The document provides an overview of the educational systems of Germany and the United States by comparing their histories, structures, accessibility and differences. Some key differences highlighted are that the German system places more emphasis on examinations, offers free higher education, and has more stratified secondary schools compared to the more standardized US K-12 system. The German system also has a wider performance gap between its highest and lowest tracks revealed by PISA scores.

1. A comparison:
Germany and
United States
Educational Systems

2. Code: Ed610
Subject Title: Comparative Education
Name of Student: Gilbert Villon Constantino
Program: Master of Arts in Education
Major: Mathematics
Professor’s Name: Dr. Erlinda A. Ganapin
School: Palawan State University
College: Graduate School
Semester: Summer 2018

3. Flags
Germany United States

4. Presidents
Joachim Gauck
Germany United States

5. MAPS

6. Germany’s History and Education
Prussian Era:
 Lutheranism – culture and education
 Martin Luther – compulsory education, religious education
 Volksschule (eight-year course of basic education)
 Napoleonic wars (1810) – certification requirements for teachers,
1788(Abitur)

7. German Empire (1871)
 1872 – first separate secondary schools for females
 Four different types of secondary schools developed: Gymnasium,
Realygymnasium, Realschule, Oberrealschule
Germany’s History and Education

8. Germany’s History and Education
Weimar Republic (After WWI)
 Free, universal four-year elementary school (Grundschule)
 For those who can afford, Mittelschule – school that provided a more
challenging curriculum for an additional one or two years
 Upon passing a rigorous entrance exam after year four, pupils could also
enter one of the four types of secondary school.

9. Germany’s History and Education
Nazi Germany (1933 – 1945)
 Teaching of National Socialist ideology was integrated
 Hitler Youth – aged 1 – 18, focused more on Nazism and Nazi-related
activities
 Children who were not interested in learning about Nazism would
automatically have all other aspects of their education suffer, and risk
never graduating from school.

10. Germany’s History and Education
East Germany
 Standardized education system ,1960s
 Polytechnic Secondary School = Primary & Secondary Education, 6 to 16
years old
 At the end of 10th year – exit examination
 Abitur

11. Germany’s History and Education
West Germany (1949)
 The new constitution (Grundgesetz) granted educational autonomy to
the state (Lander)
 Multi – state agreements ensure that basic requirements are universally
met by all state school systems
 Children are required to attend one type of school (5 or 6 days a week),
6 to16 years old
 A pupil may change schools in the case of exceptionally good(or
exceptionally poor) ability.
 Graduation certificates – recognized by other states
 Qualified Teachers are able to apply for posts in any of the states

12. Germany’s History and Education
Federal Republic of Germany (1990)
 Introduction of bilingual education in some subjects
 Experimentation with different styles of teaching
 Equipping all schools with computers and internet access
 Creation of local school philosophy and teaching goals
(“Schulprogramn”), to be evaluated regularly
 Reduction of Gymnasium school years (Abitur after grade 12) and
introduction of afternoon periods as in many other western countries
After 2000
 PISA – Program for International Student Assessment
1. Establishing federal standards on quality of teaching
2. More Practical orientation in teacher training
3. Transfer of some responsibility from the Ministry of Education to local
school

13. USA’s History and Education
19th Century
 Free public schools funded by taxation
 Teachers were especially trained in normal schools and taught the 3 Rs,
history and geography
 Elementary level in most places
 After civil war – the cities began building high schools
 In 1823 – the Reverend Samuel Read Hall founded the first normal school
 In mid-20th century – Parochial Schools
 Theologically oriented Episcopalian, Lutheran and Jewish bodies set up
their own parochial school
 By the late 1890s, regional associations of high schools, colleges and
universities were being organized

14. USA’s History and Education
20th Century
 By 1910, 72% of children were attending school
 Private schools spread
 By 1930, 100% of children were attending school
 WWII, enlist or take war jobs
 1946, National School Lunch Act
 1954, Supreme Court Case made racial desegregation of public
elementary and high schools mandatory
 1975, Education for All Handicapped Children Act

15. USA’s History and Education
21st Century
 2002 – No Child Left Behind Act – penalize schools that were not meeting
the goals as measured by standardized state exams in mathematics and
language skills
 2006 – Commission on the Future of Higher Education evaluated higher
education
 In December 2015, President Barack Obama signed legislation replacing No
Child Left Behind with the Every Student Succeeds Act
 Great Recession (2008 -2009) –caused a sharp decline in tax revenues in all
cities and states – cut education budget
 Education Secretary Arne Duncan pursued k – 12 education reform
1. Charter schools to multiply
2. Compensating teachers on a merit basis
3. Adopting higher educational standards

16. Forms of Government
GERMANY USA
Federal Parliamentary Republic Federal Republic

17. Religion
Germany USA
Christianity – the
largest (58%)
Roman Catholic
Evangelical Church
Protestant
- Lutheran, Reformed
Orthodox Church
Majority are Christians
Protestant
Non-Christian(Judaism,
Buddhism, Hinduism,
and Islam) 7%
Others have no
religious affiliation

18. Population
Germany USA
82, 267, 069 as of
8:10pm, May 8, 2018
17th – most
country in the world
326, 418, 458 as of
8:10pm, May 8, 2018
Tuesday
3rd largest Country in
the world (4.28%)
www.worldometers.info

19. Government Expenditure on
Education, total (% of GDP)
Germany USA
4.931
(2014)
4.989 (2014)
www.worldb
ank.org

20. Land Area
Germany USA
348,560
square km
9,147,420 square
km
www.worldometer
s.info

21. Median Age
Germany USA
46.0 years 37.8 years
www.worldomet
ers.info

22. Germany Structure of Education

23. US Structure of Education

24. Germany
 Optional Kindergarten (between 1 to 6 years old)
 Compulsory:
 Grundschule (6 to 11 years old)
 5 types of Secondary Education
 1. Gymnasium – to prepare students to higher education, after grade 12
or 13, the students will take a final exam called Abitur
 2. Realschule – has a broad range of emphasis for intermediate pupils,
after grade 10, students will take an exam called Mittlere Reife
 3. Hauptschule – prepares students for vocational education, with final
exam at the end
 4. Hauptschulabschluss – after grade 9
 5. Realschulabschluss – after grade 10

25. Germany
Homeschooling is illegal.
 The illegality has to do with the prioritization of children’s
right over the rights of parents:
Children have the right to the company of other children and
adults who are not their parents

26. Germany
 Many of Germany’s hundred or so institutions of higher learning charge
little or no tuition by international comparison
 Students usually must prove through examination that they are qualified.
 To enter university, students are, as a rule, required to have passed the
Abitur examination.
 Those with a Meisterbrief(master craftsman’s diploma) can apply for
university schooling.
 If students failed in Abitur, they can take another test confirming
excellence and above average intellectual ability.

27. Germany: Tertiary Education
 Germany’s universities are recognized internationally
 Most universities are public institutions
 Open to most citizens
 DUAL EDUCATION – combines both practical and theoretical education
but does not lead to academic degrees
 Heidelberg University – the oldest university established in 1386
 German Universities have strong focus on research – mostly done
outside the universities in independent institutes that are embedded in
academic clusters

28. Germany
Figures for Germany are roughly:
 1,000,000 new students at all schools put together for one year
 400,000 Abitur graduation
 30,000 doctoral dissertations per year
 1000 habilitations per year(possible way to qualify as professor)

29. Germany
Tuition Fees
 Public Universities – funded by the federal state, don’t charge tuition fees
 But in 2017, tuition fee is not anymore free

30. Germany
Degrees: The following Bologna degrees are common in Germany:
1. Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); Master of Arts(M.A.)
2. Bachelor of Science (B.Sc); Master of Science(M.Sc.)
3. Bachelor of Engineering(B.Eng.) Master of Engineering (M.Eng.)
4. Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.); Master of Fine Arts(M.F.A)
5. Bachelor of Music(B.Mus.);Master of Music (M.Mus.)
Students usually study at university for 4-8 years before taking First
Staatsexamen – equivalent to a master’s degree and a qualification to
doctoral studies

31. USA
 Preschool = Pre-kindergarten – not compulsory
 Elementary school – from kindergarten to 5th grade
 Middle School = Junior High School – 6th grade to 8th grade
 High School = Senior High School – 9th grade to 12th grade
 Higher Education
1. College (university) = Undergraduate school = 4 years
2. Graduate School (with various degrees and curricular partitions thereof)
 Continuing Education
1. Vocational School
2. Adult Eduaction

32. USA
K-12 Education
 Compulsory except the pre-kindergarten
 Public/private
 Around 3nmillion students between the ages of 16 and 24 drop out of
high school each year
 75% of crimes are committed by high school dropouts
 In 2011, American teachers worked 1,097 hours in the classroom
 Teachers received around $55,040 salary

33. USA
Primary Education
 20 – 30 students per room
 There are special education teachers working with identified students
 Basic arithmetic, sometimes rudimentary algebra
 English proficiency (basic grammar, spelling and vocabulary)

34. USA
Secondary Education
 Divided into two: middle/junior and high school
 Various Mandatory Subjects: Science, Mathematics, English, Social
Sciences, Physical Education, foreign language, some form of art
education, health curriculum – anatomy,nutrition,first aid, sexuality, drug
awareness and birth control
 Many High Schools provide Honors, Advanced placement (AP) or
International Baccalaureate(IB) courses
 Children are assessed throughout the school year by their teachers –
report cards
 There are many standardized tests(Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and
ACT

35. USA
Homeschooling
 In 2014, approximately 1.5 million children were homeschooled, up to
84% from 1999
 In 2016, there are 2.3 million homeschooled students
There are opposition to homeschooling
1. Fear of poor academic quality
2. Lack of socialization with others

36. USA
Education of Students with special needs
 Commonly known as special classes
 Seizure disorder
 Mental or emotional disorders

37. USA
Public Schools
 Supported by combination of local, state and federal government
funding
 In most districts, , a locally elected school board runs schools
 The largest public school system is in New York
 Admission to public schools is usually based on residency
Private Schools
 Parochial schools
 Non-profit independent schools
 For-profit independent schools
 Catholic schools – largest private school

38. USA
Higher Education
 Optional final stage of formal learning following secondary education
1. Bachelor of Arts
2. Bachelor of Science
3. Bachelor of Fine Arts
4. Bachelor of social work
5. Bachelor of Engineering
6. Bachelor of Philosophy
7. Bachelor of Architecture
Professional degrees(law, medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry)offered after
earning at least 3 years of undergraduate schooling

39. USA
Graduate Study – conducted after obtaining an initial degree and sometimes after
several years of professional works
 Masters of Arts
 Master of Science
 Master of Business Administration
 Master of Education
 Master of fine Arts
 Specialist in Education – in between masters and doctorate degree
 Doctor of Philisophy
 Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Theology, Doctor of Medicine,
Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Physical Therapy
Entrance to graduate programs usually depends upon a student’s undergraduate
academic performance or professional experience as well as their score on a
standardized entrance exam.

40. Goals of American system of education
 Educating students to
 • be prepared to participate in our democracy,
• be responsible citizens,
• acquire '21st century skills',
• be globally competent,
• think critically,
• read and write,
• and be quantitatively literate.

41. Just like in higher education only rich Americans can
afford above average education. In Germany everyone,
rich or poor, has equal opportunities, because superior
primary, secondary, and higher education is almost
entirely subsidized by the government.
General Assessment

42. General Differences
In general the German school system places much
more emphasis on examinations, while the American
school system gradually has guidelines which have
written on an every week basis.

43. Differences
The grading also shows a general difference in these two
compared systems; In Germany grades range from a 6
(being the worst grade) to a 1 (being the best). After 12th
grade students receive grades from zero - to 15 points. In
the US grades range from a (being the best) to f (being
the worst).

44. Accessibility of higher education
In the US almost one half of the population acquires a college
degree in their lifetime, in Germany only about one third of the
population. This is partially caused by the fact that attendance
German university is free of charge, the only requirement for
studying at a university is the Abitur (in some very popular
a special mark in the Abitur called the NC is also required).

45. Another difference is that a lot of American
citizens between the age of 30 or 40 go back to
college to upgrade their degree. In Germany,
people are also allowed to attend night schools to
get their Abitur, but only very few do. So once you
have chosen your career in Germany you usually
stick to it.. Commonly the German University
Diploma is regarded as a degree of higher
compared to the American Bachelor degree.

46. The accessibility of higher education to foreigners
In America you have an enormous variety of
of many different countries, that not only attend but
also teach at American colleges /universities compared
to the German system of higher education. This is
mainly caused by the language barrier, but partially
because of the stricter immigration laws in Germany;
this may be one of the reasons why America is
considered a country of “thousands of different faces”.

47. The structure of German secondary education.
The PISA study has shown that Germany is the country with the biggest
difference of ability between the lowest form of education (Hauptschule) and
the highest level (Gymnasium). The study has also shown that “students
attending Hauptschule only reached 394 points in reading literacy, students
of Realschule were able to gain 494 points, students attending the
gymnasium attained 582 points.”(http://www.pisa.oecd.org) The OECD
average was 500 points, which shows that Germany has many students who
don’t have any problems keeping international standards and are able to
compete with the superlative students of every country. But the study also
shows that Germany has many students who are just way behind in
performance. In the US the performance spread was by far less
which might be related to the fact that all students regardless of talent go to
the same secondary form of education for 12 years

48. References
 www.studyusa.com
 https://en.m.wikipedia.org
 https://educationusa.state.gov.
 www.gisny.org
 www.howtogermany.com

49. Thank you!