Transforming education systems: Why, what, and how

  • Download the full policy brief
  • Download the executive summary
  • Baixe o resumo executivo
  • Baixar o resumo da política

تنزيل موجز السياسة

تنزيل الملخص التنفيذي

  • Descargar el PDF en Español
  • Descargar el resumen de políticas

Subscribe to the Center for Universal Education Bulletin

Rebecca winthrop and rebecca winthrop director - center for universal education , senior fellow - global economy and development @rebeccawinthrop the hon. minister david sengeh the hon. minister david sengeh minister of education and chief innovation officer - government of sierra leone, chief innovation officer - directorate of science, technology and innovation in sierra leone @dsengeh.

June 23, 2022

Today, the topic of education system transformation is front of mind for many leaders. Ministers of education around the world are seeking to build back better as they emerge from COVID-19-school closures to a new normal of living with a pandemic. The U.N. secretary general is convening the Transforming Education Summit (TES) at this year’s general assembly meeting (United Nations, n.d.). Students around the world continue to demand transformation on climate and not finding voice to do this through their schools are regularly leaving class to test out their civic action skills.      

It is with this moment in mind that we have developed this shared vision of education system transformation. Collectively we offer insights on transformation from the perspective of a global think tank and a national government: the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at Brookings brings years of global research on education change and transformation, and the Ministry of Education of Sierra Leone brings on-the-ground lessons from designing and implementing system-wide educational rebuilding.   

This brief is for any education leader or stakeholder who is interested in charting a transformation journey in their country or education jurisdiction such as a state or district. It is also for civil society organizations, funders, researchers, and anyone interested in the topic of national development through education. In it, we answer the following three questions and argue for a participatory approach to transformation:  

  • Why is education system transformation urgent now? We argue that the world is at an inflection point. Climate change, the changing nature of work, increasing conflict and authoritarianism together with the urgency of COVID recovery has made the transformation agenda more critical than ever. 
  • What is education system transformation? We argue that education system transformation must entail a fresh review of the goals of your system – are they meeting the moment that we are in, are they tackling inequality and building resilience for a changing world, are they fully context aware, are they owned broadly across society – and then fundamentally positioning all components of your education system to coherently contribute to this shared purpose.  
  • How can education system transformation advance in your country or jurisdiction? We argue that three steps are crucial: Purpose (developing a broadly shared vision and purpose), Pedagogy (redesigning the pedagogical core), and Position (positioning and aligning all components of the system to support the pedagogical core and purpose). Deep engagement of educators, families, communities, students, ministry staff, and partners is essential across each of these “3 P” steps.    

Related Content

Rebecca Winthrop, Adam Barton, Mahsa Ershadi, Lauren Ziegler

September 30, 2021

Jenny Perlman Robinson, Molly Curtiss Wyss, Patrick Hannahan

July 7, 2021

Emiliana Vegas, Rebecca Winthrop

September 8, 2020

Our aim is not to provide “the answer” — we are also on a journey and continually learning about what it takes to transform systems — but to help others interested in pursuing system transformation benefit from our collective reflections to date. The goal is to complement and put in perspective — not replace — detailed guidance from other actors on education sector on system strengthening, reform, and redesign. In essence, we want to broaden the conversation and debate.

Download the full policy brief»

Download the executive summary»

Baixe o resumo executivo»

Baixar o resumo da política»

Descargar el PDF en Español»

Descargar el resumen de políticas»

Global Education

Global Economy and Development

Center for Universal Education

Darcy Hutchins, Emily Markovich Morris, Laura Nora, Carolina Campos, Adelaida Gómez Vergara, Nancy G. Gordon, Esmeralda Macana, Karen Robertson

March 28, 2024

Larry Cooley, Jenny Perlman Robinson

March 8, 2024

The Brookings Institution, Washington DC

9:00 am - 5:00 pm EDT

  • IELTS Scores
  • Life Skills Test
  • Find a Test Centre
  • Alternatives to IELTS
  • Find Student Housing
  • General Training
  • Academic Word List
  • Topic Vocabulary
  • Collocation
  • Phrasal Verbs
  • Writing eBooks
  • Reading eBook
  • All eBooks & Courses

Education System Essays

by Keyla Simoes (Praia Grande, São Paulo, Brazil)

education system essays

Choice of Subjects at University

by Karlie (China)

Some people think that all university students should study whatever they like. Others believe that they should only be allowed to study subjects that will be useful in the future, such as those related to science and technology. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Nowadays, more and more students are unconscious about how to choose their major. They think if they need to choose the subject that they love or choose the subject that is good and useful for the society in the future. It is no doubt that there are some benefits to study a major is about the technology and science. If most of the students study these kinds of major, there will be a sharp increase in the technical development, the productivity will be improved and produce more high-tech products, as a result, the living standard will be better that before and it will have a rise in the economic growth. Moreover, students may get high salary, if they find a job that needs a lot of skill about technology or science. On the other hand, the others think that students need to study the subject that they love it. For example, students choose their favorite subject, they would like to spend more time on their subject that they are interest and they don’t feel boring about their classes, try their best to do their research or lecture, even though the subject is difficult for them, so they could get high mark and get more successful in their major. In addition, different people have different favorite major, not all the students only study technology and science, it can makes the society develop in many kinds of ways, such as literature, art, sports. In conclusion, I believe that students need to choose the subject that they love, the reason for this is students can have more incentive to study and they can have a good mark in their exam. I think university could add some additional subjects about technology or science for students who do not learn these, let students learn some knowledge about technology or science. *** Please provide me with feedback on my Choice of Subjects at University Essay.

Testing and Exams in Education

Hello, can you give me a feedback on my essay please? What should I improve to reach band 7-8? Tests and examinations are a central feature of school systems in many countries. Do you think the educational benefits of testing outweigh any disadvantages? Assessing students includes many methods; however the majority of educational institutions regard examinations as the most efficient. Even though testing system is practiced in many countries and has many benefits, this system has become outdated and dilapidated. The main problem of current educational program is single-disciplinarily system, so it doesn’t take into consideration individual abilities of each student. Mostly, exams are in the written form consisting of tests and theoretical questions, hence practical skills and critical thinking play a minor role in assessment. By cramming for exams scholars remember information only for short period of time, meanwhile practical learning could give a lot more effective results. Another drawback of testing system is inaccuracy of exam results because scholars are pressured under limited time and strict conditions. There were many cases where students passed their exam and scored less than their real knowledge and abilities. Some people claim that written assessment provide effective studying by tracking the progress and enhancing competition among students. However, this can give a rise to conflicts among students or pupils and their parents, inferiority complexes and other consequences. Moreover different attitude of teacher towards pupils can lead to the unfair results too. In conclusion, testing takes the important part in educational system, however it shouldn’t be the most valuable description of student’s knowledge.

Education and a Country's Success Essay

education system essays

Giving Children Homework

by Miku (tokyo)

Some people believe that school children should not be given homework by their teachers, whereas others argue that homework plays an important role in the education of children. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. Homework has been given in large number of schools so far. However, there are agreement and disagreement in some people. This essay will indicate the both views how homework affects positively to educated students. I believe that doing homework leads their better education and it is highly likely to achieve their lives. Firstly, no homework can save students’ time and it is possible to develop their skills in the other interests. Younger generation have tons of opportunities and flexible mind and also some people do not actually use school subjects in their entire life. For example, many famous entertainers such as singer or dancer are absorbed their artistry in their childhood. So instead of doing homework, skilled person should experience and spend their time what they exactly want to do. On the other hand, to do homework still plays a significant role in teenager’s life. It is because there are only few people can be skilled person and the other ones would fail or suffer in a difficult situation before achievement. Furthermore, the mind of youngsters is changing easily. Moreover, making effort and handling a lot of tasks in schooling will even build a strong personality. Therefore, homework should be given to all students. In conclusion, it depends on the situation and people how they would like to advance their life. However, to manage school homework could be the momentous effect in any work environments. Thus, I will believe that being given homework is much important than without homework in school. [email protected] Thanks

Online Learning Essay

Online Learning Essay

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, most schools have had to switch to teaching online. Some people think that online teaching is as effective as in-person instruction, while others think online teaching is inferior. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. It is considered by some that having online classes are as good as face-to-face classes, while there are others who think having face-to-face classes are better than having online classes. In my opinion, I believe that face-to-face classes are better for practical courses, while online classes are similar to face-to-face classes for theoretical courses. On the one hand, many think online classes are comparable to face-to-face classes. In other words, they think online classes could provide students the same standard of teaching and feedback. Nothing changes except for the medium to deliver the classes. Students would still need to finish assignments, do presentations and sit for examinations. On the other hand, some think online classes are lower in quality. Teaching staffs might not use to deliver lectures or classes through online platforms and ignore some questions from students. Consequently, some students need to spend extra time to email lecturers or teachers to answer their enquiries. Finally, in my opinion, whether face-to-face classes are better or equally efficient as online classes, depends on the major of the students. For example, face-to-face classes are better for students who are studying arts, physical education and chemistry, which required certain practical skills to succeed in their relevant fields. In contrast, online classes are as high quality as face-to-face classes for students who study law, accounting, cultural studies, which required more theoretical knowledge than getting their hands dirty. In conclusion, both teaching methods, either online or in person, could help students to achieve in their studies. It just depends on what students are studying to determine which method delivers better learning quality and experience.

IELTS Essay - Choice of School Subjects

by Ali Almasi (Esfahan, Iran)

Schools should only offer subjects that are beneficial to students’ future career success. Other subjects, such as music and sports, are not important. To what extent do you agree or disagree? It is generally thought that students should only study subjects which are beneficial to their successful future career and other topics like music and sports are not of importance. Personally, I am of the opinion that schools should provide, pupils with a marvelous opportunity to learn different subjects. There are many positive points if schools incorporate are lessons into their curriculum. One of the most important advantages with respect to this view is that it can significantly contribute to the enhancement of children’s creativity. Scientifically speaking, it has been proven that music and sports lessons may afford students the opportunity to develop their efficiency, performance and innovation. As a result, it can be particularly beneficial for them if they have an acquaintance with this type of subjects. Another merit can be ascribed to the fact that music can provide students with assistance to recall satisfactory memories and sports lessons may mitigate the risk of suffering from the infirmities and frailties of old age. Therefore, the more children study art topics during their studies the more they become successful in their occupation in the future. Another benefit in support of this view stems from the familiarity with expressing emotions. In other words, music and sports can boost children’s ability to explain their emotions and display their affection towards each other. Hence, they are competent in leading a tranquil lifestyle fraught with composure. By contrast, there is no doubt that subjects, such as math, chemistry and physics have played a significant role in the future career of children. This is because these subjects are rooted in reality and have a direct impact on all facets of children’s existence. It is true, though, that the brain of students is growing and needs to become acquainted with other courses. There are a large number of illustrations which indicate that children should be at liberty to opt their favorite discipline themselves to become successful, such as Elon Mask and Taylor Swift In conclusion, although educational systems consider subjects in the curriculum that would be useful for future job success of students, other topics like music and sports are of immense significance for them.

IELTS Essay - Compulsory Sport at School

by zaid khan

It is generally accepted that exercise is good for children and teenagers. Therefore physical education and sport should be compulsory for all students in all schools. What is your opinion? Although physical training is beneficial for children and teenagers alike, making it compulsory for all students in all schools is not a good idea. Rather it is the duty of each and every child's parents to ensure that their children get the required fitness education. In today's world, there are many types of schools including those for specially abled children where some pupils may not be able participate in sports due to some disability. Also there are a plenty of games that all played today and it is not feasible for any school to train their pupil for every one of them. For the sake of argument, if we make physical education as a mandatory subject in the curriculum then people will next argue which sport to make as obligatory in schools and that will be a never ending debate. Also, each sport has their specific requirements such as hiring qualified trainers, high-end equipment, open spaces, and quality time which would add to the expenses of institutions and shift the focus from their fundamental duty of imparting scholastic knowledge. Rather, It is the duty of each parents and not the schools to facilitate recreational activities for their children. Every parent should try to encourage their child to be sportive and should try to find which sport interest their child the most. They can then, enroll their offspring to master in his or her favorite play at sport-complexes which are designed for making champions which can never happen in a school. Also some games such as boxing involve a high risk of injury and should only be trained at premises where immediate medical help can be given which again cannot be expected in a school compound. In conclusion, although sports education is good for a child but it should not be made compulsory in a school. Instead parents should take the responsibility of their child's physical fitness and let schools pay attention on children's curricular activities. 329 words 1,939 characters

IELTS Essay - Investing in Computers or Teachers

by Shatha Salman (Jordan)

Computers or Teachers?

Computers or Teachers?

Some believe that money for education should mainly be spent on better computers while others believe it would be better spent on teachers. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. There is no doubt education play a crucial role in people’s lives. However, while some think investments in teaching should be towards enhanced technology and up to date computing machines, I would agree with those who argue that it will be a well spent fund if spent on tutors. Opponents point out that increased technology capabilities are important in students’ life cycle. This is because nowadays market requirements are all evolved on acquiring better computer skills. For instance, a student who has dealt earlier years in his education with advanced soft wares will somehow surpass the other. If, in contrast no funds were allocated for such valuable tool, a huge gap will arise later in students’ career. Meanwhile attracting talented tutors with a rich experience and knowledgeable resume will somehow comes in favor of students. In other words these teachers will inherit their lessons and expand learnings if they were paid the salary they deserve and by that they will be motivated to achieve their objectives and deliver the value to students. For example, some teachers connect spiritually with their students and encourage them to unleash the potential inside of them by the skills they already have throughout life. In order to have high maintained educational system, good talents with high level of experience to expand should be first on demand. In conclusion, although developed computers could contribute positively in education process and readiness, in my opinion investing in teachers are more vulnerable.

Before you go...

Check out the ielts buddy band 7+ ebooks & courses.

education system essays

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  • Click on the HTML link code below.
  • Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Band 7+ eBooks

"I think these eBooks are FANTASTIC!!! I know that's not academic language, but it's the truth!"

Linda, from Italy, Scored Band 7.5

ielts buddy ebooks

IELTS Modules:

Other resources:.

  • All Lessons
  • Band Score Calculator
  • Writing Feedback
  • Speaking Feedback
  • Teacher Resources
  • Free Downloads
  • Recent Essay Exam Questions
  • Books for IELTS Prep
  • Student Housing
  • Useful Links

education system essays

Recent Articles

RSS

Alternatives to the IELTS Exam

Mar 22, 24 12:32 PM

Common Questions about the IELTS Speaking Test

Mar 09, 24 05:28 AM

IELTS Computer Delivered Practice Tests Plus Band Score

Mar 01, 24 02:38 AM

IELTS Listening Section 4 Practice

Important pages

IELTS Writing IELTS Speaking IELTS Listening   IELTS Reading All Lessons Vocabulary Academic Task 1 Academic Task 2 Practice Tests

Connect with us

education system essays

Copyright © 2022- IELTSbuddy All Rights Reserved

IELTS is a registered trademark of University of Cambridge, the British Council, and IDP Education Australia. This site and its owners are not affiliated, approved or endorsed by the University of Cambridge ESOL, the British Council, and IDP Education Australia.

America's Education News Source

Copyright 2024 The 74 Media, Inc

  • Cyberattack
  • absenteeism
  • Future of High School
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • science of reading

Best Education Essays of 2021: Our 15 Most Discussed Columns About Schools, COVID Slide, Learning Recovery & More

education system essays

A full calendar year of education under COVID-19 and its variants gave rise to a wave of memorable essays in 2021, focusing both on the ongoing damage done and how to mitigate learning loss going forward.

While consensus emerged around several key themes — the need for extensive, in-depth tutoring, the possibilities presented by unprecedented millions in federal relief dollars for schools, the opportunity for education reimagined — there was far less agreement on whether to remediate or accelerate, which health and safety measures schools should employ, even how dire the shortage of teachers and school staff really is. 

From grade-level standards and hygiene theater to lessons from the Spanish flu and homeschooling, here are the 15 most read and buzzed-about essays of 2021:

education system essays

Analysis: Focus on Grade-Level Standards or Meet Students Where They Are? How an Unintentional Experiment Guided a Strategy for Addressing Learning Loss

Learning Recovery: What’s the best way to support learning recovery in middle-grade math? Should schools stay focused on grade-level standards while trying to address critical learning gaps as best as they can? Or should they systematically address individual students’ unfinished learning from prior years so they can ultimately catch back up — even if that means spending meaningful time teaching below-grade skills? As educators and administrators wrestle with those questions as they prepare to return to school in the fall, contributor Joel Rose offers some guidance inadvertently found in a study of Teach to One , an innovative learning model operated by New Classrooms Innovation Partners, the nonprofit where he is co-founder and CEO. That research found performance in schools with accountability systems that focused on grade-level proficiency (and thus prioritized grade-level exposure) grew 7 percentile points, while those that operated under systems that rewarded student growth (and thus prioritized individual student needs) grew 38 points. While the study was never intended to compare results across schools in this way, the stark difference between the two groups could not be ignored. Math is cumulative, and the path to proficiency often requires addressing unfinished learning from prior years. For the middle grades, administrators and policymakers would be wise to question the grade-level-only gospel as they begin to plan students’ educational recovery. Read the full analysis . 

education system essays

Lessons from Spanish Flu — Babies Born in 1919 Had Worse Educational, Life Outcomes Than Those Born Just Before or After. Could That Happen With COVID-19?

History: Contributor Chad Aldeman has some bad news: The effects of COVID-19 are likely to linger for decades. And if the Spanish Flu is any indication, babies born during the pandemic may suffer some devastating consequences . Compared with children born just before or after, babies born during the flu pandemic in 1919 were less likely to finish high school, earned less money and were more likely to depend on welfare assistance and serve time in jail. The harmful effects were twice as large for nonwhite children. It may take a few years to see whether similar educational and economic effects from COVID-19 start to materialize, but these are ominous findings suggesting that hidden economic factors may influence a child’s life in ways that aren’t obvious in the moment. Hopefully, they will give policymakers more reasons to speed economic recovery efforts and make sure they deliver benefits to families and children who are going to need them the most. Read the full essay .

education system essays

Pittman & Darling-Hammond: Surveys Find Parents Want Bold Changes in Schools — With More Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom

Future of Education: Whatever they thought of their schools before the pandemic struck, parents now have strong opinions about what they want them to provide. They are looking beyond fall reopenings to rethink schooling, and they care about having good choices for interest-driven learning opportunities beyond the classroom . Two national parent surveys released in May shed new light on how to think about the often-used phrase “more and better learning.” Among the key findings, write contributors Karen Pittman and Linda Darling-Hammond: Parents want bold changes in schools, to make public education more equitable and learner-centered. But they also believe that home, school and extracurriculars play complementary roles in imparting the broad set of skills children need for their future success. This means educators and policymakers must support learning that extends beyond the school day, the school walls, the school staff and the traditional school approaches. Read the full essay .

education system essays

High-Quality, High-Dosage Tutoring Can Reduce Learning Loss. A Blueprint for How Washington, States & Districts Can Make It Happen

Personalized Learning: There is near-unanimous, bipartisan agreement that tutoring is among the most promising, evidence-based strategies to help students struggling with learning loss . Decades of rigorous evaluations have consistently found that tutoring programs yield large, positive effects on math and reading achievement, and can even lead to greater social and motivational outcomes. It isn’t just the research community buzzing about tutoring — it is gaining momentum in policy circles, too. Which means there is a real opportunity — and responsibility — to design and deliver tutoring programs in a way that aligns with the research evidence, which is fortunately beginning to tell us more than just “tutoring works.” Contributors Sara Kerr and Kate Tromble of Results for America lay out a blueprint for how Washington, states and local school districts can make high-quality, high-dosage tutoring happen .

education system essays

COVID-19 Raised Fears of Teacher Shortages. But the Situation Varies from State to State, School to School & Subject to Subject

Teacher Pipeline: Is the U.S. facing a major teacher shortage? Relatively low pay, a booming private sector and adverse working conditions in schools are all important elements in whether teaching is becoming an undesirable profession. But, writes contributor Dan Goldhaber, the factors that lead to attrition are diverse, so treating teachers as a monolith doesn’t help in crafting solutions to the real staffing challenges that some schools face. There is no national teacher labor market per se, because each state adopts its own rules for pay, licensure, tenure, pension and training requirements. And nationally, tens of thousands more people are prepared to teach than there are available positions. But while some schools have applicants lined up when an opening becomes available, others, typically those serving economically disadvantaged students, draw far fewer candidates. And schools tend to struggle to find teachers with special education or STEM training. The pandemic certainly raises concerns about teacher shortages; what is needed is a more nuanced conversation about teacher staffing to come up with more effective solutions to real problems. Read the full essay .

education system essays

Clash of Cultures, Clash of Privilege — What Happened When 30 Low-Income Students of Color Were Admitted to Elite Prep Schools

Analysis: Programs like Prep for Prep and A Better Chance have long been regarded as groundbreaking solutions to the lack of diversity in the nation’s most elite prep schools. Teens who join these types of programs undergo a transfer of privilege that starts with their education and bleeds into every facet of their lives, forever altering their trajectory with opportunities that otherwise would likely be unattainable. But what assumptions do these programs subscribe to? And what lessons can be found in the experiences of the participants? In her Harvard senior thesis, contributor Jessica Herrera Chaidez followed 30 participants in a program that grants select socioeconomically disadvantaged students of color in the Los Angeles area the opportunity to attend famed independent schools. She found that the experiences of these students can be understood in various forms of twoness associated with this transfer of privilege, an internal struggle that begins with their introduction to the world of elite education and will come to mark them for their entire lives in a way that they aren’t even able to comprehend yet. Read more about her findings, and what some of these students had to say .

education system essays

Steiner & Wilson: Some Tough Questions, and Some Answers, About Fighting COVID Slide While Accelerating Student Learning

Case Study: How prepared are district leaders, principals and teachers as they work to increase learning readiness for on-grade work this fall? That’s the question posed by contributors David Steiner and Barbara Wilson in a case study examining how a large urban district sought to adapt materials it was already using to implement an acceleration strategy for early elementary foundational skills in reading . Among the insights to be drawn: First, planning is critical. Leaders need to set out precisely how many minutes of instruction will be provided, the exact learning goals and the specific materials; identify all those involved (tutors, specialists, and teachers); and give them access to shared professional development on the chosen acceleration strategies. Second, this requires a sea change from business as usual, where teachers attempt to impart skill-based standards using an eclectic rather than a coherent curriculum. It is not possible to accelerate children with fragmented content. All efforts to prepare students for grade-level instruction must rest on fierce agreement about the shared curriculum to be taught in classrooms. What we teach is the anchor that holds everything else in place. Read the full essay .

education system essays

Schools Are Facing a Surge of Failing Grades During the Pandemic — and Traditional Approaches Like Credit Recovery Will Not Be Enough to Manage It

Student Supports: Earlier this year, failing grades were on the rise across the country — especially for students who are learning online — and the trend threatened to exacerbate existing educational inequities. The rise in failing grades appears to be most pronounced among students from low-income households, multilingual students and students learning virtually . This could have lasting consequences: Students with failing grades tend to have less access to advanced courses in high school, and a failing grade in even one ninth-grade course can lower a student’s chances of graduating on time. Addressing the problem, though, won’t be easy. In many school systems, the rash of failed courses could overwhelm traditional approaches to helping students make up coursework they may have missed. In a new analysis, Betheny Gross, associate director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, implored school and district leaders to be especially wary of one long-established but questionable practice: credit recovery. Read more about her warning — as well as her recommendations for how districts should seek to reverse this learning loss .

education system essays

Riccards: The 1776 Report Is a Political Document, Not a Curriculum. But It Has Something to Teach Us

Analysis: The 1776 Report was never intended to stand as curriculum, nor was it designed to be translated into a curriculum as the 1619 Project was. It is a political document offered by political voices. But, writes contributor Patrick Riccards, dismissing it would be a mistake, because it provides an important lesson . The American record, whether it be measured starting in 1619 or 1776, is hopeful and ugly, inspiring and debilitating, a shining beacon and an unshakable dark cloud. American history is messy and contradictory; how we teach it, even more so. For years, we have heard how important it is to increase investment in civics education. But from #BlackLivesMatter to 2020 electioneering to even the assault on the U.S. Capitol, the basics of civics have been on display in our streets and corridors of power. What we lack is the collective historical knowledge necessary to translate civic education into meaningful, positive community change. The 1776 Report identifies beliefs espoused by our Founding Fathers and many Confederates and reflected by those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. They are a part of our history that we must study, understand, contextualize and deconstruct. The 1776 Report becomes the proper close to the social studies lessons of the past four years. As the next chapter of American history is written, it is imperative to apply those lessons to significantly improve the teaching and learning of American history. Our nation’s future depends on better understanding our past .

education system essays

There’s Lots of Education Data Out There — and It Can Be Misleading. Here Are 6 Questions to Ask

Student Data: Data is critical to addressing inequities in education. However, it is often misused, interpreted to fit a particular agenda or misread in ways that perpetuate an inaccurate story . Data that’s not broken down properly can hide gaps between different groups of students. Facts out of context can lead to superficial conclusions or deceptive narratives. In this essay, contributor Krista Kaput presents six questions that she asks herself when consuming data — and that you should, too .

education system essays

Educators’ View: Principals Know Best What Their Schools Need. They Should Have a Central Role in Deciding How Relief Funds Are Spent

School Funding: The American Rescue Plan represents a once-in-a-generation federal commitment to K-12 schools across the country. The impact will be felt immediately: The $122 billion in direct funding will support safe school reopenings, help ensure that schools already providing in-person instruction can safely stay open and aid students in recovering from academic and mental health challenges induced and exacerbated by the pandemic. How these funds are distributed will shape the educational prospects of millions of students, affecting the country for decades to come. As they make rescue plan funding decisions, write contributors L. Earl Franks of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and Ronn Nozoe of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, states and districts should meaningfully engage and empower school principals throughout all phases of implementation. Principals, as leaders of their school buildings and staff, have unequaled insights into their individual schools’ needs and know which resources are required most urgently. Read the authors’ four recommendations for leveraging this expertise .

education system essays

Case Studies: How 11 States Are Using Emergency Federal Funds to Make Improvements in College and Career Access That Will Endure Beyond the Pandemic

COVID Relief: The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund gave states more than $4 billion in discretionary federal dollars to support K-12 schools, higher education and workforce initiatives. These were welcome resources, coming just as the pandemic accelerated unemployment and exacerbated declining college enrollment, hitting those from low-income backgrounds hardest. But as contributors Betheny Gross, Georgia Heyward and Matt Robinson note, most states have invested overwhelmingly in one-time college scholarships or short-term supports that will end once funds run out. In hopes of encouraging policymakers across the country to make more sustainable investments with the remaining relief funds, the trio spotlights efforts in 11 states that show promise in enduring beyond COVID-19. Read our full case study . 

education system essays

In Thousands of Districts, 4-Day School Weeks Are Robbing Students of Learning Time for What Amounts to Hygiene Theater

School Safety: Last April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made clear that having good ventilation and wearing masks consistently are far more effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19 than disinfecting surfaces. This clarification was long overdue, say contributors Robin Lake and Georgia Heyward of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, as scientists had long suspected that deep cleaning and temperature checks are more hygiene theater than a strategy for limiting the spread of an airborne virus. Thousands of school districts, however, had already built complex fall reopening plans with a full day for at-home learning. The result was a modified four-day week with students receiving significantly reduced live instruction. Eliminating a full day of in-person teaching was always a high-cost strategy from an education standpoint; now there is confirmation that it was totally unnecessary. Lake and Heyward argue that we cannot afford to throw away an entire day of learning and student support based on a false scientific premise .

education system essays

Teacher’s View: How the Science of Reading Helped Me Make the Most of Limited Time With My Students & Adapt Lessons to Meet Their Needs

First Person: March 12, 2020, was contributor Jessica Pasik’s last typical day in the classroom before COVID-19 changed everything. When her district closed, she assumed, as did many, that it was a temporary precaution. But with each passing week, she worried that the growth in reading she and her first-graders had worked so hard for would fade away . Many pre-pandemic instructional approaches to teaching reading were already failing students and teachers, and the stress of COVID-19 has only exacerbated these challenges. When Pasik’s district reopened for in-person classes in the fall, they were faced with difficult decisions about how to best deliver instruction. One factor that helped streamline this transition was a grounding in the science of reading. Having extensive knowledge of what they needed to teach allowed educators to focus on how they would teach, make the most of the limited instructional time they had with students and adapt lessons to meet their needs. There are multiple factors that teachers cannot control; one person alone cannot make the systematic changes needed for all children to reach proficiency in literacy. But one knowledgeable teacher can forever change the trajectory of a student’s life. Students will face many challenges once they leave the classroom, but low literacy does not need to be one of them. Read her full essay .

education system essays

Homeschooling Is on the Rise. What Should That Teach Education Leaders About Families’ Preferences?

Disenrollment: With school closures, student quarantines and tensions over mask requirements, vaccine mandates and culture war issues, families’ lives have been upended in ways few could have imagined 18 months ago. That schools have struggled to adapt is understandable, writes contributor Alex Spurrier. But for millions of families, their willingness to tolerate institutional sclerosis in their children’s education is wearing thin. Over the past 18 months, the rate of families moving their children to a new school increased by about 50 percent , and some 1.2 million switched to homeschooling last academic year. Instead of working to get schools back to a pre-pandemic normal, Spurrier says, education leaders should look at addressing the needs of underserved kids and families — and the best way to understand where schools are falling short is to look at how families are voting with their feet. If options like homeschooling, pods and microschools retain some of their pandemic enrollment gains, it could have ripple effects on funding that resonate throughout the K-12 landscape. Read the full essay .

Go Deeper: Get our latest commentary, analysis and news coverage delivered directly to your inbox — sign up for The 74 Newsletter .

Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter

Bev Weintraub is an Executive Editor at The 74

education system essays

  • learning loss

We want our stories to be shared as widely as possible — for free.

Please view The 74's republishing terms.

By Bev Weintraub

education system essays

This story first appeared at The 74 , a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox.

On The 74 Today

Education System in the United States

​introduction.

Ideally, education should continually prepare an individual for life so that they may live it to the fullest while aiming at an experience of the greater good for all and sundry. Nurturing of the human capacity for creativity requires a fertile environment for growth. Thus, education can be acquired from home, where the educative process is informal. It can also be appropriated from an institutionalized setting in the form of a public school or a privately owned school. In the United States, each of these environments is well represented as a source of education. The extent to which each of them has been instrumental in the drive for the greater good has, however, not yet been established.

Also, it would be an interesting engagement to try and determine how much each of the three entities have contributed towards this goal in the American context. This article shall explore education in the United States based on the aforementioned sources of enlightenment. According to the National Catholic Educational Association, no database extant in the American continent provides data regarding public schools. Furthermore, no database collects the same; also, no database compares findings concerning private and public schools (NCEA, 2010). This treatise shall attempt to make such comparisons. Findings of privately run schools and home-based learning centers shall be considered in mutual exclusivity, and comparisons made of the same regarding various parameters of interest. The author shall then endeavor to draw logical conclusions from the comparisons thus made.

​General Structure of the Education System in the United States

In the United States, education can be seen from two perspectives. There is a level at which education is considered not to be compulsory, and there is compulsory education. The non-compulsory level of education is below kindergarten. Different states have different ages at which children may enter compulsory education. This is usually six years of age. However, the range is usually between five and seven years (USAEducation, 2011). This level of education is also known as pre-higher education, and it lasts for ten years on average. For example, a child who joins compulsory education classes at the age of six years shall be expected to graduate at the age of sixteen, approximately ten years later. Within this level, one starts with pre-schooling, which commences from age three to six. The types of schools that provide pre-primary education include nursery schools, kindergarten, and daycare centers. A child in kindergarten spends two years in school (EuroEducation, 2011). In some cases, certificates are awarded as proof that a child indeed attended pre-primary classes. These certificates make the children eligible for admission into Elementary school.

Elementary school lasts four years, and the age of entry is usually six years, immediately after completion of Kindergarten. There are four grades at this level, but that also depends on the state and local practice. At ten years of age, one is likely to graduate with a certificate or a diploma that is awarded by the State or District. The student is then eligible to join Middle School. Sometimes, however, the issuance of awards may not be necessary (EuroEducation, 2011). For example, when a student is to maintain their residency within the same school, there will be no need for proof of graduation to the next level since the student is already known.

From ten to fourteen years of age, a student attends Middle School. This is from grade four to grade six but in some cases, it may go up to grade seven, or grade eight. On average the level takes three years to be completed. High school is from grade seven (or eight) to twelve and lasts six years; from thirteen to eighteen years of age. Some schools offer a level known as the Junior Secondary, which typically runs from thirteen to fifteen years of age and lasts an average of three years. The representative grades in this level are grade seven to eight, seven to nine, or eight to nine. It is a level followed immediately by the Upper secondary. The latter takes five years, is composed of grades nine or ten to twelve, and involves children who are between fifteen and eighteen years of age. Twelfth grade is the level for graduation from secondary school in all states. When one graduate, they are awarded a High School Diploma together with a transcript which details the marks that the student obtained and the curriculum in which he or she was involved (USAEducation, 2011).

Beyond secondary school education, there are two branches of education that one may opt for. They may get vocational education and training. This does not culminate in one being awarded a degree, but under certain circumstances, there may be transferable credits that lead to the award of a degree. On the other hand, a high school graduate can opt for the pursuance of a degree in any field that interests him or her (USAEducation, 2011). Higher education, also called post-secondary education can last an entire lifetime. It might also last for only three years after which the student decides to seek employment either in a field relevant to the acquired knowledge or an entirely different field. The transmutability of knowledge gained from higher education places the scholar at an advantage in that they are not confined to their area of expertise. The open-minded graduate will find gainful employment in whichever field they opt for. The essence of education is not to end up having a job, but to live life fully. Therefore, one who gets a job after they have acquired their degrees is fortunate

​Subjects Taught at Various School Levels

Much of what children are introduced to while they are in Kindergarten is repeated through the course of their elementary school life. Numbers, language, and social science are taught using computers, film, and books. These lists are, however, not exhaustive. Teachers have the responsibility of shaping the way children will think at this level and what the children learn shall be important determinants of whether or not the students shall be successful in the future. The teacher encourages them to play so that they may develop language and social skills. At Elementary School, one or two teachers are usually held responsible for a group of children whom they instruct in one of several special subjects. These subjects include science, music, and art (United States Bureau of Labour, 2002).

​The private education system in the United States

Behind every decision for one to embrace either the public school system or private school system, there is a motive. The rationale behind American people opting for private education is multi-faceted. However, there seems to be one underlying reason (opines the author) that traverses all others and that is, a collectively disgruntled group of people who have lost faith in the education that the public sector provides. What are some of the reasons for opting to go private? If the 2004 publication on private schooling is anything to go by, private schools are a reserve of the financially capable. The same publication gives the impression that the majority of rich people prefer having their children attend private schools that have no religious affiliations (Education Week, 2004). It would also so appear as if this group of people detests the idea of their progeny being indoctrinated with religious dogma; that not being relevant to their realization of the good life. Moreover, it depicts the definition of “the good life” as something subjective, arguable depending on personal perspectives of what comprises the good in life. If the observations on religious dogma were true, then a paltry 10% of the school-age population would still be an overestimation of the proportion of people who do not view success in life as a function of one’s religiousness or lack thereof.

According to the Council of American Private Education, one of the reasons the American populace opts for private educational institutions is the provision of quality education that they appropriate (CAPE, 2011). The implication of this is that, for the parents of school-going children who attend private school, the delivery of quality is better experienced away from public institutions. Other reasons cited for preferring private to public schools are supportive communities, safety and orderliness in private environments, and the impartation of morals and ethical values. When each of these factors is taken in isolation and regarded as a polarizing factor, it does not appear to hold much water, if any at all. About the quality of education, for example, it would be expected that public schools would offer better quality. This is because the federal government has the backing of the whole American population, albeit begrudgingly for some, in form of income tax returns. Therefore, the acquisition of quality personnel and educative amenities would/should not be an unbearable burden.

The National Centre for Education Statistics (NCES) defines a private school as one that does not obtain its financial support primarily from public funds. Besides, such schools use classrooms to deliver educative material from kindergarten up to grade 12. Other levels that compare to K-12 but as yet ungraded are also considered, for example, some Montessori schools assign institutions to “primary” or “intermediate” levels rather than giving specific grades. The said schools should also employ one teacher or more, for them to snugly fit within this criterion. The NCES does not consider a private school an institution or organization that does not use a classroom set-up to deliver instruction. It has been running the private school survey since 1997, with data derived from administrative personnel in the same institutions (NCES, 2011).

According to NCESs 2009-2010 survey, some private schools had religious orientations and these formed the majority of private schools (Broughman, Swaim and Hryczaniuk, 2011). The religious leanings notwithstanding, an interesting fancy that comes to mind is a look at the reasons behind these proclivities. It would also be of sensual appeal to study the various religious interests represented in the various school, to find out which is the most represented and why.

From the same survey mentioned above, it was evident that the majority of private schools around the United States had no religious affiliations at all. That is, not one religion had several schools that exceeded that of schools devoid of religious inclinations. These “unspiritual” (read non-sectarian) schools were closely followed in number by private schools that are predominantly Roman Catholic (Broughman, Swaim, and Hryczaniuk, 2011). According to the National Catholic Educational Association, when a single year is considered, examining test scores to determine student achievement, and to compare the quality of education between public and private schools avails very little relevant information (NCEA, 2006). This statement has been construed to engender the lack of comparison of other relevant data within any single academic or survey year.

For example, based on the 2009-2010 NCEA report, one may easily compare the enrolment of students in Roman Catholic schools and those in the Baptist church, thereby concluding that the higher the number of schools, the higher the number of students who enroll in them. This conclusion, however, is flawed, especially when one goes a step further and makes the same comparisons with, say, Jewish schools. The conclusion would imply direct proportionality between the number of schools and the number of enrollees. Nevertheless, the Jewish schools number less than half of the Baptist schools, but students enrolled in Jewish schools are more than half the number of those in Baptist schools. Similarly, it would be expected that since the number of Greek orthodox schools are exactly half the number of schools of the Church of God in Christ, the enrollees in the latter institution would be, ideally, half the number in the former give or take a few thousand students. A stark contrast is observed in this case, when the number of Greek orthodox enrolees exceeds the number of enrollees in schools considered to be affiliated with the Church of God in Christ (Broughman, Swaim and Hryczaniuk, 2011). With such discrepancies, it is highly unlikely that comparisons within different years would avail anything different.

From the survey carried out by the NCEA, several questions are likely to arise in the curious-minded. One would ask, for instance, how religious affiliations affect examination scores or how the religiously inclined to turn out in life after attending school. Furthermore, one would be interested in knowing the drop-out rate per grade of the religiously inclined vis a vis the non-sectarian. This, followed by an exploration of the reasons why would be a worthwhile engagement leading to a keener understanding of the school demographics. It would also enlighten one who needs to make decisions regarding which school his or her children ought to attend. However, the report provided addresses none of these concerns. Where one would probably get the answers to these questions, the data is not as detailed as to be of much relevance. A document by the Council for American Private Education, in mentioning the scores by students doing science, states that in 2009, 44% of the students in private schools “scored at or above the ‘proficient level’ in science”. The same publication further states that, for students in the fourth grade, 48% were deemed proficient according to NAEP (CAPE, 2011). It is thus evident that one might need to investigate to arrive at the answers to the queries above.

Apart from the meager statistical information from the well-established institutions like NAEP and the NCEA, several studies have been carried out whose objectives are congruous with the raised questions. Some studies have concluded that students from private schools perform better than their public school counterparts. However, other studies find conflicting results. Those whose results are in the affirmative invariably find out also that the best performers are students from catholic schools (Figlio & Stone, 2011).

According to Figlio and Stone, these studies did not employ robust instruments for the adjustment of non-random selection. They, therefore, proposed the implementation of a system of study that would improve system power prediction by about three times compared to studies done before theirs. They, like the aforementioned National Catholic Educational Association, did their studies while considering high schools in three categories: religious private high schools, nonreligious private high schools, and public high schools. Having made these modifications, they found out that nonreligious schools have a significant superiority to the religious schools in as far as science and mathematics subjects are concerned (Figlio and Stone, 2011).

There exists a debate about the benefits (if any at all) that private schools bring to the American schooling system. Those who criticize the private schools say that parents decide to opt for them being driven by the desire to appear socially elite or simply to separate themselves. It is the collective points of view of these critics that parents do not necessarily choose private schools because of better academic performance. They contend that these parents are hell-bent on keeping their children separate and untainted from those who come from other races and backgrounds. Furthermore, they say that for these parents, their children’s attending private schools is an attractive status symbol. The critical punch line they put forward is that private schools propagate segregation by class and race (Education Week, 2004).

On the other hand, there exist proponents for private education. In support of the system, they say that the monopoly extant with many public schools is not competitive. They add that a competitive system that opens up the opportunity for people to choose the schools to which they shall take their children is required. To support this point, they say that private school students are superior academies to their public school counterparts. They contend that schools need to be autonomous, and such a system would promote this autonomy; also adding that due to autonomy, student performance would improve. The proponents say that there is bias in the private school system. They propose an opening up of the system by the introduction of children from low-income families and those whose affiliate groups are underrepresented. This would mean that a means of supporting these students’ education be established. They, therefore, propose the use of vouchers as well as school choice programs (Education Week, 2004).

The proposal regarding the use of vouchers and increased school choice was given a counter-offer by the group called Americans United. On their website, they gave several reasons why people ought not to support this emerging trend. Among the reasons was the fact that the First Amendment gave a guarantee of freedom of religion from state influences. That is, they invoke the unending debate of the separation of church and state. They contended that this law would be broken when Americans agreed to support the issuance of vouchers for schooling. Citing the fact that a majority of private schools have religious affiliations and that these institutions have the mandate to indoctrinate the students and to educate them as well, the Americans United felt that Americans would be inadvertently supporting religion against their free wills. Americans would be paying for their children to be indoctrinated with religious dogma with which they did not agree (Americans United, 2011).

Ostensibly, the issuance of the voucher would be a tad more acceptable if it appreciably led to an improvement in the academic performance of students in their academics. That not being the case, however, the Americans United group is vehemently opposed to the idea. They contended that students in public schools performed much better in mathematics and reading than students in private schools. Furthermore, they would have expected the program to cause several changes in the students who participated in it. For example, participants were expected to have positive aspirations concerning their schooling in the future and to improve in the frequency with which they did their homework. However, the program never did bring such changes. On the contrary, student participants’ likelihood of absenteeism from class increased significantly (Americans United, 2011).

The report by the NCES never detailed graduation statistics for the year 2009-2010. Instead, it had data for the previous year. Whereas the reason for missing this data remains unknown, the NCES reported that of the twelfth graders who were enrolled in October 2008, ninety-eight percent graduated in 2009 (NCES, 2011). That was a very high success rate for graduates in private schools, which would have been taken as indicative of the quality of education that private institutions have to offer. Furthermore, 64% of the high school graduates from private schools later enrolled in 4-year colleges. This was representative of 308,813 high school graduates, who enrolled by the fall of the same year as they did graduate (NCES, 2011).

Using multiple sources of data, Heckman and LaFontaine made estimations of trends of graduation rates in the United States high schools. They noted that previous calculations were rife with biases and corrections had to be made for their study to be acceptable. Eventually, they found out that the rates provided by the National Centre for Educational Statistics were substantially high and thus misleading. They also found out that for forty-odd years, there had been a decline in the rate of graduation. Furthermore, they observed that even though the number of immigrants and minorities was on the increase in American society, this was not the cause of declining high school graduation rates among native populations. Therefore, they were able to explain why college attendance was also on the decline. Findings concerning gender differences in graduation from high schools were also useful in deciphering the reasons behind the gaps extant in male-female college attendance, and why those gaps were gradually increasing (Heckman and LaFontaine, 2011). These findings were not specifically for high school graduates from private high schools, but a traversal of all high schools regardless of their administrative leanings. In an appeal to the part being a representative of the whole, one would comfortably suggest that these findings could be transmuted to the private school population with similar implications.

The sizes of private schools might affect the effective transmission of knowledge and its receptivity among students. Here, the paper explores what other people have said regarding this, and the recommendations that they put forth towards improving the education system in the United States. Taken from an economic perspective, larger school sizes are better than smaller ones because of economies of scale benefits realized in the former. According to Ferris and Leung though, this is a consensus that requires revision because the benefits accrued from one side are outweighed by the disadvantages from other fronts. They cite the fact that more and more students are growing frustrated by the system, and coupled with the escalation of violence in the same schools, the drop-out rates are also on the rise (Leung and Ferris, 2008).

Since class sizes in most private schools are small, the student to teacher ratio critical for individual attention is easily achieved. This ratio stands at 15:1, but smaller ratios are more advantageous both to the teachers and students alike. With smaller ratios, teachers have fewer students to deal with and can divide their time well among the few students demanding their attention. Each student benefits by having more time spent with the teacher. Therefore, each student in a private school classroom has the opportunity to be personally aided by the teacher when the need calls for it (Kennedy, 2011).

​A Summary of Some of the Benefits of Private School System

According to the United States Department of education, when private school students and their public school counterparts are compared, the former generally outperform the latter on standardized achievement tests. Also, for the former to graduate, they pass through requirements that are more demanding than for their counterparts. Completion of advanced-level courses is more likely for private school graduates than for their public school counterparts when they take three academic subject areas. National Assessment of Educational Progress results showed that private student scores were above average nationally. Experts recommend students to take up challenging subjects that push them into striving for excellence. Private schools make provisions for this by making it a requirement for students to take difficult courses like calculus before they graduate. When it was assessed who between the two was more likely to attain a bachelor’s degree by their mid-twenties, those who had gone to private schools in their eighth grade scored 52% compared to 26% for the public school attendees (CAPE, 2011b).

Depending on a school’s financial resources, compensation for private school teachers might be higher than that for public school teachers. On the whole, however, they are usually comparably lower. The teachers usually benefit from getting free housing and meals as opposed to the public school teachers who do not get such benefits. Also, teachers in private schools have widely variable pension schemes. They are required by private schools to be credentialed. That is, a teacher has to have a teaching certificate backed with a degree in the relevant subject. Armed with these two documents, a teacher stands a greater chance of being hired than one who does not have them. However, concerning budgetary costs, public schools stand a better chance of raising significantly large amounts of money. They do so by making annual appeals, cultivating alumni, and soliciting grants from corporations. Private schools nurture strong bonds with their alumni. Therefore, they also have high rates of fund-raising success. They also have a management structure that is considered to be lean. This means that a critical decision does not have to pass through several authorities to get approval. Rarely, if ever, will a private school have to contend with a union of teachers (Kennedy, 2011).

​Some observed discrepancies to the generalizations regarding private school superiority

Rothstein, Carnoy, and Benveniste filed a report regarding the accountability of private schools to students’ parents, the outcomes parents expected of their children, and policies for retention and selection of teachers. They found out that in elementary school accountability to students’ parents does not differ significantly from the same in public schools. There was also no clearly defined school outcome expectation in private schools, and that was in no way different from the situation in public schools. Neither type of school did mentor teachers nor evaluate them formally to assess variation in their performance and delivery of instruction. They also found that where there was a competition between private and public schools, innovations by private schools never made their competitor public schools improve in any way whatsoever. Therefore, they made a point to the proponents for choice in public education, that to improve academic achievement, choice of public versus private institutions held very little weight (Benveniste, Carnoy and Rothste, 1999).

Private schooling also has its disadvantages. Some things are not implicitly taught in private schools. For example, a graduate from a private school would find it difficult to strike a conversation with any other person, who is essentially different from them. Unless it was a fellow graduate who came from the same institution, or a school with a similar status, building meaningful rapport would not be easy. Indoctrination also occurs in private schools albeit of a different kind than the commonplace religious dogma inculcation. That indoctrination goes a long way to assure students of private schools that they are better than those who never succeeded in attending similar schools.

The latter is seen as inferior people who are not even worth spending time with. The effect of this influence upon the indoctrinated was made evident in the Democratic presidential nominee, Al Gore, who could not speak to the populace. Thus, such students remain ignorant of some facts like there being other smart people apart from those who attend similar schools to theirs. They remain unaware that some highly adept people never see the inside of classrooms. Also, they realize rather belatedly that some of the so-called smart people are not smart at all. School is lacking in the instruction on social intelligence, the ability to be creative, and it does not teach emotional intelligence (Deresiewicz, 2008). Deresiewicz does not, however, give the way through which one may be educated in these latter aspects, pertinent through the acquisition of this knowledge might be.

The private school system achieves the creation of analytically biased minds, thereby developing lopsided intelligence that may not be entirely beneficial in seeing and appreciating the value inherent in other people. Such people are more adept at dealing with machines or analyzing books than interacting with other members of the human race. The system of private schooling essentially alienates one from that which is human in the sense that it creates a block to interpersonal interactions that are every bit human. Besides, a person develops a misguided sense of how worthy they are to receive certain rights and privileges. The unbearable truth in all of this is the fact that all through the life of a student who has been in private school, they have been graded using numerical rankings. Such students end up equating their grades to their identity and value. Absolute excellence, they forget, does not imply academic excellence or vice versa (Deresiewicz, 2008).

Whether it is a private school or a public school, one would contend that both have a common disadvantage. This is about the type of interaction a school-going child is exposed to. They can only interact with their age-mates while in school. Bigger children invariably bully the smaller ones, who in turn do the same to yet smaller ones. Among these children, none appreciates how to interact with grownups. The fear that is inculcated into them by the bullies they meet in school becomes the same fear that they show towards their parents back at home. Fear is a monster that feeds upon itself, however. Therefore, the fear engenders a reciprocal propensity for abuse from parents who do not know better. It is not a seldom occurrence to find children who’ve been abused by otherwise well-meaning parents.

The vicious cycle started with their being taken to school, which alienated them from their parents. They then picked up bits and pieces of strange behavior from their peers, which they came home with, much to the chagrin of their unprepared parents. Thus, there is a growing concern that home-schooling would be the only best option for a growing child (Oeser, 2011). Furthermore, time taken out to quietly reflect on one’s own is an alien concept to school-going students, who are more inclined to be rowdy, loud, and disorderly. Also, since they learn to pass their examinations, school-goers eventually lack long-standing applicable knowledge. Most of what they learn is quickly forgotten with the passing of the examination. Their understanding of concepts is not adequate as the knowledge they have does not correlate well with real-life issues.

​American Education in Public Schools: A Brief History

A majority of people in the United States who come from low-income backgrounds take their children to public schools. Currently, the parents whose children attend private schools are rather similar in characteristics. For one, they are from affluent backgrounds. The fact that school fees charges in private schools are high shields this elitist group of people from other influences. However, if the restrictive costs of financing education in private schools were to be revised downwards, up to 59% of parents would opt for private education. This would be aided by vouchers which would, ideally, be catering for the whole tuition fees. Besides, parents with low income show greater enthusiasm for private school enrolment, but money continues to be their major hurdle. It is opined that there would be a greater diversity of parents and the group would inevitably be larger if the price of private education were reduced (Education Week, 2004).

For some people, the public education system is the ideal system of instruction. However, it faces a lot of criticism, and many times it has had to be revised so that it may continue playing a pivotal role in the shaping of public opinion regarding solidarity with the government. Having developed in the nineteenth century, its inception was the result of a suggestion by the then President Jefferson. Public school education is under the management of states and school districts. Whereas education in the United States began with puritans and Congregationalists, a purely Christian group of people, the introduction of the public school system came much later. With the coming of people from different countries, there was a foreign influence upon the natives. The entrant people did not all embrace the Christian faith, they have been of different inclinations. For this reason, private education began and thrived in the mid-eighteenth century (Thattai, 2011).

​Disadvantages of Public Schools

In public schools, teachers generally get better remuneration. However, starter salaries are usually very low. This leads to very few teachers being retained in the public sector. Too much bureaucracy in the public sector implies that decisions take very long to be made even when those decisions are critical. Public schools are usually bogged down with political influences and union contracts. The rules that they adhere to while at work are also antique (Kennedy, 2011). Some courses are considered to be more challenging than others. It is less likely for a student in a public school to be required to take such courses as calculus before they graduate (CAPE, 2011b). This has the effect of developing an individual who shall not strive to excel in real life. It also relegates such an individual to a life of relative ease or one that is not well equipped to face challenges. Such an individual ends up having difficulties solving personal problems. Suicidal tendencies and drug-related escape mechanisms are rife among these people who will under most circumstances seek the easiest way out of any rut. The ways that appear easy, however, are illusions and present the individuals with a false sense of comfort or repose from the hardships they experience.

​Of Co-Educational Schools versus Single-Sex Schools

Both private and public schools can be regarded as single-sex institutions or co-educational. In the latter case, a school trains students of both sexes, while in the former the school is exclusively for girls or boys. A debate continues regarding whether the genders should be separated in the school set-up. Those who oppose the idea are the conservative types who feel that there is the looseness of morals that comes into play when members of the two genders are nearby for extended periods. For the feminists, a separation of the sexes is the ideal environment for women to achieve success in life. Historically, it has been normal to separate girls and boys, giving them unequal status to each other based on their acquired societal roles in later life. Literacy was, therefore, more prevalent among males than among females. The former was trained in subjects that would be relevant in their workplaces, politics, and war. Girls, on the other hand, were trained on how to be better performers in the home arena. Thus, the inception of co-education was a threat to the widely accepted status quo, where men were regarded in higher esteem than women (Rury, 2008).

​Controversies in the Adoption of Coeducation

In 2006, Title IX regulations of the US department of education were amended. This allowed single-sex school enrolment, but with reservations. It contended that the enrolments ought o be voluntary. Also, an equal school for the opposite gender should have been present or catered for. While endeavoring to convert to single-sex institutions, some schools have been met with challenges like meager finances and political pressures. Enrolment in such schools has also been a problem for some of the administrators (Rury, 2008).

It would have been thrift for the United States to have learned a thing or two from her European contemporaries. Europe’s experience with coeducation has been anything but rosy. They have documented disadvantages that they have observed against female students in such schools. They state that contrary to their expectation that coeducation would bring about a keen appreciation of either gender by the other, the opposite remains true. Girls have invariably been the sufferers while boys (and teachers) have been the perpetrators of a myriad of atrocities. In a literal sense, girls lack adequate space in these schools. They are the objects of boys’ desires, and often battered with lewd suggestive remarks. Male teachers also tend to get romantically attached to girl students. Girls do not get as much appropriate attention from teachers as the boys do, and they are also taken as social workers to be strategically seated next to ill-mannered boys. This is done to cause the boys to learn some good manners from the better-behaved girls. The missing point in all this is that the bad behavior of the boys seated next to the girls might (and does) rub off on the girls, whose behavior will then be all the worse (Anon., 2004).

In coeducational institutions, inequity exists in the meting out of punishments for wrongdoing. Girls get punished more severely than boys even when their misdeeds are essential of similar magnitude. It is understood, in a discriminatory manner, that girls are more diligent than boys, but that boys are more intelligent than girls. Therefore, when a girl performs well in class, it is attributed to her diligence, while if a boy does the same, it is said that he passed or excelled because he is intelligent. Boys are encouraged to be competitive while girls are frowned upon if they act similarly. The latter is expected to conform. They are also given less time for verbal expression than boys are given in class (Anon., 2004).

Other issues that have arisen through the years after the introduction of coeducational institutions include the argument by some doctors that women would suffer from overexertion and get harmed. It was argued that the overexertion would come from the girls’ competition with boys. Indulgence in sexual impropriety was also pointed out as being highly likely when the two sexes were left to interact for extended periods (Rury, 2008).

Outcomes of education that are of most interests to parents and students include academic achievement test scores, an appropriately delineated concept of self, and long-term success indicators. These are more evident in single-sex schools than in coeducational schools, and they give leverage for the proponents for single-sex schools. In comparison, single-sex schools perform academically better than coeducational schools.

​Current Trends of Education in the United States

In the late twentieth century, there arose a drive for the reformation of elementary education in the United States. Its purpose was to indiscriminately improve the academic performance of students. Children were left accountable to the schools, districts, and ultimately the states for their academic achievement. However, concerns have been raised that the United States students perform relatively poorly in their academics compared to students of other countries. They blame this on an educational system that they deem not to be enabling the students to perform as it should be. Elementary education in the United States is constantly being reformed and refined. The United States is democratizing its education so that it does not support systems that are representations of goals and expectations, and are industrial or social. It is drawn toward an education system that is open and universal (Howey and Post, 2011).

When students perform poorly, the education system is seen as being a failure. It thus behooves the government to ensure that a running system strikes the right balance. One that places a lot of demands on the students is sure to cause them to perform poorly. A very lax system, on the other hand, will produce individuals who are ill-equipped for their roles in society. Thus, the government has put in place measures to ensure that all children have equal access to quality education. These measures include the creation of a welcoming environment, which embodies the prevention of bullying and harassment, and the outlining of the responsibilities that education providers have towards this goal. The onus rests on education providers to ensure that harassment does not occur. Such harassment might be from the education providers themselves, or other sources. Education providers should take the measures necessary to remedy harassment when they know that students are being harassed. Otherwise, they (education providers) face imminent sanctions, since their laxity (or presumed indifference) allows the education system to be poisoned. Harassment is seen as one of the impediments to the ease of access to educational services. When one is harassed, they may not “participate fully in the educational experience” (OHRC, 2011).

An education provider helps reduce instances of bullying and harassment by being non-tolerant to the act of bullying and being unequivocal about the consequences a student has to face for being a bully. The educator further communicates this by educating students concerning disabilities; he or she then encourages them to appreciate diversity. Appreciating diversity will imply that the students do not taunt their peers who may be disabled in one way or another. They will respect their disabled peers, and even protect them from further harm if necessary. The education provider may also get involved in role-playing to cultivate compassion and awareness of the impact that bullying has on other people. They may act like the ones upon whose taunts are being thrown or being big, act as the bullies. In either case, the students will see the folly behind bullying as a front. Bullies are essentially weak people who hide their weaknesses by attacking others. Finally, the educator protects students who report bullying by maintaining confidence regarding their report (OHRC, 2011). The educator does not let other students know the one who reports instances of bullying to the authorities.

​The Role of Universities in the United States Education System

There was a decline in American education as was documented in 1983 by the National Commission on Excellence in Education. This brought about a change that saw the inception of standardized testing and accountability (Heckman & LaFontaine, 2011). A 2001 Act called the No Child Left Behind Act sets out requirements for each state to identify low-performing schools. Another of its requirements is for the annual assessment of students in reading and mathematics. Declining standards in the secondary school level of education imply that very few students get enrolled in universities around the country. America boasts of the largest number of institutions of higher learning throughout the world, but if these institutions cannot enroll Native Americans due to mediocre performance in their secondary schools, one is left to marvel at what the future holds for university education within the country.

Scientific research in universities thrives on funding from various sources. Research is important to the advancement of knowledge since it creates new perspectives to what is already known. Much of what results from research can be applied in areas such as pharmaceuticals for the production of new drugs. The current trend tends towards genetic science, which has brought about a lot of controversies. When universities lack students to carry out research then there is a paucity of funds from donors who fund the research projects. This brings a complication to the universities, which rely much on donor funding. The case of Berkeley and Novartis appears to have been instigated by such a state of affairs as has been described above. Berkeley signed an agreement with Novartis in November 1998 and rescinded about one-third of its patent rights to Novartis in exchange for a $25 million grant towards research (Washburn, 2005). The said company had vested interests in the outcome of the research and, thus, was in a way investing in it. That movie had a lot of ethical connotations.

Another issue that was highlighted in Washburn’s book is the notion that universities have gradually been shifting from their academic role to institutions that run businesses. This is a pithy subject since the university ought to be an institution of higher learning and not drawn into the rigmarole of generating income. Universities ought to set the pace for industry to follow, by making breakthroughs in research projects that will enhance the human experience of living within the planet earth. That notwithstanding, universities have become embroiled in the shaping of individuals to prepare them for employment within the industries. One may contend that they are responding to the dire needs of the economy by providing the market with the best brains the country has to offer. However, the country appears to stand no gain, especially when such patents as were aforementioned are left in the hands of foreign companies (Washburn, 2005).

A reversal of roles is readily observable in that the industry now makes the demands and the universities dance to her tune. For example, when the industry demands chemical analysts, the universities respond by giving their analysts to the industries. Due to the lack of employment in the country, an analyst who finishes their course at university and immediately finds a source of income sees herself as being very fortunate. This, however, results in a dilution of the high standards of excellence that are expected of all public institutions of higher learning. Universities need to maintain an autonomous stance that is neither swayed by the government nor by the industry as these two entities seek to push their agenda (Washburn, 2005). On one side is an entity with political ideals while on the other is one that seeks financial gains. Both the government and the industrial entities stand in opposition to the universities’ values of serving the common good of all humankind.

The involvement of outside forces in university affairs has made even students forget their primary agenda at having joined the universities. Like Reynolds in the Washburn (2005) book, many a scientist ends up being a politician due to these disruptions in the curriculum. If even the students should get derailed from their “calling” in such a manner, in all probability, the future of the universities is painted in bleak colors. It is necessary to redefine the role of the university and give the students clear guidelines as to the parts they ought to play therein. Not only are grades falling within secondary schools, but also those who end up in university, having attempted and succeeded at a difficult feat, may get disillusioned at what they find.

Hirsch (2006) appears to have the answer to one of the woes so far when he says that students have to read and comprehend. Any student can read, given the time to do so. But their understanding of what they have read is the most crucial part of their acquisition of knowledge. Comprehension is the difficult bone that students need to chew while at school to enable them to sit their examinations and pass with flying colors. Since they are not taught to comprehend, it follows that their performance in class also suffers. They are not even prepared within their extant grades for the grades which they shall be facing in the future. Hirsch says that a broad range of knowledge is required for students to be able to comprehend what they read (Hirsch, 2006). One may question at this point from whence that a “broad range of knowledge” shall be obtained.

Hitherto, it has been observed the diverse challenges that the American child faces as he or she pursues an education. The challenges start right from kindergarten through to university. The American child is also exposed to a lot of information that buffets them from all types of sources: the internet, television, radio, movies et cetera. These sources of information together with the students’ own experiences (however few and apart those experiences might be) ought to be sufficient to give the background knowledge that Hirsch craves for them. If these sources are not enough to give the American child the vast knowledge that Hirsch talks about, then it remains an enigma where else the knowledge shall come from. The school has synthesized the knowledge for the students to acquire, not in its raw form, but in a form that has been more purified; akin to the sugar that one gets on the table compared to the sugar from the cane.

According to Hirsch (2006), knowledge is all around us, but it is taken for granted. In essence, he says that even the modern student has a lot to learn from his or her surroundings. As they walk along the streets, go sightseeing or listen to music on the radio, all these areas hold a bit of knowledge here and a bit there that may stand the observer in good stead when they are faced with the problem of comprehending written material in class. It may be added that comprehension is context-dependent but knowledge garnered from one source can be transmuted to an application that is far much different than its source. Therefore, as students learn to be more in touch with their environments, they shall be better equipped to face the future challenges that they are bound to meet. They shall be able, when in university, to stand for what they know is right, disallowing the interference of other institutions whose missions stand at variance with the mission of the academia.

​Conclusion

Reforms in education in the United States are bound to be a collective effort involving, not only the government but also all other stakeholders. America was founded as a nation on solid Christian principles, and these guiding principles worked well for the founding generation as well as the few generations that stood by them thereafter. The encumbrances that America faces are as a result of her generosity toward all nations. These nations have brought with them influences that have diluted the American spirit of democracy and freedom; for even the freedom that the founding father fought for has been misinterpreted. It is time that America went back to her first principles; for there lays the answer to most of the problems she faces nowadays. Democracy per se is a boon that the American people can never take for granted. Nevertheless, it only speaks of good things that have not been counterbalanced by the “bad”. A bit of non-democratization may be required to create the critical balance that America requires. The government needs to step up its authority to ensure that things happen in the correct way that they should, but that ought to be done with discretion as there still is an extant law that governs the land. It is a law that the people have put forth by themselves, and it is in the power of the people to repeal the same and come up with better laws.

The breaches in the education system in America are not irreparable. Since the United States has shined in glory in the past, she still can do the same but only if the people are willing to rise together and make that dream a reality. Right from elementary school to the university level, students have the latent ability to excel, for America does have the mental capacity to read and understand books. She is well endowed with comprehensive skills.

Reference List

Americans United. (2011). 10 Reasons Why Private School Vouchers Should Be Rejected . Web.

Anon. (2004). The Damages of Co-Education . Web.

Benveniste, L., Carnoy, M., and Rothste, R. (1999). Can Public Schools Learn From Private Schools? Colorado: EPI and The Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit Sector Research Fund.

Broughman, S. P., Swaim, N. L. and Hryczaniuk, C. A. (2011). Characteristics of Private Schools in the United States: Results From the 2009-10 Private School Universe Survey.  

CAPE. (2011b). Benefits of Private Education . Web.

CAPE. (2011). Council of American Private Education (CAPE) Home page . Web.

CAPE. (2011). Outlook. Maryland: Council of American Private Education.

Deresiewicz, W. (2008). The Disadvantages of an Elite Education.  

Education Week. (2004). Private Schooling .

Education Week. (2004). Research Centre . Web.

EuroEducation. (2011). Structure of education system in the USA . Web.

Figlio, D. N. and Stone, J. A. (2011). School Choice and Student Performance: Are Private Schools Better?

Heckman, J. J. and LaFontaine, P. A. (2011). The American High School Graduation Rate: Trends and Levels.  

Hirsch, E. D. (2006). The Knowledge Deficit: Closing the Shocking Education Gap for American Children. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Howey, K. R. and Post, L. M. (2011). Elementary education: current trends . Web.

Kennedy, R. (2011). Private vs Public Schools .

Leung, A. and Ferris, J. S. (2008). School Size and Youth Violence – revised version. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization , 318–333.

NCEA. (2010). Catholic School Data . Web.

NCEA. (2006, August 10). NAEP Comparisons . Web.

NCES. (2011). Private School Universe Survey (PSS) .

Oeser, M. (2011). Disadvantages of Public Schools . Web.

OHRC. (2011). Guidelines on accessible education . Web.

Rury, J. L. (2008). Coeducation and same sex schooling .

Thattai, D. (2011). A History of Public Education in the United States . Web.

United States Bureau of Labour. (2002). Occupational outlook handbook, Volume 2540. California: The Bureau.

USAEducation. (2011). Structure of US education system . Web.

Washburn, J. (2005). University, Inc.: The Corporate Corruption of Higher Education. New York: Basic Books.

Cite this paper

  • Chicago (N-B)
  • Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2021, February 3). Education System in the United States. https://studycorgi.com/education-system-in-the-united-states/

"Education System in the United States." StudyCorgi , 3 Feb. 2021, studycorgi.com/education-system-in-the-united-states/.

StudyCorgi . (2021) 'Education System in the United States'. 3 February.

1. StudyCorgi . "Education System in the United States." February 3, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/education-system-in-the-united-states/.

Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "Education System in the United States." February 3, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/education-system-in-the-united-states/.

StudyCorgi . 2021. "Education System in the United States." February 3, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/education-system-in-the-united-states/.

This paper, “Education System in the United States”, was written and voluntary submitted to our free essay database by a straight-A student. Please ensure you properly reference the paper if you're using it to write your assignment.

Before publication, the StudyCorgi editorial team proofread and checked the paper to make sure it meets the highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, fact accuracy, copyright issues, and inclusive language. Last updated: October 21, 2022 .

If you are the author of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal . Please use the “ Donate your paper ” form to submit an essay.

education system essays

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

education system essays

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

education system essays

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

education system essays

Essay on Education System

' src=

  • Updated on  
  • Nov 15, 2023

Essay on Education System

The future of a country is shaped by its classrooms. Implementing a sound education system based on a holistic approach to learning is quintessential for ensuring that every student gets the best learning environment to flourish. As education is the most important and basic right, everyone should have, it is our moral duty to facilitate the perfect learning environment for our students.

With the educational journey playing the foundation role in one’s career, there are contrary views concerning the type of education system and approaches we need to take. Hence, it has become a frequently asked topic under the essay writing section in school tests as well as competitive exams. To help you with this topic, we have curated a complete guide on how to write an essay on education system, with useful tips and tricks as well as reference samples. 

This Blog Includes:

How to write an essay on education system, essay on education system in india in 100 words, essay on education system in india in 200 words, sample essay on education system in 300 words, essay on new education system, essay on education system in india during covid-19, essay on education system in india: good or bad, how can we improve the indian education system, list of best education systems in the world.

Generally, the essay topics on education system revolve around analysing a specific education system, its strengths and weaknesses as well as suggesting the solutions for its improvement. You might also be asked about writing an essay on the Education system of India in which you must mention the characteristics of the history of our educational apparatus from the Gurukul Education System to the Current education system in India . You can also take notes from our exclusive blog on the New Education Policy formulated by India with a unique approach to academics. Further, your essay on education system must also imperatively elucidate the key aspects of the system and its salient features as well as an unbiased analysis of its strong characteristics as well as a critical overview of its weak areas where improvement is needed.

  • Format – Before drafting an essay on education system, you must know about the format of essay writing. Take a look at the following pointers which elaborate upon the general format of writing structured and impressive essays
  • Introduction -The education system essay introduction should provide an overview of the given topic in the introduction, i.e. highlight the recent instances or questions related to the concerned education system. When it comes to the writing style, the introduction as the first paragraph will set the tone of the whole essay thus make sure that it covers a general outline of your topic
  • Body of Content – After the introduction, you can start elaborating on the topic of the education system, its role in the development of a country, its key objectives, salient features (if a specific education system is given as a topic) as well as highlight its strong and weak areas. Then, you can further assess how the education system has evolved from earlier times. For example, talk about the history of the education system, and the prominent measures that contributed to its growth, amongst others. Analyse the major points thoroughly according to the essay question and then move towards the next section
  • Conclusion – The conclusion is the final section as you wrap up your essay underlining the major points you have mentioned. Avoid ending it abruptly, either go for an optimistic touch to it or just summarize what has been mentioned above

The education system in India comprises four levels: pre-primary, primary, secondary and senior secondary system; all these levels are well-structured and developed to systemically introduce students to the subject matter, develop their language and cognitive skills and prepare them for higher education. The Indian education system gives equal value to knowledge-based learning as well as co-curricular. Countries are now rigorously working on providing free access to education. Nowadays, being in school isn’t the same thing as before. Every individual is skilled in different fields and interests with a due focus on the set curriculum. We need a society that is more elevated towards balanced personal and professional growth . 

Also Read: Importance of Education in Development

Also Read: Essay on Co-education

For a nation to have harmony, the education system must focus on a holistic learning approach, i.e. provide equal educational opportunities to everyone, emphasize a wholesome curriculum as well and incorporate educational technologies to make learning a fun and interactive process. When it comes to the education system in India it is not only focused on rote learning and also pushes students towards sports , building interpersonal skills , etc. When schools were shut due to a global pandemic, Indian schools adopted online learning as the new method. There are a few drawbacks as well that the grading system starts from elementary classes and students are under the constant burden to score and pass the exams. Instead of learning something, new students become competitive to score better than the other students. The constant competition and comparison affect the mental health of all students. 

Also Read: Gurukul Education System

Also Read: Essay on Sarojini Naidu

Also Read: Essay on Online Education

The need for a well-balanced education system has become a necessity for every country as it plays a significant catalyst in its growth and development. As we know irrespective of one’s background, or family income the right to education is a necessity for everyone. Thus, the government of a nation shall work to make the system more accountable to every citizen. It should aim to enhance the features and policies as per the needs of the country so that it can contribute to the overall development as well as the growth of the economy.  Every child should get an opportunity to attend school and get educated as it is rightly said that “educated people make an educated nation”. The teachings of a sound education system help us to improve our lives in every way. For individuals, education raises self-confidence and opens opportunities for earning. On a country-wide level, it reduces the level of poverty and develops long-term economic growth.

The lack of diversity and engaging recreational activities is one of the biggest problems leading to the global crisis of illiteracy. For the developing nations, it is necessary to have ample knowledge regarding who is learning and what they are learning, so that they can mould their system in a more efficient way and hence, the future. The need for making the system reliable for children is very specific. It should aim to promote comprehensive growth which will ultimately help them in almost every aspect of life. The school and the teachers together shall prepare the children for future times. The children must know the practical aspects of what they are learning in the class. It can be easily said that students nowadays lack the ability to perform efficiently when given fundamental tasks. Thus, an education system must aim to penetrate creativity, decisiveness, communication, collaboration leadership and the spirit of teamwork.

Also Read: Women Empowerment Essay

Rooted in the ancient learnings of Vedas and Puranas, the Indian education system has come a long way from the old-school Gurukuls to the new-age hi-tech academic institutions. The students in schools and colleges are not just tested based on their learning abilities but also on their acquired knowledge and skills as well as their performance in extracurricular activities . This system is implemented in order to emphasize the importance of the overall growth of the child to broaden their horizons. The academic institutions in India, be it primary, secondary, or higher education, are embracing advanced technologies in facilitating learning and bringing a revolutionary change to the same-old classroom teaching. Many schools have brought tablets into their traditional classrooms to make learning an engaging and interesting process by teaching kids through digital applications .  

Also Read: Speech on Education for Students in English

Covid-19 has affected the world of education leading to a major shift from traditional four-walled classrooms to online classes. Online classes for online courses definitely lack the ‘personal’ touch and one-to-one interactions between teachers and students. On the contrary, traditional classrooms are less flexible and accessible to many students, especially in underprivileged communities. Attention and interaction are objective to every individual and can’t be attributed to any platform or mode of learning . Teachers and students have enhanced interaction and creative learning by using chatboxes, screen-share, whiteboards, etc. Which are useful for the presentation of images or PPTs. online classes becoming the new normal also gave the world the opportunity to make learning more flexible and accessible on a global level. It is also cost-effective since a good internet connection and a working computer is all you need to teach your class. 

Also Read: Best Schools in Delhi

The Indian education system is one of the oldest, most diverse learning systems in the world. The Indian educational system is designed to ensure a well-developed and uniform curriculum across different states for different grades in the subcontinent. Education is given utmost importance in India with schemes like free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 to 14, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign and Mid-meals in government schools to encourage students to attend school. Under the system, sports and performing arts are given the utmost significance and all students are encouraged to take part and develop a skill or expertise that will help them in the future. The Indian education system also focuses on practical learning and group activities to provide exposure and teach students the importance of teamwork and communication . The Indian education system focuses on the overall development of each student by introducing them to the basics of all the subjects from the start till the secondary level.

Also Read: Essay on Freedom: Wings of Liberation

With the rise in a lot of problems in the Indian Education System, we need a proper solution that will be effective. There is a requirement for improvement that creates a brighter future for the candidate. We can initiate a focus on skill development at the school level. Students and parents must understand that not only the ranks and grades but also the analytical and creative skills are also important. The subject taught in school must have both theory and practical teaching methods. Time-to-time syllabus update is necessary with changes with time.

This is also a high time for the government and private colleges to increase the payroll of teachers. The teachers who are working hard for the future of the students deserve more than what they are offered. The schools must hire teachers qualified teachers. The Indian Education System must change all these things. The schools must give equal opportunities to the students. The system now needs to let go of the old and traditional ways to elevate the teaching standards so our students can create a better and more advanced world.

Also Read: Best Education System in the World

  • UK Education System
  • Japan Education System
  • German Education System
  • Singapore Education System
  • USA Education System
  • Chinese Education System
  • South Korean Education System
  • Australian Education System
  • French Education System
  • Buddhist Education System
  • Gurukul Education System
  • Finland Education System
  • New Zealand Education System

Relevant Blogs

A sound education system based on a holistic approach to learning is quintessential for ensuring that every student gets the best learning environment to flourish.

The best education systems in the world focus tightly on key concepts which are taught in detail at an early age and ensure that students master the basics from which to build.

The modern school system was brought to India by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay in the 1830s.

The Boston Latin School, established in 1635, was the first school.

Despite having improved over the years, the Indian education system still needs to be updated in various ways and the teaching techniques need to be revised.

Thus, we hope that this blog has helped you with the tips and tricks of essay writing on the topic education system. Unsure about finding the right course and university after completing 12th ? Our Leverage Edu counsellors are here to guide you throughout the process of finding the best program and university and sorting out the admission procedure to ensure that you send a winning application! Sign up for a free session with us today

' src=

Team Leverage Edu

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

thank you for sharing this helpful article

Good one and thanks 👍

browse success stories

Leaving already?

8 Universities with higher ROI than IITs and IIMs

Grab this one-time opportunity to download this ebook

Connect With Us

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

education system essays

Resend OTP in

education system essays

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

September 2024

January 2025

What is your budget to study abroad?

education system essays

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Advertisement

Advertisement

How can education systems improve? A systematic literature review

  • Published: 07 April 2022
  • Volume 24 , pages 479–499, ( 2023 )

Cite this article

  • Ignacio Barrenechea   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4673-3862 1 ,
  • Jason Beech 2 &
  • Axel Rivas 1  

1819 Accesses

8 Citations

10 Altmetric

Explore all metrics

Understanding what contributes to improving a system will help us tackle the problems in education systems that usually fail disproportionately in providing quality education for all, especially for the most disadvantage sectors of the population. This paper presents the results of a qualitative systematic literature review aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of what education research can say about the factors that promote education systems’ improvement. This literature is emerging as a topic of empirical research that merges comparative education and school effectiveness studies as standardized assessments make it possible to compare results across systems and time. To examine and synthesize the papers included in this review we followed a thematic analysis approach. We identify, analyze, and report patterns in the papers included in this systematic review. From the coding process, four drivers for system improvement emerged: (1) system-wide approaches; (2) human capital; (3) governance and macro–micro level bridges; and (4) availability of resources.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

The use of cronbach’s alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education.

Keith S. Taber

education system essays

A Medical Science Educator’s Guide to Selecting a Research Paradigm: Building a Basis for Better Research

Megan E.L. Brown & Angelique N. Dueñas

education system essays

Teacher-Student Interactions: Theory, Measurement, and Evidence for Universal Properties That Support Students’ Learning Across Countries and Cultures

For example, Improving schools https://journals.sagepub.com/aims-scope/IMP .

School effectiveness and school improvement https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=nses20 .

For example, International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement https://www.icsei.net/about-icsei/ .

Our search countries were Albania, Qatar, Estonia, Portugal, Poland, Peru, Ireland, Russia, Israel, and Slovenia.

Addey, C., Sellar, S., Steiner-Khamsi, G., Lingard, B., & Verger, A. (2017). The rise of international large-scale assessments and rationales for participation.  Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education ,  47 (3), 434–452.

Alves, F. (2008). Educational policies and school performance in the Brazilian capitals of states. Cadernos De Pesquisa, 38 (34), 413–440.

Article   Google Scholar  

Arnove, R. F. (2015). Comparative education: Dimensions and trends: A contribution to the 50th anniversary celebration of the Japan comparative education society. Comparative Education, 2015 (50), 168–177.

Auld, E., & Morris, P. (2016). PISA, policy and persuasion: Translating complex conditions into education' best practice'. Comparative Education , 52 (2), 202–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2016.1143278 .

Barber, M., Kihn, P., & Moffit, A. (2011). Deliverology 101: A field guide for educational leaders . Corwin Press.

Barber, M., & Mourshed, M. (2007). How the world’s best-performing school systems come out on top . McKinsey & Company.

Becker, G. S. (1976). The economic approach to human behavior . University of Chicago Press.

Beech, J., & Lista, E. (2012). Flowing Discourses and Border Crossing: The Slogan of ‘Respect for Diversity’in Latin America. In World Yearbook of Education 2012 (pp. 391–410). Routledge.

Beech, J., & Rizvi, F. (2017). Revisiting Jullien in an era of globalisation. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education , 47 (3), 374–387.

Betts, J. R., Zau, A., & King, K. (2005). From blueprint to reality: San Diego’s education reforms . Public Policy Institute of California.

Bin Mahfooz, S., & Hovde, K. (2010). Successful education reform: lessons from Poland.  ECA Knowledge Brief ,  34 (11).

Boman, B. (2020). What makes Estonia and Singapore so good? Globalisation, Societies and Education, 18 (2), 181–193.

Booth, A., Papaioannou, D., & Sutton, A. (2012). Systematic approaches to a successful literature review . Sage Publications.

Campbell, C. (2020). Educational equity in Canada: The case of Ontario’s strategies and actions to advance excellence and equity for students. School Leadership & Management , 1–20.

Carvalho, L. M., Costa, E., & Gonçalves, C. (2017). Fifteen years looking at the mirror: On the presence of PISA in education policy processes (Portugal, 2000–2016). European Journal of Education, 52 (2), 154–166.

Coffield, F. (2012). Why the McKinsey reports will not improve school systems. Journal of Education Policy, 27 (1), 131–149.

Coffield, F., & Williamson, B. (2011). From Exam Factories to Communities of Discovery. Adults Learning, 23 (2), 24–25.

Cogan, L. S., Schmidt, W. H., & Wiley, D. E. (2001). Who takes what math and in which track? Using TIMSS to characterize US students’ eighth-grade mathematics learning opportunities. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 23 (4), 323–341.

Cohen, D. K., & Spillane, J. P. (1992). Chapter 1: Policy and practice: The relations between governance and instruction. Review of research in education , 18 (1), 3–49. American Educational Research Association.

Cox, C. (2004). Innovation and reform to improve the quality of primary education: Chile. Unpublished manuscript, Ministry of Education, Santiago .

Crato, N. (2021). Setting up the Scene: Lessons Learned from PISA 2018 Statistics and Other International Student Assessments. In  Improving a Country’s Education  (pp. 1–24). Springer, Cham.

Cueto, S., Miranda, A., León, J., & Vásquez, M. C. (2016b). Education trajectories: From early childhood to early adulthood in Peru.

Cueto, S., León, J., & Muñoz, I. G. (2016a). Conductas, estrategias y rendimiento en lectura en PISA: análisis para el Perú. REICE: Revista Iberoamericana sobre Calidad, Eficacia y Cambio en Educación , 14 (3), 5–31.

David, J. L., & Talbert, J. E. (2012). Turning around a high-poverty school district: Learning from Sanger Unified’s success. SH Cowell Foundation .

Deaton, A. (2020). Randomization in the tropics revisited: A theme and eleven variations . Working Paper No. 27600. National Bureau Of Economic Research.

Dhaliwal, I., Duflo, E., Glennerster, R., & Tulloch, C. (2013). Comparative costeffectiveness analysis to inform policy in developing countries: a general framework with applications for education. Education policy in developing countries, 17 , 285–338.

Dinham, S., Crowther, F., Robinson, V. M., McNaughton, S., & Timperley, H. (2011). Building capacity in a self‐managing schooling system: The New Zealand experience. Journal of Educational Administration .

Dykstra, T. (2006). High performance and success in education in Flemish Belgium and the Netherlands . National Center on Education and the Economy.

Edwards, D. B., Jr. (2018). Global education policy, impact evaluations, and alternatives: The political economy of knowledge production . Springer.

Elmore, R. (2007). Educational improvement in Victoria. Unpublished internal communication.

Elmore, R. F., & Burney, D. (1998). Continuous improvement in community district# 2 . University of Pittsburgh, HPLC Project, Learning Research, and Development Center.

Fazlagić, J., & Erkol, A. (2015). Knowledge mobilisation in the Polish education system. Journal of Education for Teaching, 41 (5), 541–554.

Feniger, Y., & Lefstein, A. (2014). How not to reason with PISA data: An ironic investigation. Journal of Education Policy, 29 (6), 845–855.

Fernandez Cano, A. (2016). A methodological critique of the PISA evaluations. Relieve, 22 (1), 1–16. Disponible en: https://www.uv.es/RELIEVE/v22n1/RELIEVEv22n1_M15eng.pdf .

Fleisch, B. (2016). System-wide improvement at the instructional core: Changing reading teaching in South Africa. Journal of Educational Change, 17 (4), 437–451.

Fuhrman, S. (1993). Designing coherent education policy: Improving the system . Jossey-Bass.

Fullan, M., & Rincon-Gallardo, S. (2016). Developing high-quality public education in Canada: The case of Ontario. In Global Education Reform (pp. 169–193). Routledge.

Fullan, M. (2016). The elusive nature of whole system improvement in education. Journal of Educational Change, 17 (4), 539–544.

Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory . Aldine.

Gómez, R. L., & Suárez, A. M. (2020). Do inquiry-based teaching and school climate influence science achievement and critical thinking? Evidence from PISA 2015. International Journal of STEM Education, 7 (1), 1–11.

Graczewski, C., Knudson, J., & Holtzman, D. J. (2009). Instructional leadership in practice: What does it look like, and what influence does it have? Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 14 (1), 72–96.

Hallinger, P., & Heck, R. H. (2011). Collaborative leadership and school improvement: Understanding the impact on school capacity and student learning. In International handbook of leadership for learning (pp. 469–485). Springer.

Hanushek, E. A. & Woessmann, L. (2007). Calidad de la educación y crecimiento económico . En Documento N° 39. PREAL.

Harris, A. (2010). Leading system transformation. School Leadership and Management, 30 (3), 197–207.

Harris, A., & Jones, M. S. (2017). Professional learning communities: A strategy for school and system improvement? Wales Journal of Education, 19 (1), 16–38.

Hood, C. (1991). A public management for all seasons? Public Administration, 69 (1), 3–19.

Hopfenbeck, T. N., Lenkeit, J., El Masri, Y., Cantrell, K., Ryan, J., & Baird, J. A. (2018). Lessons learned from PISA: A systematic review of peer-reviewed articles on the programme for international student assessment. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 62 (3), 333–353.

Hopkins, D. (2007). Every school a great school: Realizing the potential of system leadership . McGraw-Hill Education.

Hopkins, D., Ahtaridou, E., Matthews, P., Posner, C., & Toledo, F. D. (2007). An analysis of the Mexican school system in light of PISA 2006 . London Centre for Leadership in Learning, University of London.

Hussen, T. (1994). Problems of Educational Reforms in a Changing Society. En A. Yogev y V. Rust (Eds.), International perspectives on education and society . Jai Press.

Jakubowski, M. (2015). Opening up opportunities: Education reforms in Poland. IBS Policy Paper, 1 , 2015.

Google Scholar  

Jessop, B. (1998). The narrative of enterprise and the enterprise of narrative: Place marketing and the entrepreneurial city. En The entrepreneurial city: Geographies of politics, regime and representation . John Wiley.

Lapping, M. B. (2004). Education in a restoration democracy: The case of Estonia. Citizenship, Social and Economics Education, 6 (2), 101–115.

Levin, B. (2012). System-wide improvement in education. Education Policy Series, 13 , 1–38.

Lindblad, S., Pettersson, D., & Popkewitz, T. S. (2015). International comparisons of school results: A systematic review of research on large-scale assessments in education . Swedish Research Council.

LLECE-UNESCO. (2013). Análisis del clima escolar: ¿Poderoso factor que explica el aprendizaje en América Latina y el Caribe? OREALC-UNESCO Santiago.

Masino, S., & Niño-Zarazúa, M. (2016). What works to improve the quality of student learning in developing countries? International Journal of Educational Development, 48 , 53–65.

McAleavy, T., & Elwick, A. (2016). School improvement in London: A global perspective . Education Development Trust. Highbridge House, 16–18 Duke Street, Reading Berkshire, England RG1 4RU, United Kingdom.

McEwan, P. J. (2015). Improving learning in primary schools of developing countries: A meta-analysis of randomized experiments. Review of Educational Research, 85 (3), 353–394.

Mikk, J. (2015). Explaining the difference between PISA 2009 reading scores in Finland and Estonia. Educational Research and Evaluation, 21 (4), 324–342.

Morris, P. (2015). Comparative education, PISA, politics and educational reform: A cautionary note. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education , 45 (3), 470–474.

Morris, P. (1996). Asia’s four little tigers: A comparison of the role of education in their development. Comparative Education, 32 (1), 95–110.

Mourshed, M., Chijioke, C., & Barber, M. (2010). How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better. McKinsey & Company (En español: Mourshed, M., Chijioke, C. y Barber, M. (2012). Cómo continúan mejorando los sistemas educativos de mayor progreso en el mundo. Documento N° 61. PREAL).

Murnane, R. J., & Ganimian, A. (2014). Improving educational outcomes in developing countries: Lessons from rigorous impact evaluations . Working Paper No. 20284. NBER.

Murphy, J., & Hallinger, P. (1988). Characteristics of instructionally effective school districts. The Journal of Educational Research, 81 (3), 175–181.

Nguyen, X. T., Roemmele, D., & Peel, D. (2013). Education reform in Vietnam: A critical analysis of inclusion and management discourses. Journal of Asian Critical Education , 2 .

Noah, H. J., & Eckstein, M. A. (1969). Toward a science of comparative education . Macmillan.

Nóvoa, A., & Yariv-Mashal, T. (2014). Comparative research in education: A model of governance or a historical journey. En T. Fenwick, E. Mangez y J. Ozga (Eds.), World yearbook of education 2014: Governing knowledge comparison, knowledge-based technologies and expertise in the regulation of education. Routledge.

O’Day, J. A., & Smith, M. S. (2016). Quality and equality in American education: Systemic problems, systemic solutions. In The dynamics of opportunity in America (pp. 297–358). Springer.

O’Day, J., & Quick, H. E. (2009). Assessing instructional reform in San Diego: A theory-based approach. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 14 (1), 1–16.

OECD. (2019).  PISA 2018 assessment and analytical framework . PISA, OECD Publishing.  https://doi.org/10.1787/b25efab8-en .

Osborne, D., & Gaebler, T. (1992). Reinventing government . Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Osmond-Johnson, P., & Campbell, C. (2018). Transforming an education system through professional learning: Developing educational change at scale in Ontario. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 17 (3), 241–256.

Pang, N. S. K., & Miao, Z. (2017). The roles of teacher leadership in Shanghai education success. Bulgarian Comparative Education Society .

Paterson, G. D. (2019). Improving student learning through professional learning communities: Employing a system-wide approach. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education/Revue canadienne des jeunes chercheures et chercheurs en éducation , 10 (1).

Porter, C. (2002). Measuring the content of instruction: Uses in research and practice. In 2002 Presidential address . University of Wisconsin.

Quick, H. E., Holtzman, D. J., & Chaney, K. R. (2009). Professional development and instructional practice: Conceptions and evidence of effectiveness. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 14 (1), 45–71.

Rindermann, H., & Ceci, S. J. (2009). Educational policy and country outcomes in international cognitive competence studies. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4 (6), 551–568.

Rivas, A. (2015). América Latina después de PISA: Lecciones aprendidas sobre la educación en siete países . CIPPEC, Natura e Instituto Natura.

Rivas, A. et al. (2020): Las llaves de la educación. Estudio comparado sobre la mejora de los sistemas educativos subnacionales en América Latina, Fundación Santillana, Madrid.

Rivas, A., & Scasso, M. G. (2021). Low stakes, high risks: The problem of intertemporal validity of PISA in Latin America. Journal of Education Policy, 36 (2), 279–302.

Rizvi, F., & Beech, J. (2017). Global mobilities and the possibilities of a cosmopolitan curriculum. Curriculum Inquiry, 47 (1), 125–134.

Sahlberg, P. (2011). The fourth way of Finland. Journal of Educational Change, 12 (2), 173–185.

Sam, C., & Riggan, M. (2013). Building district capacity for system-wide instructional improvement in Cincinnati public schools. Working Paper. GE Foundation" Developing Futures "™ in Education Evaluation Series. Consortium for Policy Research in Education .

Schleicher, A. (2012). Preparing teachers and developing school leaders for the 21st century: Lessons from around the world . OECD Publishing. 2, rue Andre Pascal, F-75775 Paris Cedex 16, France.

Schleicher, A. (2018). How to build a 21st-century school system . OECD Publishing.

Schmidt, W. H., & Prawat, R. S. (2006). Curriculum coherence and national control of education: Issue or non-issue? Journal of Curriculum Studies, 38 (6), 641–658.

Schmidt, W. H., Wang, H. C., & McKnight, C. C. (2005). Curriculum coherence: An examination of US mathematics and science content standards from an international perspective. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 37 , 525–559.

Schneider, B. R., Estarellas, P. C., & Bruns, B. (2019). The politics of transforming education in Ecuador: Confrontation and continuity, 2006–2017. Comparative Education Review, 63 (2), 259–280.

Sellar, S., & Lingard, B. (2013). The OECD and the expansion of PISA: New global modes of governance in education. British Educational Research Journal, 40 (6), 917–936.

Snilstveit, B., Stevenson, J., Menon, R., Phillips, D., Gallagher, E., Geleen, M., et al. (2016). The impact of education programmes on learning and school participation in low-and middle-income countries.

Snipes, J., Doolittle, F., & Herlihy, C. (2002). Foundations for success: Case studies of how urban school systems improve student achievement. Council of the Great City Schools.

Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104 , 333–339.

Steiner-Khamsi, G. (2019a). Randomized controlled trials: League leader in the hierarchy of evidence?. En R. Gorur y S. Sellar (Eds.), World yearbook of education 2019a: Comparative methodology in the era of big data and global networks . Routledge.

Steiner-Khamsi, G. (2019b). Conclusions: What policy-makers do with PISA. Understanding PISA’s attractiveness: Critical analyses in comparative policy studies , 233.

Steiner-Khamsi, G. (2016). New directions in policy borrowing research. Asia Pacific Education Review, 17 (3), 381–390.

Tan, C. (2019). Parental responses to education reform in Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Education Review, 20 (1), 91–99.

Trace, A. (1961) What Ivan knows that Johnny doesn’t: A comparison of Soviet and American school programs. Harper.

Tucker, M. (Ed.). (2011). Surpassing Shanghai. An agenda for American education built on the world’s leading systems . Harvard Education Press.

Tyack, D. B. and Cuban, L. (1995). Tinkering toward utopia . Harvard University Press.

Valverde, G. A. (2014). Educational quality: global politics, comparative inquiry, and opportunities to learn. Comparative Education Review, 58 (4), 575–589.

Verger, A., Novelli, M., & Altinyelken, H. K. (2012). Global education policy and international development: An introductory framework.  Global education policy and international development: New agendas, issues and policies , 3–32.

Wenger, E., McDermott, R. A., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge . Harvard Business Press.

Zavadsky, H. (2016). Bringing effective instructional practice to scale in American schools: Lessons from the Long Beach Unified School District. Journal of Educational Change, 17 (4), 505–527.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Universidad de San Andrés, Victoria, Argentina

Ignacio Barrenechea & Axel Rivas

Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

Jason Beech

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ignacio Barrenechea .

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Barrenechea, I., Beech, J. & Rivas, A. How can education systems improve? A systematic literature review. J Educ Change 24 , 479–499 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-022-09453-7

Download citation

Accepted : 03 March 2022

Published : 07 April 2022

Issue Date : September 2023

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-022-09453-7

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

  • Educational change
  • System-wide improvement
  • Comparative education
  • International education
  • Find a journal
  • Publish with us
  • Track your research

What the best education systems are doing right

Share this idea.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

education system essays

In South Korea and Finland, it’s not about finding the “right” school.

Fifty years ago, both South Korea and Finland had terrible education systems. Finland was at risk of becoming the economic stepchild of Europe. South Korea was ravaged by civil war. Yet over the past half century, both South Korea and Finland have turned their schools around — and now both countries are hailed internationally for their extremely high educational outcomes. What can other countries learn from these two successful, but diametrically opposed, educational models? Here’s an overview of what South Korea and Finland are doing right.

The Korean model: Grit and hard, hard, hard work.

For millennia, in some parts of Asia, the only way to climb the socioeconomic ladder and find secure work was to take an examination — in which the proctor was a proxy for the emperor , says Marc Tucker, president and CEO of the National Center on Education and the Economy. Those examinations required a thorough command of knowledge, and taking them was a grueling rite of passage. Today, many in the Confucian countries still respect the kind of educational achievement that is promoted by an exam culture.

The Koreans have achieved a remarkable feat: the country is 100 percent literate. But success comes with a price.

Among these countries, South Korea stands apart as the most extreme, and arguably, most successful. The Koreans have achieved a remarkable feat: the country is 100 percent literate, and at the forefront of international comparative tests of achievement, including tests of critical thinking and analysis. But this success comes with a price: Students are under enormous, unrelenting pressure to perform. Talent is not a consideration — because the culture believes in hard work and diligence above all, there is no excuse for failure. Children study year-round, both in-school and with tutors. If you study hard enough, you can be smart enough.

“Koreans basically believe that I have to get through this really tough period to have a great future,” says Andreas Schleicher , director of education and skills at PISA and special advisor on education policy at the OECD. “It’s a question of short-term unhappiness and long-term happiness.” It’s not just the parents pressuring their kids. Because this culture traditionally celebrates conformity and order, pressure from other students can also heighten performance expectations. This community attitude expresses itself even in early-childhood education, says Joe Tobin, professor of early childhood education at the University of Georgia who specializes in comparative international research. In Korea, as in other Asian countries, class sizes are very large — which would be extremely undesirable for, say, an American parent. But in Korea, the goal is for the teacher to lead the class as a community, and for peer relationships to develop. In American preschools, the focus for teachers is on developing individual relationships with students, and intervening regularly in peer relationships.

“I think it is clear there are better and worse way to educate our children,” says Amanda Ripley, author of The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way . “At the same time, if I had to choose between an average US education and an average Korean education for my own kid, I would choose, very reluctantly, the Korean model. The reality is, in the modern world the kid is going to have to know how to learn, how to work hard and how to persist after failure. The Korean model teaches that.”

The Finnish model: Extracurricular choice, intrinsic motivation.

In Finland, on the other hand, students are learning the benefits of both rigor and flexibility. The Finnish model, say educators, is utopia.

Finland has a short school day rich with school-sponsored extracurriculars, because Finns believe important learning happens outside the classroom.

In Finland, school is the center of the community, notes Schleicher. School provides not just educational services, but social services. Education is about creating identity.

Finnish culture values intrinsic motivation and the pursuit of personal interest. It has a relatively short school day rich with school-sponsored extracurriculars, because culturally, Finns believe important learning happens outside of the classroom. (An exception? Sports, which are not sponsored by schools, but by towns.) A third of the classes that students take in high school are electives, and they can even choose which matriculation exams they are going to take. It’s a low-stress culture, and it values a wide variety of learning experiences.

But that does not except it from academic rigor, motivated by the country’s history trapped between European superpowers, says Pasi Sahlberg, Finnish educator and author of Finnish Lessons: What the World Can Learn From Educational Change in Finland .

Teachers in Finland teach 600 hours a year, spending the rest of time in professional development. In the U.S., teachers are in the classroom 1,100 hours a year, with little time for feedback.

“A key to that is education. Finns do not really exist outside of Finland,” says Sahlberg. “This drives people to take education more seriously. For example, nobody speaks this funny language that we do. Finland is bilingual, and every student learns both Finnish and Swedish. And every Finn who wants to be successful has to master at least one other language, often English, but she also typically learns German, French, Russian and many others. Even the smallest children understand that nobody else speaks Finnish, and if they want to do anything else in life, they need to learn languages.”

Finns share one thing with South Koreans: a deep respect for teachers and their academic accomplishments. In Finland, only one in ten applicants to teaching programs is admitted. After a mass closure of 80 percent of teacher colleges in the 1970s, only the best university training programs remained, elevating the status of educators in the country. Teachers in Finland teach 600 hours a year, spending the rest of time in professional development, meeting with colleagues, students and families. In the U.S., teachers are in the classroom 1,100 hours a year, with little time for collaboration, feedback or professional development.

How Americans can change education culture

As TED speaker Sir Ken Robinson noted in his 2013 talk ( How to escape education’s death valley ), when it comes to current American education woes “the dropout crisis is just the tip of an iceberg. What it doesn’t count are all the kids who are in school but being disengaged from it, who don’t enjoy it, who don’t get any real benefit from it.” But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Notes Amanda Ripley, “culture is a thing that changes. It’s more malleable than we think. Culture is like this ether that has all kinds of things swirling around in it, some of which are activated and some of which are latent. Given an economic imperative or change in leadership or accident of history, those things get activated.” The good news is, “We Americans have a lot of things in our culture which would support a very strong education system, such as a longstanding rhetoric about the equality of opportunity and a strong and legitimate meritocracy,” says Ripley.

One reason we haven’t made much progress academically over the past 50 years is because it hasn’t been economically crucial for American kids to master sophisticated problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in order to survive. But that’s not true anymore. “There’s a lag for cultures to catch up with economic realities, and right now we’re living in that lag,” says Ripley. “So our kids aren’t growing up with the kind of skills or grit to make it in the global economy.”

“We are prisoners of the pictures and experiences of education that we had,” says Tony Wagner , expert-in-residence at Harvard’s educational innovation center and author of The Global Achievement Gap . “We want schools for our kids that mirror our own experience, or what we thought we wanted. That severely limits our ability to think creatively of a different kind of education. But there’s no way that tweaking that assembly line will meet the 21st-century world. We need a major overhaul.”

Indeed. Today, the American culture of choice puts the onus on parents to find the “right” schools for our kids, rather than trusting that all schools are capable of preparing our children for adulthood. Our obsession with talent puts the onus on students to be “smart,” rather than on adults’ ability to teach them. And our antiquated system for funding schools makes property values the arbiter of spending per student, not actual values.

But what will American education culture look like tomorrow? In the most successful education cultures in the world, it is the system that is responsible for the success of the student, says Schleicher — not solely the parent, not solely the student, not solely the teacher. The culture creates the system. The hope is that Americans can find the grit and will to change their own culture — one parent, student and teacher at a time.

Featured image via iStock.

About the author

Amy S. Choi is a freelance journalist, writer and editor based in Brooklyn, N.Y. She is the co-founder and editorial director of The Mash-Up Americans, a media and consulting company that examines multidimensional modern life in the U.S.

  • Amy S. Choi
  • Editor's picks
  • questions worth asking
  • South Korea
  • What makes a good education?

TED Talk of the Day

Al Gore: How to make radical climate action the new normal

How to make radical climate action the new normal

education system essays

6 ways to give that aren't about money

education system essays

A smart way to handle anxiety -- courtesy of soccer great Lionel Messi

education system essays

How do top athletes get into the zone? By getting uncomfortable

education system essays

6 things people do around the world to slow down

education system essays

Creating a contract -- yes, a contract! -- could help you get what you want from your relationship

education system essays

Could your life story use an update? Here’s how to do it 

education system essays

6 tips to help you be a better human now

education system essays

How to have better conversations on social media (really!)

education system essays

Let’s stop calling them “soft skills” -- and call them “real skills” instead

education system essays

There’s a know-it-all at every job — here’s how to deal

education system essays

3 strategies for effective leadership, from a former astronaut

education system essays

The 7 types of people you need in your life to be resilient

education system essays

Perfectionism holding you back? 3 ways to shift the habit

education system essays

Can trees heal people?

education system essays

5 things scientists now know about COVID-19 -- and 5 they're still figuring out

education system essays

Required reading: The books that students read in 28 countries around the world

education system essays

What is the ideal age to retire? Never, according to a neuroscientist

Become a Writer Today

Essays About Education: 20 Topic Ideas For Students

Is education important? These 20 essays about education indicate that it is, and they are a great place to start with crafting your essay. 

In America alone, over 50.7 million students attend public schools. The role of education in society impacts nearly every family in the country, and for that reason, it is a vital topic to discuss. 

An educated population can meet its challenges head-on with a greater ability to problem-solve. Yet sometimes, writing essays about education importance is challenging for writers.

This topic is one that most people can agree on, but few people can define and expound on. If you need to write an essay on the education system and is important to society but need an essay writing prompt, this list is a good place to start. Read on to discover 20 essays about education’s importance to spark your writing creativity.

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers !

1. Education Helps Reduce Hunger

2. the importance of education on maternal health and child survival rate, 3. the importance of education for economic growth in a community, 4. how education empowers females in a community, 5. education reduces the risk of violent extremism, 6. the impact of education on the environment, 7. the importance of education for me, 8. educated people tend to be good citizens, 9. is education the key to success, 10. education is a key to improved mental health, 11. the importance of early childhood education, 12. education helps keep people out of prison, 13. education is good for the economy, 14. education is the key to independence, 15. what is an educated person, 16. eduction exposes students to diversity, 17. education teaches critical thinking skills, 18. the importance of earning a college degree, 19. the importance of education on social development, 20. how education builds character.

Essays About Education

Did you know there is a tie between having a good education and having enough to eat? In one study of children in Nairobi, researchers found that a mother’s education significantly impacted whether or not the child would have problems with hunger. The more educated the mother, the better fed the child.

This problem is a complex one. Parental education impacts a child’s nutritional status, but a child’s nutritional status impacts their ability to learn. Human beings need their basic needs met first before focusing on learning about the world, so hungry children will miss out on key learning components in their academic years. This essay topic has many directions you can take it. You can focus on the importance of education to reduce the risk of hunger and the importance of nutrition to improve education outcomes.

Statistics show that children who have educated mothers are two times as likely to survive to school age than those who have uneducated mothers. Children born to mothers with 12 years of education are 30% less likely to die before reaching kindergarten than those born to mothers who have no education. Your essay could focus on the importance of education, especially female education, in that it protects the next generation from an early death. In your essay, you can explore the many reasons behind this connection.

For example, educated mothers will know more about child development and appropriate interventions in early childhood than those who are less educated. They are also more likely to have their children vaccinated against childhood illnesses than mothers who lack a high school or college education.

If you want to see a community develop a better economic status, then you need to see an improvement in its education system. An educated population is a key component of steady economic growth within a community. Your importance of education essay can discuss why this is.

When someone is educated, their income earning potential increases; when the people have more money, society also does. You can expand on statistics like this as you build this essay topic.

Essays About Education: How education empowers females in a community

Diversity and gender inclusivity are important topics in modern society, and education may be a key component. When women learn to be independent financially, they can take control of their life. In addition, educated females reduce the risk of child mortality, as previously discussed, which benefits the community as a whole.

Women who are educated can better protect their health because they have more information about nutrition and healthcare. They also tend to receive better prenatal care when pregnant, which reduces maternal fatalities. This financial independence and improved overall healthcare make education vital for the modern woman, and you can write about this in your essay.

Violent extremism, especially among religious groups, can catalyst everything from riots to wars. Poor education or no education can limit a student’s worldview to a very defined area, making them prime candidates for extremist philosophies.

Education seems to reduce the rates of extremism and raise a generation across the globe that counters these extreme views. With improved education, rates of terrorism and radical extremism may go down. The population has become more economically stable and culturally tolerant. Your essay can expound on these facts and suggest ways to improve education in challenged countries to reduce global terrorism problems.

As you look at why education matters, one surprising point to consider is the impact of education on the environment. In traditional education, teachers can educate students about environmental concerns and how they can take steps to protect the environment for future generations. In addition, people who hold degrees are statistically more likely to adopt pro-environment behaviors in their lives and business as adults.

This essay prompt can be an interesting idea for someone passionate about the environment. You can explore the idea of environmental education in the classroom and that degree-holders are more environmentally responsible than those who do not hold degrees. Both avenues will show the importance of education in building an eco-friendly community.

Many essays on the importance of education focus on the importance to society, but you can take a more personal approach to the benefits of education. This essay can discuss why education is important to you as an individual. What do you hope to accomplish with a proper education that you could not do without one?

For this topic, go beyond simply saying something broad like you want to “change the world” or focus on the “betterment of society.” Instead, make it personal. Dig into why education is the key to success for you, personally. This self-awareness will be something the reader will appreciate.

If you want a peaceful, helpful society, you need to focus on education. People with higher education are more politically active than those with minimal education. They are also more likely to file a complaint if they notice something unsafe or undesirable in their community.

In this essay, you could explore some of these statistics. Then, you could consider why educated citizens are good citizens. Finally, you could discuss how communities can continue to support education to create young people who contribute positively to the greater society.

This essay question is a good starting point because the idiom is common. To answer the question, you must first define what you mean by education and success, then show whether or not someone can be a success without education.

For many, this is a complex question. Education can play a key role in a person’s life, but is it the only key to success, or does the person need tenacity, grit, and ingenuity? This essay is an opinion piece, so decide what your opinion is and then start writing.

The modern world puts quite a bit of stress on people. Interestingly, researchers have found that higher levels of education lead to improved mental health . In your essay, you can discuss why this might be, but keep in mind that this can be a difficult relationship to pin down. The actual reason why it is true may not be something you can find.

Education is closely related to life outcomes, and improved employment and income status often lead to improved mental health. Educated people have more choices about their life paths than uneducated people, and these choices lead to better overall control over their livelihoods. As you consider this connection, you can discuss all of these in your essay.

Many education essays focus on the over-arching idea of the value of education. This essay topic will look a little more closely at an important segment of education. Children with a solid foundation of early education are better equipped to start their school journeys. These years are when children learn social and emotional skills that will help them in later classroom experiences.

The early childhood classroom also lays the groundwork for teaching children that they can learn from someone other than mom or dad. The early childhood classroom adds a layer of intervention to screen children for developmental delays and disorders that may require treatment to make education successful in later years.

While educated and uneducated people alike can end up in jail, statistics show that a good education reduces that risk significantly. The Bureau of Justice Studies found that 41% of people in jail have only some high school education or even less. These statistics show a clear correlation between education and serving jail time.

In your essay, you can discuss why this is. What is it about education that helps keep people operating within the bounds of the law? You can then tie in the importance of education as a safeguard against both unlawful behavior and incarceration.

As already mentioned in previous essay topics, educated people are more likely to be able to get a job that they enjoy.  Community-wide education reduces the number of poor people in most communities. When people have an education, they can get a good-paying job more quickly. These jobs benefit the economy in two ways. First, good-paying jobs put more money into the community to spend. Fewer people in low-income brackets mean fewer people depending on government support, which costs the government money. Discuss this for an interesting essay topic.

For people to grow into independent adults with a good quality of life, they likely need some education. While you will find rags to riches stories of people who made it big without school, most people who have a good job start with a good education. A good job is a starting point to independence because it cares for the financial aspects of life, and thus education seems to be a key to independence as an adult.

This essay topic requires some development, but you can take it quite far if you make an effort. By showing how education is the key to economic stability on an individual level, you can show that it is the key to independence.

Does all education take place in the classroom? Can someone become an educated person without stepping foot in one? If you want to discuss the importance of education, this is a key starting point.

Defining an educated person can help you determine how powerful education is. It can also allow you to discover different avenues of education possible for the modern student. Remember, education is important, but it may not look the same for every person.

Essays About Education: Education exposes students to diversity

One of the benefits of education is the chance that the right school and curriculum have to teach students about other people groups and cultures. This, in turn, creates adults who are more tolerant of people who think or behave differently than them. Of course, this benefit is only possible if the student attends a diverse school or uses a culturally sensitive curriculum, but it is possible.

You could write a lengthy essay on diversity in the classroom and its importance in helping children succeed as adults. You could also discuss how teachers and schools can improve diversity, even if they can’t add more diverse students to their student bodies. With some creativity, most teachers and parents can find ways to incorporate diversity within the classroom and add this important component to their educational goals.

Education, especially higher education, doesn’t just teach facts. It teaches students how to think for themselves. These critical thinking skills can be hard to learn in real life without some training, so education is so important.

Your essay can point out some critical thinking skills school students pick up on in their schooling. You can also take about how to add critical thinking in an age-appropriate manner. Finally, you can discuss what critical thinking skills are most important to add to the curriculum.

Many of these essays on the importance of education focus primarily on high school education and below, but a college education is also important to many individuals. You can craft an interesting essay on the benefits of or importance of earning a college degree. Since some people argue that college is no longer important, this essay topic gives you a platform to explore a more controversial topic and exhibit your persuasive essay skills.

Be open to different perspectives as you write this one. While a college degree is often vital to a career, there are careers you can pursue without one. Explain the importance of education at the college level, but don’t be afraid to mention that some people won’t need to take their education that far.

Education today goes beyond simply teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. It also teaches children how to work with one another in social environments. It teaches them to be good citizens, both local and global communities.

All of these are vital to the social development of young children. Your essay can explore the different ways school and the school environment help teach children how to be social creatures, share with others, work with others, handle conflict, and deal with big emotions.

Can you think of a time in your education when things didn’t go as planned? Maybe you had a teacher who was harder on you than was necessary. Perhaps there was a concept that you could not seem to grasp, no matter how hard you tried. These experiences build character, which is why education is so important.

This essay topic can be personal if you wish it to be. You can look at how education built your character by teaching you to persevere when the going got tough. Or, you could keep it broad and discuss ways education teaches character development. Either way, you can build a solid case for the importance of education to help develop and mold a child’s character.  

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

education system essays

Nicole Harms has been writing professionally since 2006. She specializes in education content and real estate writing but enjoys a wide gamut of topics. Her goal is to connect with the reader in an engaging, but informative way. Her work has been featured on USA Today, and she ghostwrites for many high-profile companies. As a former teacher, she is passionate about both research and grammar, giving her clients the quality they demand in today's online marketing world.

View all posts

Top Streams

  • Data Science Courses in USA
  • Business Analytics Courses in USA
  • Engineering Courses in USA
  • Tax Courses in USA
  • Healthcare Courses in USA
  • Language Courses in USA
  • Insurance Courses in USA
  • Digital Marketing Courses in USA

Top Specialization

  • Masters in Data Analytics in USA
  • Masters in Mechanical Engineering in USA
  • Masters in Supply Chain Management in USA
  • Masters in Computer Science in USA
  • MBA in Finance in USA
  • Masters in Architecture in USA

Top Universities

  • Cornell University
  • Yale University
  • Princeton University
  • University of California Los Angeles
  • University of Harvard
  • Stanford University
  • Arizona State University
  • Northeastern University

ACCEL PROGRAMS

  • Master of Business Administration
  • MS in Data Analytics
  • MS in Computer Science
  • Project Management Courses in Australia
  • Accounting Courses in Australia
  • Medical Courses in Australia
  • Psychology Courses in Australia
  • Interior Designing Courses in Australia
  • Pharmacy Courses in Australia
  • Social Work Courses in Australia
  • MBA in Australia
  • Masters in Education in Australia
  • Masters in Pharmacy in Australia
  • Masters in Information Technology in Australia
  • BBA in Australia
  • Masters in Teaching in Australia
  • Masters in Psychology in Australia
  • University of Melbourne
  • Deakin University
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Monash University
  • University of Sydney
  • University of Queensland
  • RMIT University
  • Macquarie University
  • Bachelor of Business Administration
  • Bachelor of Computer Applications
  • Data Science Courses in Canada
  • Business Management Courses in Canada
  • Supply Chain Management Courses in Canada
  • Project Management Courses in Canada
  • Business Analytics Courses in Canada
  • Hotel Management Courses in Canada
  • MBA in Canada
  • MS in Canada
  • Masters in Computer Science in Canada
  • Masters in Management in Canada
  • Masters in Psychology in Canada
  • Masters in Education in Canada
  • MBA in Finance in Canada
  • Masters in Business Analytics in Canada
  • University of Toronto
  • University of British Columbia
  • McGill University
  • University of Alberta
  • York University
  • University of Calgary
  • Algoma University
  • University Canada West
  • BBA in Canada, Trinity Western University
  • BBA in Canada, Yorkville University
  • Project Management Courses in UK
  • Data Science Courses in UK
  • Public Health Courses in UK
  • Digital Marketing Courses in UK
  • Hotel Management Courses in UK
  • Nursing Courses in UK
  • Medicine Courses in UK
  • Interior Designing Courses in UK
  • Masters in Computer Science in UK
  • Masters in Psychology in UK
  • MBA in Finance in UK
  • MBA in Healthcare Management in UK
  • Masters in Education in UK
  • Masters in Marketing in UK
  • MBA in HR in UK
  • University of Oxford
  • University of Cambridge
  • Coventry University
  • University of East London
  • University of Hertfordshire
  • University of Birmingham
  • Imperial College London
  • University of Glasgow
  • MBA with Work Placement
  • MSc Data Science with Work Placement

Top Resources

  • Universities in Germany
  • Study in Germany
  • Masters in Germany
  • Courses in Germany
  • Bachelors in Germany
  • Germany Job Seeker Visa
  • Cost of Living in Germany
  • Best Universities in Germany

Top Courses

  • Masters in Data Science in Germany
  • MS in Computer Science in Germany
  • Marine Engineering in Germany
  • MS Courses in Germany
  • Masters in Psychology in Germany
  • Hotel Management Courses in Germany
  • Masters in Economics in Germany
  • Paramedical Courses in Germany
  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  • University of Bonn
  • University of Freiburg
  • University of Hamburg
  • University of Stuttgart
  • Saarland University
  • Mannheim University
  • Master of Business Administration (90 ECTS)
  • MS Data Science 60 ECTS
  • Master in Computer Science (120 ECTS)
  • MBA in Ireland
  • Phd in Ireland
  • Masters in Computer Science Ireland
  • Cyber Security in Ireland
  • Masters in Data Analytics Ireland
  • Ms in Data Science in Ireland
  • Pharmacy courses in ireland
  • Business Analytics Course in Ireland
  • Universities in Ireland

Study in Ireland

  • Masters in Ireland
  • Courses in Ireland
  • Bachelors in Ireland
  • Cost of Living in Ireland
  • Ireland Student Visa
  • Part Time Jobs in Ireland
  • Trinity College Dublin
  • University College Dublin
  • Dublin City University
  • University of Limerick
  • Dublin Business School
  • Maynooth University
  • University College Cork
  • National College of Ireland

Colleges & Courses

  • Masters in France
  • Phd in France
  • Study Medicine in France
  • Best Universities in Frankfurt
  • Best Architecture Colleges in France
  • ESIGELEC France
  • Study in France for Indian Students
  • Intakes in France
  • SOP for France Visa
  • Study in France from India
  • Reasons to Study in France
  • How to Settle in France

More About France

  • Cost of Living in France
  • France Study Visa
  • Cost of Living in Frankfurt
  • France Scholarship for Indian Students
  • Part Time Jobs in France
  • Stay Back in France After Masters

About Finland

  • Universities in Finland
  • Study in Finland
  • Courses in Finland
  • Bachelor Courses in Finland
  • Masters Courses in Finland
  • Cost of Living in Finland
  • MS in Finland
  • Average Fees in Finland Universities
  • PhD in Finland
  • MBA Leading Business Transformation
  • MBA Business Technologies
  • Bachelor Degree in Medicine & Surgery
  • MBBS Courses in Georgia
  • MBBS Courses in Russia
  • Alte University
  • Caucasus University
  • Georgian National University SEU
  • David Tvildiani Medical University
  • Caspian International School Of Medicine
  • Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University
  • Kyrgyz State Medical Academy
  • Cremeia Federal University
  • Bashkir State Medical University
  • Kursk State Medical University
  • Andijan State Medical Institute
  • IELTS Syllabus
  • IELTS Prepration
  • IELTS Eligibility
  • IELTS Test Format
  • IELTS Band Descriptors
  • IELTS Speaking test
  • IELTS Writing Task 1
  • IELTS score validity
  • IELTS Cue Card

IELTS Reading Answers Sample

  • Animal Camouflage
  • Types Of Societies
  • Australia Convict Colonies
  • A Spark A Flint
  • Emigration To The Us
  • The History Of Salt
  • Zoo Conservation Programmes
  • The Robots Are Coming
  • The Development Of Plastic

IELTS Speaking Cue Card Sample

  • Describe A Puzzle You Have Played
  • Describe A Long Walk You Ever Had
  • Describe Your Favourite Movie
  • Describe A Difficult Thing You did
  • Describe A Businessman You Admire
  • Memorable Day in My Life
  • Describe Your Dream House
  • Describe A Bag You Want to Own
  • Describe a Famous Athlete You Know
  • Aquatic Animal

IELTS Essay Sample Sample

  • Best Education System
  • IELTS Opinion Essay
  • Agree or Disagree Essay
  • Problem Solution Essays
  • Essay on Space Exploration
  • Essay On Historical Places
  • Essay Writing Samples
  • Tourism Essay
  • Global Warming Essay
  • GRE Exam Fees
  • GRE Exam Syllabus
  • GRE Exam Eligibility
  • Sections in GRE Exam
  • GRE Exam Benefits
  • GRE Exam Results
  • GRE Cutoff for US Universities
  • GRE Preparation
  • Send GRE scores to Universities

GRE Exam Study Material

  • GRE Verbal Preparation
  • GRE Study Material
  • GRE AWA Essays
  • GRE Sample Issue Essays
  • Stanford University GRE Cutoff
  • Harvard University GRE Cutoff
  • GRE Quantitative Reasoning
  • GRE Verbal Reasoning
  • GRE Reading Comprehension
  • Prepare for GRE in 2 months

Other Resources

  • Documents Required For Gre Exam
  • GRE Exam Duration
  • GRE at Home
  • GRE vs GMAT
  • Improve GRE Verbal Scores

Free GRE Ebooks

  • GRE Preparation Guide (Free PDF)
  • GRE Syllabus (Free PDF)
  • GMAT Eligibility
  • GMAT Syllabus
  • GMAT Exam Dates
  • GMAT Registration
  • GMAT Exam Fees
  • GMAT Sections
  • GMAT Purpose

GMAT Exam Study Material

  • How to prepare for GMAT?
  • GMAT Score Validity
  • GMAT Preparation Books
  • GMAT Preparation
  • GMAT Exam Duration
  • GMAT Score for Harvard
  • GMAT Reading Comprehension
  • GMAT Retake Strategy

Free GMAT Ebooks

  • GMAT Guide PDF
  • Download GMAT Syllabus PDF
  • TOEFL Exam Registration
  • TOEFL Exam Eligibility
  • TOEFL Exam Pattern
  • TOEFL Exam Preparation
  • TOEFL Exam Tips
  • TOEFL Exam Dates
  • Documents for TOEFL Exam
  • TOEFL Exam Fee

TOEFL Exam Study Material

  • TOEFL Preparation Books
  • TOEFL Speaking Section
  • TOEFL Score and Results
  • TOEFL Writing Section
  • TOEFL Reading Section
  • TOEFL Listening Section
  • TOEFL Vocabulary
  • Types of Essays in TOEFL

Free TOEFL Ebooks

  • TOEFL Exam Guide (Free PDF)
  • PTE Exam Dates
  • PTE Exam Syllabus
  • PTE Exam Eligibility Criteria
  • PTE Test Centers in India
  • PTE Exam Pattern
  • PTE Exam Fees
  • PTE Exam Duration
  • PTE Exam Registration

PTE Exam Study Material

  • PTE Exam Preparation
  • PTE Speaking Test
  • PTE Reading Test
  • PTE Listening Test
  • PTE Writing Test
  • PTE Essay Writing
  • PTE exam for Australia

Free PTE Ebooks

  • PTE Syllabus (Free PDF)
  • Duolingo Exam
  • Duolingo Test Eligibility
  • Duolingo Exam Pattern
  • Duolingo Exam Fees
  • Duolingo Test Validity
  • Duolingo Syllabus
  • Duolingo Preparation

Duolingo Exam Study Material

  • Duolingo Exam Dates
  • Duolingo Test Score
  • Duolingo Test Results
  • Duolingo Test Booking

Free Duolingo Ebooks

  • Duolingo Guide (Free PDF)
  • Duolingo Test Pattern (Free PDF)

NEET & MCAT Exam

  • NEET Study Material
  • NEET Preparation
  • MCAT Eligibility
  • MCAT Preparation

SAT & ACT Exam

  • ACT Eligibility
  • ACT Exam Dates
  • SAT Syllabus
  • SAT Exam Pattern
  • SAT Exam Eligibility

USMLE & OET Exam

  • USMLE Syllabus
  • USMLE Preparation
  • USMLE Step 1
  • OET Syllabus
  • OET Eligibility
  • OET Prepration

PLAB & LSAT Exam

  • PLAB Exam Syllabus
  • PLAB Exam Fees
  • LSAT Eligibility
  • LSAT Registration
  • TOEIC Result
  • Study Guide

Application Process

  • LOR for Masters
  • SOP Samples for MS
  • LOR for Phd
  • SOP for Internship
  • SOP for Phd
  • Check Visa Status
  • Motivation Letter Format
  • Motivation Letter for Internship
  • F1 Visa Documents Checklist

Career Prospects

  • Popular Courses after Bcom in Abroad
  • Part Time Jobs in Australia
  • Part Time Jobs in USA
  • Salary after MS in Germany
  • Salary after MBA in Canada
  • Average Salary in Singapore
  • Higher Studies after MBA in Abroad
  • Study in Canada after 12th

Trending Topics

  • Best Education System in World
  • Best Flying Schools in World
  • Top Free Education Countries
  • Best Countries to Migrate from India
  • 1 Year PG Diploma Courses in Canada
  • Canada Vs India
  • Germany Post Study Work Visa
  • Post Study Visa in USA
  • Data Science Vs Data Analytics
  • Public Vs Private Universities in Germany
  • Universities Vs Colleges
  • Difference Between GPA and CGPA
  • Undergraduate Vs Graduate
  • MBA in UK Vs MBA in USA
  • Degree Vs Diploma in Canada
  • IELTS vs TOEFL
  • Duolingo English Test vs. IELTS
  • Why Study in Canada
  • Cost of Living in Canada
  • Education System in Canada
  • SOP for Canada
  • Summer Intake in Canada
  • Spring Intake in Canada
  • Winter Intake in Canada
  • Accommodation in Canada for Students
  • Average Salary in Canada
  • Fully Funded Scholarships in Canada
  • Why Study in USA
  • Cost of Studying in USA
  • Spring Intake in USA
  • Winter Intake in USA
  • Summer Intake in USA
  • STEM Courses in USA
  • Scholarships for MS in USA
  • Acceptable Study Gap in USA
  • Interesting Facts about USA
  • Free USA course
  • Why Study in UK
  • Cost of Living in UK
  • Cost of Studying in UK
  • Education System in UK
  • Summer Intake in UK
  • Spring Intake in UK
  • Student Visa for UK
  • Accommodation in UK for Students
  • Scholarships in UK
  • Why Study in Germany
  • Cost of Studying in Germany
  • Education System in Germany
  • SOP for Germany
  • Summer Intake in Germany
  • Winter Intake in Germany
  • Study Visa for Germany
  • Accommodation in Germany for Students
  • Free Education in Germany

Country Guides

  • Study in UK
  • Study in Canada
  • Study in USA
  • Study in Australia
  • SOP Samples for Canada Student Visa
  • US F1 Visa Guide for Aspirants

Exams Guides

  • Duolingo Test Pattern

Recommended Reads

  • Fully Funded Masters Guide
  • SOP Samples For Australia
  • Scholarships for Canada
  • Data Science Guide
  • SOP for MS in Computer Science
  • Study Abroad Exams
  • Alumni Connect
  • Booster Program

GPA CALCULATOR Convert percentage marks to GPA effortlessly with our calculator!

Expense calculator plan your study abroad expenses with our comprehensive calculator, ielts band calculator estimate your ielts band score with our accurate calculator, education loan calculator discover your eligible loan amount limit with our education calculator, university partner explore growth and opportunities with our university partnership, accommodation discover your perfect study abroad accommodation here, experience-center discover our offline centers for a personalized experience, our offices visit us for expert study abroad counseling..

  • 18002102030
  • Study Abroad

Best Education System Essay Samples and Tips for IELTS

  • IELTS Preparation
  • IELTS E-Books
  • IELTS Registration
  • IELTS Exam Fee
  • IELTS Exam Dates 2024
  • Documents Required
  • IELTS Test Centers
  • Test Format
  • Band Descriptors
  • IELTS Speaking Test
  • General Reading Test
  • General Writing Task
  • IELTS Coaching
  • Types of Essays
  • IELTS for Australia
  • IELTS Results
  • Generation Gap Essay
  • GPA Calculator
  • Study Abroad Consultant In India
  • Study Visa Consultants in India

Updated on 01 February, 2024

Mrinal Mandal

Mrinal Mandal

Study abroad expert.

Mrinal Mandal

The IELTS writing test is designed to evaluate the writing skills of non-native English speakers. The section has two tasks, and task 2 is writing a formal essay of 250 words in 40 minutes. The essay topics are based on general interest. IELTS often uses similar topics by changing the words of the questions. Applicants need to practice writing on common topics like online education system essays, Indian education system essays, environment essays, and technology essays, among other topics.

In order to do well in task 2, applicants need to have a complete understanding of the types of essays. We will discuss a very popular topic that is asked almost every alternate year. The topic is ‘education’ and there are chances that you’ll get to write an essay on similar topics.

Take a look at these sample education system essay topics for your IELTS test, along with the tips to write a winning essay.

Table of Contents

Download e-books for ielts preparation, tips to write a winning essay on education system related topics, frequently asked questions, popular study abroad destinations, sample 1 on education system essay.

Question: Some people say that the education system is the only critical factor for the development of a country. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Education is the pillar of development, and without any doubt, it is one of the best ways to develop a country. Many even argue that the education system is the only critical factor driving the development of a country. However, I do not agree with this point. I strongly believe that there are various factors responsible for development. Things like international relationships, technologies, agriculture, healthcare, trade, resources, and skills are some of the critical factors along with the education system that encourages development. Every aspect is essential for sustainable development.

Firstly, the education system has a huge role in the overall development and the developed economies have exemplary education systems. In fact, the education system grows some of the best skills and talents in the nation. This eventually increases the value of the economy. However, countries like Sri Lanka are still developing at a sluggish pace despite being an educated nation. The nation is struggling to cope up with mass poverty. It would be wrong to entirely burden the education system with the responsibility of development. Education helps in development, but it alone is not enough.

Secondly, development does not mean only a rise in GDP and revenue. Factors like healthcare, freedom, rights, lower crime rates, and safety are some of the key factors that contribute to the overall development of a nation. For instance, some South-Asian and Middle Eastern countries have huge foreign currency reserves, yet they are troubled with war, crime, and have a low freedom index. These countries are economically strong, and educated, but lack peace and safety. Taking these two instances in mind, I  disagree that education is the sole reason behind the development. 

Similarly, considering a developed nation like Japan, things become easier to understand. Japan is one of the most stable economies in the world. The nation has used resources, utilized skills, maintained global trade relationships along with nurturing a good education system to build the country. It is a perfect example of how well the people of the nation worked hard to build the nation from scratch. 

There are various Asian countries like India that are using robust technologies to gain prominent economic growth. Soon they will turn out to be developed countries. They have developed the education system but they have not focused only on this single aspect. Increasing exports, democratic governance, leadership skills, living standards, trade, and safety are some of the essential factors that help a nation develop.

Putting my thoughts together, I would like to conclude by saying that along with a developed education system, leadership, technologies, trade, and government; a country can develop effectively. Education is just one factor, and not solely responsible for development. 

Related Reads:

IELTS IDIOMS GUIDE

Education System Essay Samples – 2

Question: The education system for all the levels, primary, secondary and higher levels should be free. Do you agree or disagree? 

Education builds an individual and it is universally acknowledged how important it is. Even with so much development, to see children not getting educated due to financial constraints is depressing. I completely agree with the statement that education of all levels should be free of cost, so that everyone in the country, irrespective of their background, can grow and develop. 

Making education free will be the best initiative taken by the government toward sustainable development. Sometimes even basic education becomes difficult to bear for many poor families. By making it free, one can ensure that no one will be deprived of education just because they cannot afford it. There are countries where the education system is free up to the primary levels. However, this does not sound effective. A child that aspires to take up medicine or engineering courses will be deprived of education. Hence, according to my opinion, the government should take initiatives to make education free for all levels. 

A nation grows and develops when the younger generation makes a paradigm shift so the financial crisis should not stop them. A lot of talent is lost every day just because they cannot afford an education. Everyone needs to get a fair chance to showcase their talent so that the nation marches towards becoming a developed one. Countries with maximum literacy levels are mostly the developed economies of the world. There will be less crime when individuals get educated. This is because knowledge is the power that helps in eradicating crime and violence. Education cultivates responsible and mature generations. 

An intelligent nation develops faster. When everyone gets educated, the nation gets better facilities, global exposure, and development. Signs of poverty will be negligible. Safety and freedom will prevail everywhere as everyone has their own share of knowledge and experience. 

We get better healthcare, services, doctors, professionals, businesses, and engineering facilities. The country becomes self-sufficient and the need for immigration and brain drain ultimately shows a declining curve. The education system should be considered a necessity and it should be free for all gender, class, social status, and region.

The more educated professionals in the nation, the better will be the developments in essential aspects like war equipment, agriculture, medicine, food, and technologies.

To conclude, the education system should be free and compulsory for everyone. Everyone should be given a chance to grow and build a noteworthy life. Uneducated youth is dangerous, so the government should make the education system free and a basic fundamental right for all.

Download IELTS Preparation Guide For Free

Get to know about the latest updates on the IELTS Exam, Eligibility, Preparation Tips, Test procedure,  Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Registration Process, Important Exam Dates, and much more!! This guide is a one-stop solution for every IELTS Aspirant who aims to crack the exam with an impressive band score.

  • The time allotted to task 2 essay writing is 40 minutes and it cannot be extended.
  • The essay should be a minimum of 250 words. There is no upper word limit. It is better to write some extra words.
  • Avoid complicated long words and any sort of technical jargon. Keep the language simple, but accurate.
  • The essay should be divided into organized paragraphs. Every essay should have 3 parts, introduction, body, and conclusion. Draft the concluding summary well.
  • Brainstorming is important to attempt a problem-solution question. 
  • Understand the question well. There will be an opinion essay, direct, cause solution essay, agree-disagree, or problem-solution essay. Each one has a different question pattern. The two samples mentioned above on the ‘education system’ are opinion-based essays.
  • Work on vocabulary related to the topic. It is important to know some good words, phrases, and idioms related to every topic that you practice.
  • Submit an essay without any grammatical mistakes. 
  • Map out all your ideas. Ideas should be relevant and must match with the topic.
  • Be familiar with the essay topics that frequently come in the test over the year. 
  • Your opinion matters and you need to pen down your opinion well. Opinions should be supported with valid justification and ideas.
  • Organize the essay in three parts, introduction, body, and conclusion. 
  • If you are using idioms, do not stuff them. You must know the correct meaning before you use them.
  • If you are using facts, make sure that they match with the official source.
  • Take care of lexical resources. Do not use very common words that you use to speak regularly. 
  • Use a formal tone. Do not use any semi-formal or informal tone in your essay.
  • Your opinion should be the same from introduction to conclusion. You cannot agree in the introduction and disagree in the conclusion.
  • If you are working on a problem-solution essay, you need to focus on both aspects. Think about all the possible problems and then correlate the solutions
  • Proofread your essay once you are done writing. It will help you find various minor mistakes.

Recommended Reads:

Through a winning essay, you must prove your English language writing skills. The IELTS essay is a challenging one until you go through some samples. Practice regularly and follow the tips. Refer to the IELTS essay samples for a better understanding. You can consult the academic counselors of upGrad Abroad for clarifying any more doubts. 

How to start an essay about education?

You should start out by first outlining the core statement that you wish to make. You should understand the various nuances of the essay and then write about the core points in logical paragraphs. End with a proper conclusion as well. Do not ramble in the essay or use clichés or repetitive words or content. 

You should begin by talking about the question or topic of the essay and whether or not you agree with the same. Thereafter, talk about your desires to outline your points in the following paragraphs.

How to write an essay about education?

You should start with an introduction section, where you mention the topic or question of the essay and your own opinion regarding the same. 

Thereafter, illustrate your points with examples in the next couple of paragraphs. End with a conclusion that re-affirms your opinions and closes the topic in a neat way. Do not ramble in the essay. 

Always use examples and logic to demonstrate your points without any unnecessary hyperbole. Use transitions from one paragraph to another and make use of advanced and compelling vocabulary in turn. Keep your essay sentences short and avoid lengthy sentences and huge paragraphs.

How to start a scholarship essay asking about educational goals?

Starting a scholarship essay that talks about your educational goals? You should first write about the goals which have relevance to the scholarship in question. 

Thereafter, flesh out the core goals and list the ways you intend to achieve the same. Always be clear about the program and scholarship and their role in helping you achieve these educational goals. 

Be specific about your goals and keep them divided into long and short-term ones. Always be honest about your objectives in this regard.

How to write conclusion of general essay about education system?

When you are writing a conclusion about the education system in a general essay, you should always start with the re-iteration of the main question that was asked or the main statement/topic that was given.

Thereafter, you should state your own opinion about the education system, which you have already talked about in the earlier paragraphs.

Thereafter, use good vocabulary to sign off with a line or two about the education system currently and a futuristic angle, i.e. what could happen or what may happen.

What is the importance of education system essay?

The importance of education system essay is one where you are given the task to write about the importance of the education system in the current scenario. You should always emphasize on how education is what determines the eventual quality of life for any individual while equipping one with skills, knowledge, understanding and the personality to excel in the modern world. 

Education is not just for employment but also for awareness and a better life. You should also talk about the current education system that you know in your country and why it is important, i.e. the stage-wise progression of education for children and how they are equipped at various stages with different skill sets. Always talk about your own opinion in this regard.

Study in Canada

Study in Canada & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

Study in Australia

Study in Australia & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

Study in USA

Study in the USA & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

Study in Germany

Study in Germany & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

Study in Ireland

Study in Ireland & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

study in uk

Study in UK & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

Mrinal Mandal is a study abroad expert with a passion for guiding students towards their international education goals. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering, earned in 2018. Since 2021, Mrinal has been working with upGrad Abroad, where he assists aspiring students in realizing their dreams of studying abroad. With his expertise and dedication, he empowers individuals to navigate the complexities of international education, making their aspirations a reality.

Important Exams

Important resources for ielts, free study abroad counselling, trending searches, ielts sample essay, ielts reading answer.

  • Art and Culture
  • Prevention is Better than Cure
  • Nowadays the Way Many People Interact
  • Government and Society
  • Causes And Effects Of Obesity
  • Environmental Problems And Solution
  • Should Smoking Be Banned In Public Places
  • Individual Greed and Selfishness
  • Modern Technology
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Tourism
  • Business and Money
  • Double Question
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food
  • When a Country Develops its Technology
  • Capital Punishment
  • Art is Considered an Important Part of a Society
  • Easiest Way Of Communication
  • Describe A Time When You Felt Bored
  • Describe A Person Who Wears Unusual Clothes
  • Describe A Dinner You Really Enjoyed
  • Describe an Art Exhibition that You Visited
  • Describe an Occasion When Many People Were Smiling
  • Describe a Film that Made You Laugh
  • Describe a Famous Person You Are Interested In
  • Describe A Live Sports Match That You Watched
  • Describe a Difficult Decision that You Once Made
  • Talk About A Time When You Gave Advice to Someone
  • Describe an Expensive Activity that You Enjoy Doing Occasionally
  • Describe A Time When You First Talked in A Foreign Language
  • Describe A Street Market In Your City
  • Describe A Time When Your Computer Broke Down
  • Describe an Event You Attended in Which You Didn�t Like the Music Played
  • Describe A Time When You Helped A Friend
  • Describe a Person Who Impressed You in Primary School
  • Describe a Time When You Told Your Friend an Important Truth
  • Biological Control Of Pests
  • The Development Of Museums
  • Collecting As A Hobby
  • This Marvelous Invention
  • The Psychology Of Innovation
  • An Introduction To Film Sound
  • The Birth Of Scientific English
  • Moles Happy As Homes Go Underground
  • Crop Growing Skyscrapers
  • Mental Gymnastics
  • The Benefits Of Being Bilingual
  • Green Wave Washes Over Mainstream Shopping
  • The Meaning And Power Of Smell
  • The History Of Glass
  • The Story Of Silk
  • Reducing The Effects Of Climate Change
  • Eco Tourism
  • IELTS Preparation Books
  • CEFR level IELTS
  • IELTS score chart
  • IELTS Certificate
  • IELTS Validity
  • Australia Band Requirements
  • IELTS Full Form

The above tips are the Author's experiences. upGrad does not guarantee scores or admissions.

Call us to clear your doubts at:

Download our App

  • Grievance Redressal
  • Experience Centers
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • University Partner
  • Accommodation
  • IELTS Band Calculator
  • Download Study Abroad App
  • Education Loan Calculator
  • upGrad Abroad Office
  • Expense Calculator
  • Knowledge Base

Top Destinations

Masters programs.

  • MBA in Germany, IU
  • MIM in Germany, IU
  • MS in CS in Germany, IU
  • MS in Data Analytics in USA, Clark University
  • MS in Project Management in USA, Clark University
  • MS in IT in USA, Clark University
  • MS in Data Analytics & Visualization in USA, Yeshiva University
  • MS in Artificial Intelligence in USA, Yeshiva University
  • MS in Cybersecurity, Yeshiva University

Study Abroad Important Blogs

  • Cost of Study:
  • Cost of Studying in Canada
  • Cost of Studying in Ireland
  • Cost of Studying in Australia
  • Cost of living:
  • Cost of living in UK
  • Cost of living in Australia
  • Cost of living in Germany
  • Cost of living in Ireland
  • Cost of living in Canada
  • Career Opportunities:
  • Career Opportunities in Australia
  • Career Opportunities in Germany
  • Job Opportunities in After MS in Canada
  • Job Opportunities After MBA in Australia
  • Job Opportunities After MS in UK
  • IELTS Exam Resources:
  • Academic IELTS
  • IELTS Band Score
  • IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Slot Booking
  • IELTS Band Score Chart
  • IELTS Score for UK
  • IELTS Score for USA
  • Validity of IELTS Score
  • IELTS Speaking Topics
  • IELTS Reading Tips
  • How to Prepare for IELTS at Home Without Coaching
  • Types of IELTS Exam
  • IELTS Academic vs General
  • IELTS Exam Pattern
  • IELTS Essay
  • IELTS Exam Dates
  • Top Streams:
  • Fashion Designing Courses in Australia
  • Accounting Courses in Canada
  • Management Courses in Canada
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Information Science and Technology
  • Social Issues

Home Essay Samples Education

Essay Samples on Education System

Benefits of blended learning for students: an overview.

As technology continues to transform the landscape of education, innovative approaches such as blended learning have gained prominence in classrooms around the world. Blended learning, a combination of traditional in-person instruction and online learning, offers a versatile and effective way to engage students. This essay...

  • Education System
  • Online vs. Traditional Classes

The Value of Face-to-Face Classes: An Argumentative Exploration of In-Person Learning

The rapid advancement of technology has brought about significant changes in the field of education, including the rise of online and remote learning options. While virtual education has its merits, the value of face-to-face classes remains a cornerstone of effective pedagogy. In this argumentative essay,...

Online Classes or Traditional Classroom: An Argumentative Examination of Learning Formats

The advent of technology has revolutionized education, giving rise to the debate between online classes and traditional classroom settings. While online classes offer flexibility and accessibility, traditional classrooms provide face-to-face interactions and a structured learning environment. In this argumentative essay, we will explore the merits...

Homework Should Be Banned: An Argumentative Examination of the Homework Debate

The topic of whether homework should be banned has long been a subject of heated discussions among educators, parents, and students. While some argue that homework fosters responsibility and reinforces learning, others contend that it places undue stress on students and hinders their well-rounded development....

Educational Diversity: Comparing Co-Ed vs Single-Gender Schools

The debate between co-ed and single-gender schools has long been a topic of discussion in the field of education. Both types of institutions offer unique learning environments with distinct advantages and challenges. This essay explores the differences between co-ed and single-gender schools, considering their impact...

  • Single Sex Schools

Stressed out with your paper?

Consider using writing assistance:

  • 100% unique papers
  • 3 hrs deadline option

Advantages of Face-to-Face Learning: The Power of In-Person Education

Face-to-face learning, also known as traditional classroom education, has been the foundation of the educational system for centuries. While technological advancements have introduced online and remote learning options, face-to-face learning continues to hold its own unique advantages that contribute to effective learning experiences. In this...

Advantages and Disadvantages of Single-Gender Schools: Exploring Educational Choices

The debate over single-gender education has long intrigued educators, parents, and policymakers. Single-gender schools, which separate students based on their gender, offer a distinctive approach to education that comes with its set of advantages and disadvantages. These schools have been praised for their ability to...

Advantages and Disadvantages of Public Schools: A Closer Look at Education for All

Public schools are a cornerstone of education systems around the world, offering education to a diverse range of students regardless of their background. These institutions play a vital role in shaping the academic and personal development of young learners. However, like any educational approach, public...

  • Public School

Advantages and Disadvantages of Private Schools: Navigating Educational Choices

Choosing the right educational institution for a child is a significant decision that profoundly influences their academic and personal development. Private schools have emerged as an alternative to public schools, offering unique approaches to education. However, private schools come with a distinct set of advantages...

Advantages and Disadvantages of Extracurricular Activities: Balancing Enrichment and Commitment

Extracurricular activities play a pivotal role in a student's educational journey, offering opportunities for growth beyond the classroom. These activities, which range from sports and arts to clubs and community service, provide a well-rounded experience that can shape character and foster skills. In this essay,...

  • Extracurricular Activities

Pros And Cons of School Uniforms in Australia

My interest in uniform policy and its implementation in educational institutions was ignited in 2018, as the independent Catholic girls' college, I attended during my high school years, came under scrutiny for abandoning its traditional tartan kilt, and introducing a cooperate-inspired suit, with long trousers,...

  • School Uniform

Philosophy Of Education: Freire And The Banking Concept Of Education

With the rise of technology, education is more attainable than ever before. With websites and platforms to become educated such as YouTube and Khan Academy, a more unconventional approach to learning is on the rise. However, the method in which these mediums educate the masses...

Analysis Of Noam Chomsky's Views And Criticism Of Education

For many, the desire to learn is considered an integral part of being human, and education has long been held as an answer to this fundamental curiosity. Throughout history there have been many different approaches on the best methods of educating others, and in particular,...

  • American Education System
  • Noam Chomsky

Differentiated Instruction Strategies In The Classroom

Accepting the child for who he is In order to accept the child for whom he/she is, the HEP educator must have the capacity to suspend the flaring up of his or her own impulses, issues, and negative reactions. Students are highly skilled at reading...

Analysis Of Two Sociological Ideas "Commodification" & "Emulation"

The first theory that is going to be analyzed is commodification, which was first theorized by Marx. Marx first began to analyze commodification as the inseparability of production and consumption (Dunn 2010:24). Marx believes that production and consumption are two separate entities when it comes...

  • Community Policing

My Intention To Become A Leader In Education

Dear Aaron,I wanted to take a moment and write a letter to you, myself, in the event that you need to remember what you promised to yourself in the closing moments of the Curriculum Leadership class. Remember, Aaron, that you vowed to be a leader...

  • Career Goals

My Experience In Participating Group Project Of My GP Examinations

This year’s Group Project element of my GP examinations was unlike anything I had ever done before. Coming from a country that’s quite traditional when in comes to education, I’m far more accustomed to the “standard” academic practice of studying up the syllabus for the...

  • Personal Experience

Changes And Advancements In Our Education System

‘The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows – Sydney J. Harris,’ yet these days there are just simply screens. Things are changing step by step and moment after moment, everything has created or advanced throughout the years. Education is actually the...

  • Importance of Education

History Of Education In Usa And The Recurring Problems Our Education System Faces Today

The United States is well praised for its higher education systems and diverse institutions across the country. We have been a world of power for many hundred years now, highlighting how great the country is in all aspects including education. The history of education in...

  • Native American

How Education Sector Can Benefit From WebRTC Solution?

Communications (WebRTC) solutions enhance efforts created across various industries. As technology progress and digital transformation, it's the tendency to rework the standard suggests that of interaction. We are seeing this 1st hand within the education business. WebRTC has an enormous half in extending the reach...

  • Digital Communication
  • Digital Era

How Royal Roads University Can Improve Its Sustainability To Increase STARS Rating

Royal Roads University currently has a gold rating in sustainability by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) with a score of 70.03 (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), 2018). To achieve platinum, the university must gain an additional 15.0...

My Desire To Continue Education In Francis Marion University

If there is one thing I have mastered in these four years of intense schooling, it’s how to keep my sanity. I made the mistake of choosing a huge 4-year university to attend, and had up to 120 students in each of my classes. The...

The Integration Of Information And Communication Technology In Education

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become a catchphrase in the contemporary world where every single moment of humanity is monitored and anchored by technology. ICTs have made swift treads for the past three decades by bringing in new dimensions in the fields of transmission...

  • Information Technology
  • Technology in Education

The Need To Change Education System In Light Of Technological Advances

In the video “Build a School in the Cloud” by Sugata Mitra, a professor in New Delhi, Mitra explains that due to recent technological advances it is now necessary more than ever to change our education system. In the past, there were many individuals who...

  • Online Classes

Physical and Mental Health: The Benefits of Health Education for Young Youths

In the 1990’s in the United Sates they were a lot of major health threats that were infectious diseases associated with poor hygiene and poor sanitation. Diseases that were associated with bad nutrition. By motivating students and young youths about the benefits from health education...

  • Health Care Policy
  • Universal Health Care

Best topics on Education System

1. Benefits of Blended Learning for Students: an Overview

2. The Value of Face-to-Face Classes: An Argumentative Exploration of In-Person Learning

3. Online Classes or Traditional Classroom: An Argumentative Examination of Learning Formats

4. Homework Should Be Banned: An Argumentative Examination of the Homework Debate

5. Educational Diversity: Comparing Co-Ed vs Single-Gender Schools

6. Advantages of Face-to-Face Learning: The Power of In-Person Education

7. Advantages and Disadvantages of Single-Gender Schools: Exploring Educational Choices

8. Advantages and Disadvantages of Public Schools: A Closer Look at Education for All

9. Advantages and Disadvantages of Private Schools: Navigating Educational Choices

10. Advantages and Disadvantages of Extracurricular Activities: Balancing Enrichment and Commitment

11. Pros And Cons of School Uniforms in Australia

12. Philosophy Of Education: Freire And The Banking Concept Of Education

13. Analysis Of Noam Chomsky’s Views And Criticism Of Education

14. Differentiated Instruction Strategies In The Classroom

15. Analysis Of Two Sociological Ideas “Commodification” & “Emulation”

  • College Education
  • Honor Codes
  • Academic Challenges
  • Human Development
  • Learning Styles
  • Brigham Young University

Need writing help?

You can always rely on us no matter what type of paper you need

*No hidden charges

100% Unique Essays

Absolutely Confidential

Money Back Guarantee

By clicking “Send Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails

You can also get a UNIQUE essay on this or any other topic

Thank you! We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

A Guide to Writing about Education

Introduction, types of papers, discipline-specific strategies.

Education is a field that bridges anthropology, sociology, psychology, science, and philosophy. When writing about education, you will utilize a myriad of writing styles and formats to address your essay topics.

As an education student, you may be asked to write:

  • journals/field-notes: think of field-notes as the clay for your future thoughts, observations, and ideas; these are informal
  • literature reviews: categorize or conceptualize relevant pieces of literature
  • analysis papers: analyze outside sources to promote your own interpretation of a particular theory or style
  • evaluative essays: look at a particular approach to teaching or theory of learning and discuss strengths and weaknesses
  • narratives present collected data through use of informal methods, imaginary letters to parents, recommendations for school, etc.
  • case studies: present problem, discuss others' thoughts on the issue, describe and analyze data/evidence, and draw conclusions
  • research and lab papers: identify research questions, contextualize the question in the research literature; identify hypotheses, methods of data collection and reduction and analysis; discuss findings.

Here are some suggestions for approaching any education paper:

  • Write about something that interests you Choose topics that will inspire you to delve deeper into research, synthesize new ideas, and spend time writing, revising, and editing. If you have trouble thinking of a topic, review your journal to see what ideas you have already come up with that might be applicable.
  • Read If you're feeling confused about what is expected of you, try reading similar papers. Get together with other students and read each other's papers. Or, ask the professor to suggest some journal articles for you to look at for inspiration.
  • Talk Talk about your paper, your ideas, and your problems. Talk with your professors, your classmates, and your friends. This will allow you to test out new ideas, find a topic you care about, talk through problems, and see where other people stand on your issue.
  • Write a really bad paper It will give you a foundation to build a really great paper. Just be daring and try out radical ideas.
  • Have ideas Make sure that each paper has an argument or an idea that you create. Outside support should be used to support the ideas you develop.
  • Ground ideas in outside information Your ideas should be firmly based in outside literature, field-notes, research, etc. Every idea should have some fact or observation that supports it.
  • Expect to revise Revise once, twice, as many times as needed. Be prepared to rip up a thesis or change your argument if necessary. Revision of grammar, content, and organization is key to an excellent paper. Good writing doesn't happen by magic.
  • Take risks in ideas and in structure If your idea doesn't work out, try something else. Use complex and diverse sentences. Have fun while you're writing!

Additional Site Navigation

Social media links, additional navigation links.

  • Alumni Resources & Events
  • Athletics & Wellness
  • Campus Calendar
  • Parent & Family Resources

Helpful Information

Dining hall hours, next trains to philadelphia, next trico shuttles.

Swarthmore Traditions

Student holds candle at night

How to Plan Your Classes

student speaks with professor

The Swarthmore Bucket List

Students in makeshift boat on creek

Search the website

Home / Essay Samples / Education / Learning / Education System

Education System Essay Examples

Globalization in education: an evolving landscape of learning.

Education Reflection: Essay About Globalization in Education. Since then there are many problems in education that is needed to be addressed it needs action and plans to respond to it. Accordingly now time flies very fast and education is the important thing to be input...

The Impact of Massive Open Online Course in Education

The term MOOC was coined in 2008 by Dave Cornier of the University of Prince Edward Island in response to a course called Connectivism and Connective Knowledge (also known as CCK08) and had emerged as a popular mode of learning by 2012. MOOCs are free...

New Possibilities, Benefits and Drawbacks of Distance Learning

Technology is now globally updated, and education is essential for everyone in the rising technical world. Generations are shifting at present; society is not comfortable without the internet to clarify some of them. Such modifications have pushed educational institutions, along with future technology, to make...

School Rules and Regulations: the Impact of School Discipline

Traditionally, discipline in school administration meant punishment that is pain and fear. To some discipline can connote something negative as obeying orders blindly, kneeling down, doing manual work, fetching firewood and water for teachers and parents, caning and other forms of punishment. Bull associates this...

Educating Our Youth: the Importance of Comprehensive Sex Education

Sex education in America is a very controversial topic due to the many different cultures, religions, and personal beliefs people have. In education about sex in public schools persuasive essay this topic will be discussed. The Federal Government does not regulate or require sex education...

Personal Reflection About Senior High School Journey

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” -Lao Tzu I am a student at Camarines Norte Senior High School taking up a Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) strand. As a Senior High School student, it was a great privilege and one...

Value of Face-to-face Learning: Why It is Essential for Education

In recent years, there has been a growing trend towards online learning, with many students opting for virtual classes over traditional face-to-face instruction. While online learning can offer convenience and flexibility, there are still significant benefits to face-to-face learning that are analysed in the essay...

Face-to-face Learning: Advantages and Disadvantages

To discuss face to face learning advantages and disadvantages, this essay pays more attention to the benefits of schooling, unlike online schooling. In cooperation, faces to face and online tutorial have their own equality. When it comes to choosing a mode of studying, people are...

Finding the Perfect Balance: Crafting My Conducive Learning Environment

It is a significant aspect of a teacher's duty to ensure a safe and supportive learning setting via various means to establish a conducive learning environment.When learners start the course, it is essential to set ground rules. Within this, it's necessary that the learners create...

The Meaning of Education as a Part of Human Nature

This is “The Banking Concept of Education” essay in which the topic of the meaning of education is analysed. We all have experienced different kinds of education as we grow up, some people have the chance to choose their education, some are not. I believe...

Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?

Don’t waste your time and get a professional writer to help!

You may also like

  • Studying Abroad
  • Online Classes
  • College Education
  • Academic Interests
  • Special Education
  • Service Learning Essays
  • Critical Thinking Essays
  • Homework Essays
  • Indian Education Essays
  • College Tuition Essays
  • Library Essays
  • Coaching Essays
  • College Essays
  • Human Development Essays
  • Civil Engineering Essays

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->