US Education Reformational PoliciesJohn Robert HickamAbstract In December 2016, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) – a club of rich nations that promotes democracy and free change – launched the sixth version of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) — a world check of 15-year-olds’ science, analyzing and math skills in seventy two taking part countries including all 35 OECD member countries. It supplied American policy-makers telling clues on how to restoration the country’s school systems. America is trailing its western counterparts, rating thirty first normal at the back of countries such as Russia or Vietnam.

The report’s key finding is that, in developed countries, extra spending does now not reliably lead to higher consequences and educational equality. Rather it is the system of Education itself that drives the success of the nation.INTEGRITY STATEMENT The work that follows is mine alone, unless otherwise quoted or paraphrased with appropriate citations. //s// John Robert Esteves HickamBackground In the decades following World War II, visionary leaders understood that inter- national education was an important pillar of America’s campaign to wage the Cold War and to secure the peace.

They promoted area and foreign-language studies programs and encouraged study abroad to create expertise about a world perceived to be threatening. They also sought to ensure that those who would build the world of the future had opportunities for a U.S. education and for exposure to American values, while simultaneously adopting policies from our allies in the spirit of international unity and the fight against communism. With the end of the Cold War, America turned inward however and some thought that international educational achievements of our allies were no longer important. From today’s perspective, we can see that it is even more important, for three reasons. First, globalization has reached a point where the United States cannot expect to retain its competitive edge if its workforce lacks strong base foundations in a school system that has not been overhauled or majorly changed since our Cold War days. Second, as the Education System has grown, so have the Standardization of Education before College. While our Finish Allies have students separated into academic and vocational tracks during the last three years of high school, with about 50% go into each track. Whereas the US does not believe in a specialized education till 2nd or 3rd year of college. Third and final is the way teachers are paid for their time and services.Policy Proposal Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In mattis dolor vel vulputaterhoncus. Nullam dapibus dolor at risus euismod porttitor. Curabitur faucibus odio sit amet aliquet ultrices. Fusce pulvinar nunc lectus, id laoreet lacus luctus vel. Donec dui metus, ullamcorper a pulvinar at, dignissim sit amet arcu. Quisque vitae sollicitudin felis, ac fermentumpurus. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Nunc id pulvinar nunc. Suspendisse egestas lorem elit, quis pharetra urna consectetur at. Support #1 For years, Finland has been the best in international test scores, becoming a bench mark and standard for educational policy and reform. Now, Finland is completely changing the way it educates its students. Soon enough, Finnish schools will be placing less importance on traditional subjects like math and history, and will instead focus on wider, more multipurpose skills and topics. The goal of this revolutionary change, according to Finnish leaders such as Irmeli Halinen(Head of curriculum development with Finnish National Board of Education), is to provide students with the skills suited for a more technological, globally connected society. Finnish schools will begin revamping their classrooms based on the country’s new National Curriculum Framework. The National Curriculum Framework serves as a template for teachers, and states that for at least a couple of weeks each year, educators use phenomenon-based teaching ” an approach that instead focus’ on wider, more multipurpose skills and topics rather than traditional classes such as math, history, or grammar. Instead of teaching about history or economics, for example, educators could give lessons on the European Union, blending aspects of history and economics, according to The Finish National Agency for Education. Schools and individual school districts will be given some degree of liberty over how they explore this method of teaching. During a press conference shared on the website of the Finnish National Board of Education, Irmeli Halinen, the current head of curriculum development, says that Finnish students will need to keep up with an increasingly technologicaly advancing world with huge sustainability problems. Halinen says that even though Finland sits on top of education they must continue to change the system, the school changes around the world not the other way around. We have to evaluate and revamp everything connected to school. We also have to understand that skills needed in society and professional life have changed and they are changing at a rapid pace.. Later in the address Hailnen notes that in todays changing world, proficiency in a single subject will no longer sustain ones self in an ever changing environment. The core of the new curriculum is based on the learning ideals that positive experiences, both emotional and physical, collaboration based work and student interaction as well as creative activity enhance learning. But beyond adapting our school system how else can the US upgrade it’s Educational quality. Another way is through a greater use of Vocational Education. Vocational education is having a moment in the United States, as President Trump has pushed for more job training programs in schools and the private sector. But these efforts require a shift in thinking about what the process looks like, one that isn’t built solely on pushing students to either a college-bound or vocation-bound track, a longstanding criticism of vocational education efforts in the U.S. One place to look for inspiration may be Finland. The country’s vocational education and training is flexible and open not only to students after they complete nine years of school, but also to adults who are either looking for a career change or want to supplement their skills in a current occupation. Finnish students complete nine years of comprehensive education, and it ends at the age of 16. Following the comprehensive education period, students have a choice: They can continue on an academic track and prepare for university, or they can opt to begin vocational training . Either way, the process takes three years, and both sets of students can, following the completion of their respective tracks, apply for university or enter the workforce. “Today, there are no dead ends within the education system,” the European Center for the Development of Vocational Training wrote in 2016 about the country’s VET efforts. “In the late 1990s, upper secondary VET was placed on an equal footing with general upper secondary education in that the vocational track also provided eligibility for higher education.” The split between academic and vocational students is close. In 2011, 43 percent of students opted for vocational training following the comprehensive education period. Tuition is free to VET programs, as it is with lukio track education; students do cover the cost of the course materials, however.One reason for VET’s success in Finland is the wide range of occupations for which training is offered. For most Americans, the idea of vocational education calls to mind welding, auto repair and cosmetology. Such training is offered in Finland, of course, but other fields, like education, tourism, cooking, social services, gardening and public transit, are also included in Finnish vocational education. Students can gain experience in VET restaurants, salons, bakeries and the like, interacting with customers who receive discounted prices for their willingness to visit and support student-based enterprises.Help for adults and immigrants VET isn’t just for teenagers and young adults deciding what they want to do with their lives, however. VET programs are available to adults as well. These adults may be keeping up with changes in their careers, or they may be looking to change their careers entirely, transitioning from being an electrician to a baker. VET programs can help them achieve those goals. These courses may cost money for adults, between 50 and 60 euros, but many are free of charge.For immigrants, VET services are available, in addition to integration training that provides Finnish or Swedish language classes, cultural knowledge of Finland and career counseling services. Immigrants may even take Finnish language classes while they take vocational classes to help speed along the process of finding employment in the country In a survey conducted by CEDEFOP, (Figure 3 Appendix) approximately 87% of students were happy with the VET training they received.commodo. Nullam nec enim sit amet eros faucibus mollis at posuere est. Quisque vulputate leo eget quam mattis egestas. Aenean iaculis leo a augue posuere, eget tincidunt nisl eleifend. Curabitur sem arcu, egestas eget iaculis interdum, blandit in mauris. Mauris diam nisi, sagittis tincidunt diam et, ullamcorper convallis diam. Fusce tempor, tellus ac condimentum facilisis, urna lorem vehicula velit, et gravida quam purus ut ligula. Nunc nec ipsum ut nisl imperdiet vehicula at ut purus. Maecenas tempus tempus ante eu condimentum. ImplicationsAenean iaculis leo a augue posuere, eget tincidunt nisl eleifend. Curabitur sem arcu,egestas eget iaculis interdum, blandit in mauris. Vivamus dignissim non metus nec suscipit. Ut justo est, tristique dapibus bibendum at, ultricies sit amet leo. Phasellus ut ipsum luctus, fringilla diam non, imperdiet diam. Duis sodales ante sit amet erat scelerisque, id vulputate nisi suscipit. Quisque ultrices velit id nibh volutpat, quis fringilla erat dictum. Proin nunc libero, vulputate non pulvinar eget, commodo eget velit. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Maecenas tincidunt purus ante, molestie volutpat tortor malesuadaAppendix