Japan’s Standardized Education System

A student transfers from a rural town in northern Japan to a large city. Despite the change in location, the student finds the weekly timetable and required subjects almost identical. Consider how national rules shape this situation and answer the following questions.

In Japan, elementary to high school education is standardized throughout the country by the (1)回答を選択Central Academic CouncilDepartment of State EducationMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and TechnologyNational Curriculum Board.

Students in Japan attend classes (2)回答を選択fivefoursevensix days a week, from Monday to Friday.

Recently, classes have also been added on (3)回答を選択every other Saturdayevery Saturdaythe first Saturday of each monththe last Saturday of each term during the school year.

The national authority determines what subjects students will study and the (4)回答を選択length of summer vacationlocation of classroomsnumber of hourstype of textbooks used in each city required for each subject.

A principal must design a weekly timetable that follows national requirements. In this situation, the school schedules subjects throughout the week in order to (5).

The U.S. School Structure and Daily Schedule

A student moves from one U.S. state to another and notices differences in subject offerings and class frequency. Examine how authority is distributed and how daily schedules are organized.

In the United States, decisions about what students study are made by (6)回答を選択individual teachers onlyinternational education agenciesstates and school districtsthe national Ministry of Education.

Even though students are expected to meet certain academic standards, the kinds of subjects and how often they study them can differ from (7)回答を選択country to country onlyschool to school within one classroomstate to state and city to cityteacher to teacher within one lesson.

A typical student in the U.S. studies all required subjects every day, resulting in (8)回答を選択eight or ninefive or sixsix or seventen or eleven periods of study each day.

Because of this schedule, there are (9)回答を選択breaks after every classno mid-morning breaksonly afternoon breakstwo long mid-morning breaks during the school day.

In large schools, lunch may be scheduled at different times for different students. This arrangement is mainly related to (10)回答を選択national holidaysteacher exchange programsthe size of the schoolweather conditions.

Advanced Placement (AP) and Higher Education

A high school student wants to experience university-level study before graduation and possibly reduce future tuition costs. Consider how certain programs make this possible and how similar ideas might influence university enrollment.

AP stands for (11)回答を選択Academic PreparationAccredited PerformanceAdvanced PlacementApplied Program.

AP courses allow students to experience (12)回答を選択elementary school review classesgraduate research seminarsintroductory-level university coursesvocational training only while still in high school.

By taking AP classes, students can even earn (13)回答を選択creditsdiplomasrecommendation lettersscholarships for university classes.

Japanese universities are facing decreasing (14)回答を選択enrollment ratesgraduation requirementsinternational partnershipslibrary budgets.

If Japan adopts a practice similar to AP, one possible effect would be to (15)回答を選択eliminate entrance examinationsencourage more students to pursue higher educationreduce the number of high schoolsshorten university programs.

Answer the following statements with ◯ or ✗.

1. In Japan, schools independently decide the number of study hours for each subject without national guidance. (16)回答を選択◯✗
2. In the U.S., students often study all of their required subjects every day. (17)回答を選択◯✗
3. AP courses can provide high school students with university credits. (18)回答を選択◯✗
4. Lunch in large U.S. schools is always scheduled at the same time for all students. (19)回答を選択◯✗