This document compares the education systems of 5 countries: the United States, Germany, Japan, Cuba, and Chile. It outlines the compulsory years of education, school organization and structure, curriculum focus, funding sources, requirements for higher education and teacher training in each country. Germany is highlighted for having free compulsory education through high school, requiring English study, offering 3 language options by graduation, employing public teachers with benefits, and encouraging parental involvement in school decisions.

1. Diego Paredes C.
Augusto Ramirez L.

2.  N° of compulsory years of education
 14 years
.

3.  Organization and structure of schools
 Education in the United States follows a pattern
similar to that in many systems.

4.  Curriculum focus.
 Public school curriculum, funding, teaching,
employment, and other policies are set through locally
elected school boards, who have jurisdiction over
individual school districts. State governments set
educational standards and standardized tests for
public school systems.
 Private schools are generally free to determine their
own curriculum and staffing policies.

5.  Educational funding
 Public education is universally available, with control
and funding coming from the state, local, and federal
government.

6.  Higher education
 Higher education in the United States is an optional
final stage of formal learning following secondary
education, often at one of the 4,495 colleges or
universities and junior colleges in the country.

7.  Teacher education
 Public school teachers working anywhere in the
United States must have at least a bachelor's degree.
 Private school teachers often need one as well. It
usually takes four years to earn a bachelor's degree.

8.  N° of compulsory years of education
 12-13 years

9.  Organization and structure of schools
 The German preschool is known as a Kindergarten. Children between
the ages of 2 and 6 attend Kindergärten, which are not part of the
school system.
 Primary education State schools do not charge tuition fees. The
majority of pupils attend state schools in their neighbourhood. Schools
in affluent areas tend to be better than those in deprived areas.
 Secondary education
After children have completed their primary there are five options for
secondary schooling:
 Gymnasium
 Fachoberschule
 Realschule
 Mittelschule
 Gesamtschule

10.  Curriculum focus.
 Every state has its own school system.
 There are about 12 compulsory subjects.
 A few afternoon activities are offered at some German
schools – mainly choir or orchestra, sometimes sports,
theater or languages.
 Other common extracurricular activities are
organized as private clubs.

11.  Educational funding
 In Germany, education is the responsibility of the
states (Länder) and part of their constitutional
sovereignty (Kulturhoheit der Länder). Teachers are
employed by the Ministry of Education for the state
and usually have a job for life after a certain period
(verbeamtet) This practice depends on the state and is
currently changing.

12.  Higher education
 Germany's universities are recognized internationally.
 Most of the German universities are public
institutions, charging tuition fees of only around €60
per semester for each student.[
 Most German universities focus more on teaching
than on research. Research is mostly exhibited in
independent institutes.

13.  Teacher education
 Teaching practice (Referendariat) (2 years)
 Students acquire practical teaching skills in their
subjects under the supervision of a senior teacher.

 Students take courses in general pedagogy and
subject-specific pedagogy and are examined at the
end of the 2 years.
 Fully qualified teachers work in schools and
traditionally have civil servant status

14.  Other important factors
 Homeschooling is illegal in Germany, so some
families have sought asylum abroad in order to home-school
their children.

15.  N° of compulsory years of education
 6-year elementary schools
 3-year lower secondary schools and 3-year upper
secondary schools are compulsory for Japanese
children.

16.  Organization and structure of schools
 Elementary and secondary portion is organized along
the lines of the common American 6-3-3 model.
 6-year elementary schools (shogakko),
 3-year lower secondary schools corresponding to
junior high school in the United States,
 3-year upper secondary schools corresponding to
senior high in the United States,
 4-year colleges and universities (daigaku), many of
which also have graduate programs,

17.  Curriculum focus.
 The elementary school curriculum covers Japanese,
social studies, mathematics, science, music, arts and
handicrafts, homemaking and physical education.
 High schools adopt highly divergent high school
curriculum, the content may contain general or highly
specialized subjects depending on the different types
of high schools.

18.  Educational funding.
 Schools receive enrollment support funds that they
apply to the cost of their students’ tuition which equals
about $100 a month, per student. However, if these
funds are not sufficient, the students must make up
the difference. If students come from a low-income
household, the government provides further subsidies
of up to $200 a month.

19.  Higher education.
 Higher education in the United States is an optional
final stage of formal learning following secondary
education, often at one of the 4,495 colleges or
universities and junior colleges in the country.
 At the top of the higher education structure, these
institutions provide a four-year training leading to a
bachelor's degree, and some offer six-year programs
leading to a professional degree.

20.  Teacher education
 Japanese teachers are an essential element. They are
expected to infuse cultural values throughout school
activities and to be concerned about students' lives
both in and out of school. Their efforts and influence
often extend into the home and the community.

21.  N° of compulsory years of education
 School attendance is compulsory from ages 6 to 15 or
16 (end of basic secondary education).

22.  Organization and structure of schools
 Primary: Escuela primaria from 6 to 11 year old.
 Technical/vocational studies are provided in Institutos
superior politécnicos. Studies last for two-and-a-half
to three years.
 University level second stage: Diplomado, Maestría,
Especialista.
 The second stage corresponds to a period of in-depth
study and research which leads to the Maestría after
two years.

23.  Curriculum focus.
 The curriculum in primary and secondary schools is
based upon principles of "hard work, self-discipline
and love of country”. The primary-school curriculum
includes dance and gardening, lessons on health and
hygiene, and Cuban revolutionary history.

24.  Educational funding.
 Education expenditures continue to receive high
priority, as Cuba spends 10 percent of its central
budget on education, compared with 4 percent in the
United Kingdom and just 2 percent in the United
States, according to UNESCO.

25.  Higher education.
 Higher education is provided by universities, higher
institutes, higher pedagogical institutes, centres of
higher education and higher polytechnic institutes.
Cuba has 47 universities and total university
enrollment is approximately 112,000 citizens.
 To enter university, students must pass an entry
examination to show they possess the basic knowledge
required.

26.  Teacher education
 A five-year course is provided for pre-primary and
primary/basic school teachers at the Institutos
Superiores Pedagógicos. They obtain the "Licenciado
en Educación Primaria" (Certificate in Primary
Education) or other types of degrees. Admission to
these courses is based on the Bachillerato.

27.  Other factors.
 Strong ideological content is present, with the
constitution stating that educational and cultural
policy is based on Marxist ideology.

28.  Reflection:
 Germany has the best educational system.
 1. The education is completely free and compulsory.
 2.English is compulsory.
 3. At the end of high school, students has already leant
3 different languages.
 4.The majority of the teacher s are public workers.
That have many benefits.
 5.Parents are involved in many of the opinions and
decisions at school.