Students: Karin Roethler, Rafael Nuncio Lappe, Dylan Hunt
In Germany, the educational system differs greatly from that in America; for example, in America everyone is supposed to have equal rights when it comes to public schooling. Certain laws have been put into effect to guarantee this right in America, such as the “No Child Left Behind” Act of 2001. In contrast, the German school system is much more structured towards an elitist system.
Not all children are allowed the same opportunities or advantages in the German educational system. At the fourth grade level, roughly at age eleven, parents are forced to decide the fate of their child’s academic and professional futures. This decision is made by placing the child in one of the following three preparatory schools: Hauptschule, a school which prepares students for careers focused more towards manual labor; Realschule, a school which prepares students for careers in management or office positions; and Gymnasium, a school which prepares top students for a higher education in universities.
During our presentation, we will compare the pedagogy of the German school system to the American school system. We are three separate speakers, and each of us will touch on different aspects of the German school system. Our research will include interviews from German students and teachers, and our presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session. The goal of our presentation is to bring some sense of enlightenment about the German educational system to an American audience. By doing this, we hope to bring awareness to any changes that could possibly be made to better our own academic experience.
Schreiner Achievement Showcase 2013 