Strengths And Challenges Of The American And Canadian Education System

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Comparison Essay
Public debate on the strengths and challenges of the American and Canadian education system highlight the interest of citizens, education stakeholders and policymakers in two countries. Legislators also argue for and against the public school system, as has recently been the case in America with calls for the expansion of the charter school system. It is no surprise that education reform is an emotive issue and there are differences between the education systems in the US and Canada operates. The education levels, admission to universities, public school funding, and language of instruction in schools are aspects of the education system that distinguishes American and Canadian education system.
Both the US and Canadian education system have three levels of education and for Americans the K-12 system reflects the 12 years from elementary to high school level. Children begin school from the kindergarten stage before going to elementary school, middle school or junior high and high school (EP-Nuffic 8). Those who graduate from secondary school get a high school diploma, and those who are not in schools may get the GED. Canadian English speaking students also spend 12 years in primary/ elementary and secondary school, mostly divided into 6 years of elementary and 6 years of secondary education (EP-Nuffic 8). However, there are differences among the provinces and territories as there are different versions of the 12 years school system. Students may spend 6 years in elementary, 3 in junior high, and 3 in senior high school (EP-Nuffic 8). They may also spend 8 year in elementary and 4 years in secondary school, and in all systems student get a high school diploma (EP-Nuffic 8).
Students admitted to universities and colleges in Canada require a high school diploma and the choice of subjects at the secondary school level and grades attained influence what the students can pursue at university. Students applying for admission in Canadian universities away from their home state have to meet the minimum requirement for certain degree depending on choice of subjects offered in secondary school. In the US the admission process is more competitive and may include standardized test like the SAT and ACT.
Most of the universities and colleges in Canada are public and very few private universities. The US has public and, long established private universities athat are competitive as the public ones. The governments in both countries play a significant role in the education sector through funding and determining school mandate, but in the US the school boards are more powerful. Since Canada’s institutions of higher learning are overwhelmingly public there is ...