation has specific children excelling in a number of areas of the country, while others are falling further behind-both the nation and the world in education. Once studies prepared on other nation’s education systems the United States needs to implement a statelier interconnected method of instruction and testing of our students.