US and German Schooling

      In the US, school begins for children at a young-fives or kindergarten school, and elementary school goes until fifth grade. Middle school is usually sixth through eighth grade, and high school is from ninth to twelfth grade. In Germany, it is similar, but not the same. Their elementary schooling is from first through fourth grade. Then they have secondary education, which there are four kinds of schools to choose from. There is Gymnasium, Realschule, Hauptschule, and Gesamtschule. Each school is attended for different amounts of time. Some go from fifth through ninth grade, and others fifth through twelfth. Then there is a vocational school which can be attended, after some of the shorter schools, for usually a year. Each different school prepares the students differently, as the education system is entirely based on intelligence levels. In the united states, after high school, most students will go either to a two-year school, or a four-year school to further their education. In Germany, it is very similar where education can be either at a liberal-arts type school, or a more defined technical school. The advantages of Germany's school system is that they separate students based on academic performance, where they take out the feeling of a student being "left behind". Whereas in America, all the students are together, the smartest of the state, and the less intelligent. However a disadvantage is that it becomes more difficult for a student to break out of the school they are in, and get into a "smarter" school, whereas in America, its not necessarily easy, just easier.

Works Cited

1) http://library.thinkquest.org/26576/schoolpage.htm
2) http://www.expatica.com/de/education/school/The-ABCs-of-the-German-school-system_11321.html?ppager=0