International Education Presentation:

The Education of South Korea

Jacqueline Smith, Terrence Veal, Angela Williams, and Kimberly Mcdonald

EDL/510: Teacher Leadership in a Global SocietyMay 21, 2012

Stephanie Moreno

The Education of South Korea

The South Korean educational system has maintained a top-notch reputation among other nations in the world. With 97% of students graduating high school, and with a rank of 2nd place in math on the PISA exam, it is clear why education in South Korea has such a reputation (USA Today, 2008). In the following, South Korea’s educational system will be explored in more detail including information about the following areas: Education History K-12 Schools English Language Instruction College/ University Political Involvement in Education Education in South

Korea Today Teachers and Administrators

Educational History South Korean education is viewed as being crucial for success and competition is

consequently very heated and fierce.

The level of educational achievement in South Korea has become widely known, and South Korean students have recently achieved the highest mean scores in science and math in the International Assessment of Educational Progress.

81% of middle and high schools forbid relationships among students.

South Korea schools have a strong tendency to neglect physical education due to the over-competitive nature of classroom-based education.

Political InvolvementSouth Korea still has issues with North Korea after the Korean war.

This contributed South Korea’s confrontational stance against North Korea in the education field

The National Intelligence Service was criticized for the search and seizure of a civilian think tank

This incident was carried out through a warrant to investigate an alleged South Korean spy who followed an instruction from North Korean with a purpose of instigating a university student

Rallies to stop the on-going tuition hike in South Korea

Teachers and School Administrators

Recruited from the top third percent of college graduates

Receive higher pay for teachers and administrators

Guaranteed a teaching position for life

Paid for rigorous training and professional development

Kindergarten and Elementary School

Students (Grades K-6)From ages 3-12 years

CurriculumMinistry of Education and the national curriculum Academic Standards and Benchmarks

School Year Two Semesters: March–July & August-Febraury

Secondary School and UniversityCurriculum

Ministry of Education and the National CurriculumAcademic Standards and Benchmarks

ExamsEnd of Year High School ExamsCollege Exams

ConcentrationMath and Science

English Language EducationThe English Language is the most popular foreign language in South

Korea

15 trillion won (15.8 billion dollars) is spent on English Learning per year

Most start learning English from middle or elementary School.

The South Korean government has a policy in place called the English Language Education (ELE)

South Korean Education Today

Today, education remains the guiding principle of South Korean society, from affluent city dwellers to the poorest villagers.

93% of all students graduate from high school on time

An experienced secondary-school teacher makes almost 25% more than a comparable American teacher, according to OECD data

Conclusion

Throughout its troubled past, South Korea has become one of the top academic

performing countries in the world. One of its main focus is to close the gap

between the advantage and disadvantage students. The educational system

supports creativity and emphasizes the use of technology throughout

classrooms. South Korea recognizes teachers and administrators as

professionals who deserve high levels of respect. The high school drop-out rate

is the lowest in the world with a 97% graduation rate. South Korea continues to

stride to make its educational system the best in the world. Failure is not an

option and should not be a component in any educational system.

References

Center On International Education Benchmarking. (2012) Retrieved from: http://www.ncee.org/programs-affiliates/center-on-international- education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/south-korea-overview/south-korea-teacher-and-principal-quality

Diem, R., Levy, T. & Vansickle, R. (2012). South Korean education. Asia Today. Retrived from:http://asiasociety.org/education/learning-world/south- korean-education

Kim Eun-gyong The Korea Times. History of English Education in Korea April 2, 2010. Retrieved on May 19, 2012 from

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2012/05/181_21843.html

Lynch, D.J. (2008) USA could learn from South Korean Schools. USA Today. Retrieved from: http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2008-11-18-korea-education-usa_N.htm

Sorensen. C. W.(1994). Success and Education in South Korea, Comparative Education Review, Vol 38 no.1 ‘South Korea’s education success’( http//. News.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk-

news/education/4240668.stm) BBC News,13 September 2005 Accessed 3 July 2009

Wikipedia. (2012). Education in South Korea. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_South_Korea