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When referring to education system I assume that means colleges/universities, high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools and the overall system for all aspects of education.
A top 10 would include these countries:
1. Switzerland
2. Netherlands
3. Japan
4. South Korea
5. Singapore
6. Sweden
7. Denmark
8. Finland
9. Germany
10. Norway
A top 17 would also include these countries too:
11. Canada
12. United Kingdom/UK
13. France
14. Australia
15. USA: The Colleges/Universities system is much better than other aspects of the Education system in the USA. However, there are still plenty of good/decent high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools despite plenty of the bad and mediocre ones, so the USA still deserves a rank in the top 17, despite the overall rank being dragged down a bit.
16. Taiwan
17. China: Parts of China have some of the best education systems in the world (For places such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing). However, plenty of other areas of China does not have an education system nearly as good as those best spots in that country so it drags the rank down.
Stats? Yeah, go to the amount of international students at every US university. They are all listed
Actually, the proportion of international students at US universities seems to be somewhat lower than in the UK, considering that the former has less than double the total number of foreign students than the latter (550k vs 300k), but with 6 times the population and, one assumes, an accordingly larger number of institutions.
Western Europe has twice as many international students as North America, as it goes:
But whoever said that the international league tables dont tell the whole story was right - for example, they don't account for America being the world leader in creative technology.
Again we are dealing with blanket statements that, while they might be fun, are usually full of stereotypes, glittering generalities etc. But to get something of substance on the subject I think it is better to treat it on a case by case, subject by subject basis.
Music has always been an avocation for me, a great way to pick up extra money and supplemental income but not the mainstay of a family. Still one needs some study of the subject to make practical use of music as a form of extra income. Here is what I have seen over the years comparing the study of this subject in North America and Europe. The European conservatory system tends to produce excellent classical musicians both soloists and section leaders. However to accomplish this the system, by necessity, must be very tradition bound and there is little room for any broad innovation. It produces. in a word, excellent "specialists". European conservatory trained musicians tend to be less innovative, a bit less adventurous and narrower in scope but extremely precise with less emphasis on improvisation and more on interpretation.
The North American system aims at producing a journeyman who is at home in any situation. This is a person who is trained to be equally at home in a symphony orchestra section or a big band situation, a studio orchestra and several other venues. When call upon to improvise a solo in an ensemble he is ready willing and more than able. When I traveled around Europe I saw that most radio and TV studio bands and orchestras were made up of these "ready for Freddie" types of American trained musicians but the symphony orchestras were mostly lead by European trained section leaders and the majority of chairs were filled by European conservatory trained musicians.
I suppose we could go on and on making these points but I think this is enough for the moment. Needless to say both systems complement each other and I am sure such differences and similarities could be pointed out in many areas besides music.
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Again it depends how you define 'best', what criteria who use to compare...best at what? Getting people jobs, creating well-rounded individuals, stuffing their heads with the most info? Giving them the skills to be most capable?
At the tertiary level obviously the US and UK stand out - partly because English is seen as the global language of prestige. Some universities in non-English speaking countries stand out like the Sorbonne or Tokyo University, but I wonder how much of their classes are taught in English?
For me, the idea of studying in a language other than English - which I'd have to learn - sounds ludicrous.
Again it depends how you define 'best', what criteria who use to compare...best at what? Getting people jobs, creating well-rounded individuals, stuffing their heads with the most info? Giving them the skills to be most capable?
At the tertiary level obviously the US and UK stand out - partly because English is seen as the global language of prestige. Some universities in non-English speaking countries stand out like the Sorbonne or Tokyo University, but I wonder how much of their classes are taught in English?
For me, the idea of studying in a language other than English - which I'd have to learn - sounds ludicrous.
As far as I know, why would they be? The universities are not in English (and their identities) and switch to English, why would they? When in Rome....
And learning other languages makes one smarter by enhancing the brain's grey matter and being able to solve problems easier, are more empathetic and understanding of other cultures, and the vocabulary REALLY increases! I really think that is part of our educational "problem" here in the states by not mandating early learning of a second language and to where there is mastery (reading literature and talking in a REAL exchange) when in high school. I think if we approached this like most European educational systems, we may not be a apathetic towards learning itself.
Again it depends how you define 'best', what criteria who use to compare...best at what? Getting people jobs, creating well-rounded individuals, stuffing their heads with the most info? Giving them the skills to be most capable?
At the tertiary level obviously the US and UK stand out - partly because English is seen as the global language of prestige. Some universities in non-English speaking countries stand out like the Sorbonne or Tokyo University, but I wonder how much of their classes are taught in English?
For me, the idea of studying in a language other than English - which I'd have to learn - sounds ludicrous.
Like I have said before too many people are stuck on the B word. It is at best a juvenile expression best suited for the play-ground at recess. The Best is at best a totally subjective and false concept that rarely if ever applies to situations as expressed here.
In this moment in history English is the international language because the US holds the upper hand economically. The UK does not figure into the equation in any other manner than it is now flying on the coat-tails of the US economic domination of world finance, markets etc. Australian, New Zealand and South Africa just happen to speak English as their national or primary language. They are relatively unimportant in the great scheme of things.
For you the idea of studying in another language is ludicrous. Poor choice of words but WTH . This indicates you are fluent in no other language. But it is ludicrous for YOU not a billion and a half Chinese or over a half a billion Spanish speakers. a language that BTW has recently passed English as the second most spoken language in the world after Chinese. It is projected to pass English as the most studied foreign language in the world within the next 50 years according to many. Remember to apply FOLR ME to these statements you make that are simply personal opinion.
Would a Japanese study math in English...ridiculous waste of time and that should be obvious.
Of course the University of Tokyo gives classes in English...in the English and American literature and language department. Harvard and Cambridge also give courses in Chinese to advanced students of that language. Even in your country I had a Japanese Lit professor at TUE that gave courses at some university in Japanese.
Latin was spoken through-out the Western world 2000 years ago because Rome was the power to be reckoned with today it is the US and English and tomorrow who knows.
Would a Japanese study math in English...ridiculous waste of time and that should be obvious.
That isn't true. Science and research have been international for many years, and as the (currently) undisputed universal language, English is the lingua franca of science. A scienctist who doesn't know English - and not only "general" English, but the specific English terminology in his field of study as well - is useless. He isn't able to read results from other countries, isn't able to discuss with scientist from other countries, and so forth.
So it isn't a waste of time to have courses in English, but indeed extremely important - in fact, in a lot of non-English-speaking countries in Europe, Master's lectures in (natural) sciences are held almost exclusively in English.
That isn't true. Science and research have been international for many years, and as the (currently) undisputed universal language, English is the lingua franca of science. A scienctist who doesn't know English - and not only "general" English, but the specific English terminology in his field of study as well - is useless. He isn't able to read results from other countries, isn't able to discuss with scientist from other countries, and so forth.
So it isn't a waste of time to have courses in English, but indeed extremely important - in fact, in a lot of non-English-speaking countries in Europe, Master's lectures in (natural) sciences are held almost exclusively in English.
You miss the point. Try doing just some basically advanced math in the foreign language you have learned. Then let me know just how frustrating that can be. Or better yet ask a master mathematician if it would be practical to solve math problems in any language except your own native language.
If a Chinese mathematician interprets a problem form another language he transforms the formulas into his own language. Papers may be written in English and the Japanese or Burmese mathematician will read them in English but unless he is totally bi-lingual he'll interpret the numerical aspects in his own language.
Well, seeing as everyone around the world wants to come to USA to study...
I think the question proposed has to be more specific as to what they are measuring.
Many wealthy people the world over send their kids to top tier American schools, but that does not mean that our general education for our own people is all that good.
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