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Compare and Contrast:  The Education systems of  Mexico and The United States  

Elizabeth Scott

Education is an important staple in everyone's lives, especially children. The United States and Mexico both provide education systems that are in place to better the people of their prospective nations and they both do so. However, these two places have pretty different ways of how the system works. This Wiki will look at the similarities and differences between education systems in the US and those in Mexico. = -Mexico- =

 **Grade Division** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Schools in Mexico can be broken down into nine different <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> categories or schools. This is what would be equivalent to grade levels in America. An important fact to know that applies to American Schools as well is that primary education, which is comprised of primaria and secundaria, are compulsory by law. However, Secondary education, which includes preparatoria, is not yet compulsory. The first level is known as ‘Pre-escolar’ and consists of different federally funded programs for children from the ages of four to five. The next level is called ‘Primaria’, and are schools with grades one to six. This type of schooling is conducted by only one teacher per grade, and is causing a high student to teacher ratio. After that is an alternative to ‘Primaria’ known as ‘Multigrados’. It is a less common option and is basically a multi-grade school with several teachers, each of them teaching more than one grade at a time. The next traditional step in schooling is the ‘Middle Grades’ which are similar to the schools in the US with the exception that they start later, in 7th grade, and finish earlier, in 9th grade. Following the ‘Middle Grades’ students may attend either High School, which is simply grades ten through twelve, or one of three alternative programs. The programs are as follows: ‘Secundarias’, which are schools geared toward students who are college bound in non-rural areas; ‘Tecnicas’, which are schools for non-college bound students interested in vocational training; and finally ‘Telesecundarias’, which are schools designed for rural areas offering a televised curriculum. After High school or the equivalents comes ‘Preparatorias’ and ‘Bachilleratos’, which are schools for college bound youth where students must choose one of four professional areas: physical-mathematics, chemical-biological, economic-administrative, or humanities. A few other options offered are ‘ Tecnnologicas’ and ‘Comercios’, which are schools for students who have a particular vocational career in mind.

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">** Grading System ** = <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The grading scale in Mexico is very different from the United States in the sense that they do not use letter grades. The system works on a scale of one to ten and teachers evaluate students approximately five times a year in every grade. If a student scores any lower than a six on any of the evaluations they are retained in the same grade for the coming year.

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Life in Schools** = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The everyday atmosphere in schools in Mexico differs greatly from the US in a sense that they are more informal and the sense of time spacing is much different. Students in Mexico start every week with patriotic exercises in which the children display the flag, sing their national anthem and are taught to be respectful and conscientious students. The teachers, or ‘maestro/as’ are highly respected by the students and parents. Also, it is not normal for parents to intervene in matters of their children’s education like it is in America because of the respect and trust in the educators. Some of the major disadvantages that students in Mexico face deal with low funding. Two areas where low funding affects the children are in class sizes and technology. Schools in Mexico have class sizes that range from approximately 28 students to around 50 and most schools don’t even have computers.

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**History** = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The history of education is rich with controversies and misconceptions, but some of the major events that effected how the system works today will be outlined in the following sentences. In 1867 the first important law related to education was passed under that leadership of Benito Juarez where he declared that primary education would be non-religious, free, and obligatory. Next, in 1917, the government stepped in and made all private schools subject to supervision. Finally, in 1992, an initiative changed the policies regarding secondary education, which put a strong focus on the curriculum previously described in the last section. Today in Mexico they have nearly reached their goal of providing an education to all school-age children even though millions of them are retained or drop out after primary and secondary schooling.

= <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20pt; text-align: center;">**-United States-** =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Grade division = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the United States there are only four different categories under which all the grade levels fit. Three of the four are what is categorized as ‘compulsory’, which means that it is required by law that children are wither enrolled in public or private school from the ages of about five to about eighteen, dependent on the state laws. The first is Elementary, which contains children from kindergarten until fifth grade. Next is middle school with grades sixth through eighth. After that comes high school, containing students from ninth to twelfth grades. Finally, if students choose to do so, and the number increases every year, they may attend college. College in the United States is separated into a few different categories. There are trade schools for people seeking specific training for a vocational field, two-year junior colleges where students can gain college credits for less expense, community colleges which are open to everyone and inexpensive, universities and state schools where students may receive degrees and a well rounded education for a fair price, and finally there are upper division and ivy league schools where students often pay a hefty amount and receive only the best of the best.

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Grade Distribution = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Educators throughout the academic year continually assess students, and reports are sent to parents periodically illustrating a child’s academic progress. At any time the number of points a student has earned can be divided by the total possible points to determine the percent grade. This percent grade can be translated into a letter grade quite easily and although grading scales are different, most reflect the numbers displayed in the graph below:

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Example Grading Scale** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There are also many standardized tests in America, which usually occur in earlier grade levels to determine a student’s progress and assess if they are in the proper grade level. Other standardized tests that most students in America endure include the SAT and ACT which are administered in high school to test overall proficiency in all subjects and are usually used in college admission decisions.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">**A** |||||| <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">**B**  |||||| <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">**C**  |||||| <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">**D**  |||||| <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">**F, E, I, N, or U**  ||
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">+ ||   || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">–  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">+  ||   || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">–  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">+  ||   || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">–  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">+  ||   || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">–  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">100–97 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">96–93  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">92–90  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">89–87  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">86–83  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">82–80  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">79–77  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">76–73  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">72–70  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">69–67  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">66–63  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">62–60  || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Below 60 Percent  ||   ||   ||

= = =<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Life in School** = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The day to day experiences in American schools really differ depending on location and whether or not the education institution is private or not, but a generalization that most can make about the system as a whole is the lack of discipline. In elementary years it’s turned into a ‘gold stars for everyone’ type of atmosphere where students aren’t pushed their hardest to receive praise, but are rather just rewarded for showing up. This is becoming a greater and greater problem for educators because due to a lack of funding teachers are being forced to handle larger class sizes full of students who don’t have the foundational understanding that you must respect your teachers because they are the people putting in time to educate them and better their future. However, there is hope yet. Despite the lack of respect for authority that has been a major label on the current generation, they are the most privileged as far as being able to access the necessary resources to succeed. Students in middle and high school may be facing larger class sizes, but they are also one of the first groups to have such high graduation rates and a willingness to educate past high school.
 * <span style="color: #cd0a20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Thoughts of Today’s Students ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> • 96 percent say that doing well in school is important to their lives. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> • 88 percent say going to college is critical. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> • 70 percent participate in community service or volunteer work. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> • 28 percent of high school students access foreign news sources via the Internet. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> • 90 percent of children between ages 5 and 17 use computers. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> • 94 percent of online teens use the Internet for school-related research. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> • Teens and college students combined spend nearly $400 billion a year. ||

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">History = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The history of education differs greatly from that in Mexico simply because educating the general population was seen as a way to better the nation as a whole and with America being the hegemonic, power-seeking nation it is it jumped at the idea to better itself. The education system all began in the 19th century with Jefferson, the first American leader to suggest creating a school system. The first schools came into existence in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. There was an over-powering belief in America that educating the children was due to religious reasons and therefore was a quite easy system to implement. Even though education systems were put in place early in American history it wasn’t until the 1840’s did they become available to the less affluent or wealthy. Free public education for all however was enacted at the end of the 19th century and at that time people saw education as a way to create better citizens, unite society, and prevent crime and poverty. As the education system developed throughout the years there were many changes, but the most striking was the rise in high school attendance during the 20th century. A jaw dropping amount of students began graduating from high school taking the percentages from six percent to over eighty-five percent.

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Making Connections = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In this current day in age there is a large influx of immigrants to the United States from Mexico. Because of this there is a need for programs geared specifically towards these individuals in regards to education. One of those programs is called ‘The Binational Program’ and is designed for students who migrate between the two countries frequently. Dozens of states from both countries along the boarder are involved and it allows for student’s academic achievements to be shared back and forth. This allows students to be more accurately placed in schools. Another program in place was initiated in 1990 by the Mexican government to all U.S. school personnel to request copies of Mexican school textbooks for preschool and primary grades. This program allows students to receive a more well-rounded and comprehensive education. Yet another program in place is geared more towards teachers in the US and offers them the opportunity to do an exchange to Mexico. This exchange is facilitated through the ‘Binational Teacher Exchange’ and allows them to immerse themselves in the Mexican culture and gain a better understanding of how to teach the immigrant children who are now in their classes.

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Interview with Claudia Holguin = Claudia Holguin is the assistant Professor of Spanish at the University of Oregon. As you will hear in the video, she is originally from Mexico and attended school there until she graduated from high school and went to College in The United States. I was first exposed to Professor Holguin when she did a lecture on ‘Spanglish’ in my Spanish 150 class and knew she was the woman to interview on such a topic as the Schools in Mexico and America. Claudia stands on very strong ground about what she thinks both systems could fix. A lack of respect and discipline is a major factor in why students are becoming less effective because teachers have to work twice as hard in less than desirable situations. Professor Holguin also discusses her experiences in the school systems and teaching for them. She had a lot of really good opinions and ideas concerning how both countries run their education systems. Also, she engaged in many occurrences from which she was able to gather a better understanding about the field of bilingual education. media type="youtube" key="XSlK0tCAvBk" height="315" width="560"

= = = <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Resources =