These videos could be quite entertaining, although it is important not to forget that only the people with “the not so sharp-witted” answers are shown. The video creator(s) would have easily chosen not to broadcast the ones with the correct or “smart” answers. The United States population is over 330 million, so for sure the people we see in the videos do not represent the whole American population. It is also essential to keep in mind that sometimes people get so embarrassed in front of a camera and they stop thinking straight. Furthermore, there is a high possibility that such answers could be given by people anywhere in the world. Smart and well-educated people exist in each and every country, and the same goes for uneducated people. 

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THE CHANGING SCHOOL CURRICULUM​

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   In order to figure out the possible source of the stereotype regarding American’s stupidity, it seems required to analyze changes to school curricula because they provide the general guidelines about educational matters. It is important to bear in mind that due to federalism the educational sector can vary across the different states. Nevertheless, a general trend could be detected concerning altering curricula and their consequences. In order to cover the most important modifications this examination starts after the end of the second world war and the beginning of the cold war. According to Bechtel (1970, 364 f.) but also Kalaidis (2013), especially the competition with the Soviet Union after world war 2 led to a rethinking and consequently reshaping of the national curriculum. Based on the apparent inadequacy concerning specifically technical knowledge in contrast to the USSR, those alterations were focused mostly on science, mathematics and languages and only to a lesser degree on social studies. 

   However, already in the 1960s a conference on social studies curriculum revision implemented reforms addressing globalizing the social studies syllabus by putting a greater emphasis on Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Furthermore, social studies should include the fields of history, geography, political science but also psychology, sociology, anthropology, as well as economics (Bechtel 1970, 364). Nonetheless, a report by the U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education in 1983 called “A Nation at Risk”, included many voices of researchers that pointed out their concerns regarding the declining knowledge in connection to economics as well as history and geography. Specifically, the prospect of China, Japan or Germany outdoing the United States in economic performances, was regarded as a serious threat to the United States to reform their education system (1983). Interestingly about this report is that the main motivation for the plea seemed to be almost exclusively based on economic considerations. The significance of social science or the humanities are also briefly mentioned as crucial to “enrich daily life, help maintain civility, and develop a sense of community” (U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education 1983), but it seem to be more of a marginal note than an actual important aspect in the report for the plea of a reformation. As stated by Waks in his Essay on the impact of globalization on the curriculum, he concludes that the report “A Nation at Risk” had disappointing results because most of the requests were not implemented into practice. According to Waks schools still tend to teach subjects in sequences without a link between the different materials and information and in a way that is unconnected to the real world (2003, 369).  

   In relation to this aspect, David Saxe describes that around the change of the millennium, education in the United States moved away from content knowledge more towards real-life skills. History and geography became especially marginalized within the social studies. As Saxe points out that if a subject does not “pass the test of social utility” (2003) it is regarded as less important of value for the educational system and can be reduced in its amount. Apparently, social studies are one of the subjects that failed the utility test based on the assumption that in particular history cannot offer knowledge for contemporary problems (Saxe 2003). In line with Saxe, also Stephen Thornton argues that social studies are repeatedly seen as irrelevant to contemporary living and therefore should not take up/ hold too much of the scarce space in school syllabi (2008, 21). 

   Another major shift in the school curriculum was conducted by former president George W. Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) legislation in 2001. With the intention of addressing the growing gap of performances between students coming from an affluent and those from a low-income background, standardized tests were institutionalized to determine how well students performed in reading and math. As a consequence, the test results would define the amount of federal funding schools receive afterwards. Schools with overall rather weak performances, hence received less federal funding, in contrast to schools with better test scores (Kalaidis 2013). This procedure led to two severe outcomes. On the one hand, the obvious effect of such a policy was only the increasing gap between students from low-income backgrounds and more privileged students. Schools that produced poorer results are generally in greater need of financial support to enhance the educational objects and aims. On the other hand, the rather concealed influence of this legislation was a greater focus on the subjects English (reading skills) and math, which is why most schools cut short subjects that seemed less significant for the purpose of attaining federal funding, including religious education, art class, as well as social studies (Kalaidis 2013). As reported by the National Center for Education Statistics, the taught number of social studies’ hours has decreased since the 1990s whereas the hours for English and math have increased at the same time (NCES 2007). As stated by Green in her New York Times article “DeVos’s Hard Line on New Education Law Surprises States”, under the NCLB law, schools are regarded as failure if not all students meet annual achievement aims. This also includes people of different racial or ethnic groups and students with disabilities. By the end of this legislation more than half of all American schools were considered failures (Green 2017). In 2015 the Obama administration implemented the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA) which succeeds the NCLB legislation. The new law gives more authority back to the states and districts and minimizes the influence of the federal government in elementary and secondary education. Standardized tests are still a requirement but less influential than before. The focus on English and math continues to be the main concern in those new standardized tests that have to be taken annually from the third to eighth grade and once again in high school in junior year (Nelson 2015).

   Taking into account the aspects mentioned, it is less surprising that especially historical or geographical knowledge, which is taught through social studies, is often a base for criticism in the American school curriculum. As a report by the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools in partnership with the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics at the University of Pennsylvania found out, students effectively being taught social studies are more likely to understand public issues and participate in civic activities. Furthermore, they are more likely to vote and discuss politics at home with friends or family (2011). Considering the fact that active participation plays a key role in every democracy, it seems rather puzzling why the school curriculum does not put greater emphasis on social studies in relation to its importance.  

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CASE STUDY: SOCIAL STUDIES

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  Apart from the stereotype that Americans are stupid because of their alleged poor education system, another crucial aspect is the approach of teaching specific subjects. As highlighted above, a stronger focus in the American school curriculum seems to be on language and math. Social studies, in contrast, often face a lot of criticism not merely based on its shortages but more importantly considering what is taught exactly and how it is taught. 

   A report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) informed that a majority of teachers feel rather ill prepared to teach difficult historical elements such as the slave trade or the assimilation of Native Americans (2018, 29 ff.). Often teachers say that their preferred method of teaching e.g., about the slave trade is by using simulations. Nevertheless, several studies concluded that simulating traumatic experiences are less effective for learning and can negatively influence vulnerable children (SPLC 2018, 11). Moreover, most teachers seem to fail to connect American history with the lasting impact of enslavement, by teaching events in isolation. The report further points out that in elementary school students learn about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad before they even learn about slavery itself. In high school a great emphasis is on Frederick Douglass but the impact of slave labor on the nation building process is barely taken into account, which highlights a focus on feel-good stories that avoid the unpleasant parts of the past (SPLC 2018, 10). According to Thornton, due to the important function of social studies in unifying the country and establishing a unified national narrative, certain topics are excluded and even censored in order to strengthen American nationalism and patriotism. As reported by the author, this for example includes the Iraq war which often does not appear in the school syllabus (2008, 19). In line with Thornton, also Romanowski indicates that teaching social studies is not only concerned with teaching facts and skills, but moreover, the choice of what specifically is included and what is excluded from the program, as well as how broadly events are taught, play an important part. In this regard not only the teacher but also textbook publishers are accountable for the way in which information is presented to students. Several newspaper articles (see Wang 2015, Strauss 2014, Romanowski) underlined the fact that although a lot of textbooks are found to be problematic, these are still approved, printed, and distributed. The Texas Freedom Network (TFN), a nonpartisan grassroot movement, conducted a survey for which ten scholars from different universities reviewed textbooks for social studies. One prominent example was published by McGraw-Hill Education in their textbook United States Government, including the wording “The Atlantic Slave Trade between 1500s and 1800s brought millions of workers from Africa to the southern United States to work on agricultural plantations.” Simply calling enslaved people “workers” downplays the tremendous cruelty this policy implemented. The phrasing neither stresses the compulsory enforcement, nor does it imply the hardships and treatment of the African people in the United States after their arrival. Although the publisher admitted not having properly covered this part of American history, then changed the online version of the textbook, many more misrepresentations of historical events in textbooks were found. Romanowski summarized that rhetoric can support a particular understanding of history. Also, Frances FitzGerald underlines the fact that what sticks in memory is often not facts but an impression or atmosphere which is even more influential because most people cannot recall the information that created this impression or opinion (FitzGerald 1979, 18). 

   Considering the notions mentioned, it becomes less astonishing that according to the SPLC report of 2018, only a small minority of 8% of all more than thousand participating students knew the actual reason for the civil war and why the south seceded from the union (24). 

   On the whole, it seems as if one of the main problems derive from the ill preparation of teachers, as well as textbooks. Teachers often choose inadequate methods of dealing with troubling issues and complain that they are restricted in the opportunities to address specific parts of American history (see Heim 2019). Possibly, the fact that social studies comprise history, geography, economics, political science, as well as psychology, sociology, anthropology, makes it more difficult to understand the rather neglectful treatment of the subject. Combining various subjects that are interdependent in real life appears to be a useful approach but only when given enough space in the already “scarce space of school programs” (Thornton 2008, 21). 

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EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES

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Many individuals and articles in the US look down upon the education offered in their country, and they say that the US is doing worse than its other first world countries. As a sample, let us have a look at a Pew Research regarding the topic, the article states that:

 

American students lag their peers in many other countries in academic achievement and foreign language education. U.S. 15-year-olds ranked 38th out of 71 countries in math and 24th in science in 2015, according to a cross-national test known as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Among 35 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. ranked 30th in math and 19th in science. (A.W. Geiger 2018)

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The same article mentions that there is an obvious difference between European and American students “when it comes to foreign language education. A median of 92% of European primary and secondary students are learning a foreign language in school, compared with just 20% of K-12 students in the U.S.” Nonetheless, this could be owing to the fact that English is considered the international language of the world, and maybe several Americans are so content with their lives in the U.S.A., so they don’t have the urge to learn foreign languages or go abroad. This perhaps is not the ideal thing to do, but it could be a valid and understandable reason. For a more in-depth analysis of this apect, see this article.

   An article by The Atlantic notes that “American teens, spend far more time on sports than they do on their studies. At least that’s how international students see it, according to a report . . . from the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.” Again, these are mere opinions, and not facts. One more thing that is known about American students or Americans in general is that they are not readers. A research done by Pew (2015) tackles the issue, and it turns out that “among all Americans, the average (mean) number of books read in the previous year was 12 and the median (midpoint) number of books read was four. Some 27% of adults said they hadn’t read any books over the past year, while 1% said they did not know or refused to answer.” The study also reveals that the higher the education the more are people likely to read, “the typical college graduate or someone with an advanced degree read an average of 17 books in the previous year, compared with nine for high school grads and three for those who did not graduate from high school” (Perrin 2015). The level of education is not the only factor that plays a role in defining the number of books read, but income has to do with it too. “Adults whose annual household income is $30,000 or less are more likely than those living in households earning $75,000 or more a year to be non-book readers (36% vs. 14%).” (Perrin 2019) Different things that are to blame for the “poor” education in the US as stated in some articles is the government, and in turn they blame teachers as well, so of course that includes the educational system. Jay Mathews (2018) in the Washington Post writes that “‘The 2015 federal Every Student Succeeds Act’ has given states more power, which in this case is bad. Local politicians tend to dumb down standards so test scores aren't too low.” The same article reports that the Common Core is supposed to construct a basis of knowledge that will help students be better readers. Mathews (2018) then states that “Fifty-six percent of English language arts teachers said ‘building students' general knowledge’ is not getting enough attention. Forty-six percent said the materials provided to boost content do ‘a poor job.’ Thirty-two percent said the number of students gaining the necessary background knowledge has dropped.” Despite these claims, the students in the US have good results in the PISA reading section, which we will talk about in an upcoming section. Thus, this means that the Common Core is apparently serving its purpose. As mentioned previously, teachers are not out of blame and in an article written by George Leef (2013), “the ed schools have a lot to do with [it].” Additionally, the article says that: 

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The trouble with colleges of education, where most American teachers receive their training (although that’s hardly an apt description) has been known for a long time. Back in 1991, Rita Kramer’s book Ed School Follies: The Miseducation of America’s Teachers showed that our ed schools were giving the country a steady stream of intellectually mediocre teachers who had been steeped in dubious educational theories, but often knew little about the subject matter they were to teach. 

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   The writer of the article adds on to say that no serious change could occur, since “they are protected by state licensing laws that make it very hard for public school officials to hire anyone who doesn’t have the obligatory credentials. In short, the ed schools have a guaranteed market and are shielded from competition.” Moving on to the educational system, it is blamed by some to add more stress to students’ lives, and that it has longer hours than other countries. For instance, “in the United States, students go to school for extended periods of time, sometimes coming home from a regular school day as late at 4 or 5pm. Lunches are scheduled into the day as a regular feature, and many students arrive so early that they eat their breakfasts at school.” (GAC Foundation) The same website contrasts schools in the US and Germany, students in Germany finish school at 1pm which allows them to have some time for themselves (to meet their friends, rest and enjoy their time with their families), but at the same time they have an intense homework load to do “... often taking two or more hours each day to complete. Students have to structure homework time into their afternoons to ensure they do well in school.” As for the stress and anxiety, this issue is not only found in the US, but studies show that it is common all around the globe. As reported by WHO, “an estimated 10-20% of adolescents globally experience mental health conditions, yet these remain underdiagnosed and undertreated.” A different survey by WHO, which examined Mental disorders among college students, concluded that mental disorders are common among students who go to college, “one-fifth (20.3%) of college students had 12-month DSM-IV/CIDI disorders; 83.1% of these cases had pre-matriculation onsets.” Other points that prove that students in the US are quite as satisfied as students elsewhere, are PISA results. The 2018 results show that students in Germany (67%) are slightly more satisfied with their lives than students in the US (61%) of students in the US. 

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COMPARISON BETWEEN US AND GERMANY​

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Let us start with illiteracy in both countries. “[...] 21% of adults in the U.S.  are either completely illiterate or functionally illiterate” (World Literacy Foundation). This percentage is higher than the one in Germany. “[...] Literacy advocates [in Germany] say some nine percent of the population is unable to read and write beyond a third-grade level.” (Jefferson 2016) 

Most students in the US and in Germany go to public schools. In the US “private schools account for 25 percent of the nation's schools and enroll 10 percent of all PK-12 students.” (Capenet 2021) In Germany, “nearly 8.4 million kids went to school during the 2016-17 school year; 750,600 students, or 9 percent, went to private schools rather than state schools.” (Deutsche Welle 2018)

Upper secondary attainment is high in the US and in Germany. “For the first time, the percentage of the American population age 25 and older that completed high school or higher levels of education reached 90 percent in 2017” (Schmidt 2020). As for Germany, it “has one of the highest levels of upper secondary attainment: 86% of the country’s 25–64-year-olds have obtained at least an upper secondary qualification (compared to the OECD average of 75%)” (OECD 2014). In the same OECD report we can find that “the percentage of today's young people expected to graduate from upper secondary school during their lifetimes (95%) is one of the three highest among OECD and partner countries with available data (the OECD average is 84%)”. The number of people with a bachelor’s degree in both countries is increasing. In the United states, “from 2010 to 2019, the percentage of people age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher jumped from 29.9% to 36.0%” (Census 2020). The number of people with a university degree in the German job market continued to increase and reached 9.2 million in 2017. (Bundesagentur für Arbeit 2019, 5) What is more is that the number of students in the 2018/19 winter semester was 2.9 million, and this never happened before. (Bundesagentur für Arbeit 2019, 5)

   In the US having a bachelor’s degree can open up more job opportunities or affect the salary, but people can still find a job without it. “35 percent of the job openings will require at least a bachelor’s degree, 30 percent of the job openings will require some college or an associate’s degree and 36 percent of the job openings will not require education beyond high school” (George Town University 2020) Similarly, in Germany having a bachelor degree is not the only option in order to get a job, “[...] and a large proportion of students follow a vocational track.” (OECD 2014). “[...] a general degree (mostly Abitur) is dedicated to further education and not to direct entry in the labour market” (OECD 2014). In Germany like in many other countries, having a higher degree means getting a higher salary. “In 2012, German workers with lower secondary education earned 84% of what their peers with an upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education earned, still significantly above the OECD average of 76%.” (OECD 2014)

Teachers’ salary depends on the state and on the teacher’s experience, in the US and in Germany. Generally, a teacher’s salary in Germany ranges between 3100 and 4650 euros, not only does the state and the years of experience affect this, but being a primary or secondary school teacher has an effect on that as well (Academics 2017). As for the US, the average yearly salary is $58,950 (National Center for Education Statistics 2017).

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PISA RESULTS

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The latest PISA results show that the ranks between the US and Germany in reading and science are quite close. “Students in the United States performed above the OECD average in reading (505 score points) and science (502) [...]” (OECD US 2019). Students in the US scored better in reading than students in Germany (498 score points), and German students scored slightly better in science (503) (OECD DEU 2019). However, students in the US scored “below the OECD average in mathematics (478)” (OECD US 2019), and there was a noticeable difference between their results in math and the results of students in Germany (500) (OECD DEU 2019). One of the reasons why students in the US achieved better scores in the reading section, may be due to the fact that “83% of students in the United States (OECD average: 74%) agreed or strongly agreed that their teacher shows enjoyment in teaching”, as for in Germany 72% of the students agreed on that (OECD 2019). “In most countries and economies, . . . students scored higher in reading when they perceived their teacher as more enthusiastic, especially when students said their teachers are interested in the subject” (OECD 2019)

   “[Generally,] scores [in the United states] were similar to those of students in Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom in at least two of these three subjects. The trend lines of [the] United States’ mean performance in reading since 2000, mathematics since 2003 and science since 2006 are stable, with no significant improvement or decline.” (OECD US 2019)

   Let us have a quick look on PISA results from 2009 till 2015. First, in 2009, the overall reading scale in the US (500) was higher than the one in Germany (497). That was not the case regarding math and science; Germany got higher results in science (520) than the US (502), and the same applies in math, Germany (513) and the US (487) (OECD 2010). As for the 2012 results, Germany surpassed the US in all the sections (OECD 2014). In the reading section German students scored (508), and Americans (498). In science, both Americans and German students improved their results in comparison to 2009: Germany (524), US (497). In math, Germany got a somewhat better result (514) than in 2009, but the US regressed (481). As stated by OECD (2018), the 2015 PISA results show that the performance of the American and the German students declined in all the sections, however Germany still got an overall better score. The results were as follow: In the U.S.A science 496, reading 497, math 470, and in Germany 509 science, 509 reading and 506 math. 

 

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CONCLUSION

 

It may be true that there are some negative things or problems in the US, and it may also be true that the educational system in the US is not perfect. However, these two points are valid for most countries if not for all of them without exception. It is beneficial to point out the issues which are found in a country or in a society, and it is also essential to admit them because living in denial will not change anything. Therefore, if we want to see change, we should really start talking about the things that are no longer working out, and we should also start considering the use of constructive criticism in order to be able to find valid solutions. We as humans should learn to think more critically and to try as much as possible to let go of judgement. For instance, when hearing about any stereotype about any country, it is crucial to critically think about the matter and to research more about the topic while looking for different opinions from various sides. This will allow us to construct a clearer image, thus to reach better conclusions and greater alterations. Every stereotype has building blocks that support it, but it is definitely not true that all Americans are stupid. The US has a huge population, and at the same time the US has many highly ranked university, numerous great thinkers, and countless innovations. 

   Finally, if we want to see a betterment in education in the US or all over the globe, maybe the first adjustment, that we must consider in education is dealing with standardized test differently. It is true that such tests can give us an overview about the level of education in a certain school or in a certain country, but at the same time we have to keep in mind, that we cannot dismiss the reality that standardized test do not take into account the individuality of each student, and his/her background or needs. These factors have a huge impact on the formation of any human being, this is why we should give them at least a minimum of attention, and in order to fulfill each student’s needs, people in charge maybe need to start considering the concept of equity instead of equality. 

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