German economy in Free universities in Germany

In a fair comparison, one might note the huge drag on the German economy that the free universities have. Students can stay in school practically forever sucking up tax dollars and providing no economic value. In America, for the most part education is about giving someone enough knowledge to make a living and then putting that person to work. It is an entirely different mentality that you are not attempting to understand.
In summary, you seem to be greatly oversimplifying all these issues with the intent of putting down the United States rather than trying to come to any sort of understanding. Of course there are problems with the US, especially its current short-sighted foreign policy, but it is not the straw man that you make it out to be.

European Schools score better on tests then USA

Education also receives a bad reputation in the United States because, the United States does not filter its students. In many countries in Europe and Asia, the low performing students are put on a technical track and removed from the main system of education. Therefore their statistics do not include the low performing students while US statistics do include those students because no separate technical path is available in most places. (Personally, I think that we should have more technical options, but not having one is logically skewing the statistics.) Granted, there are some very low performing areas in the United States — Houston city schools come to mind — but the issues are more complex than “European Schools score better on tests.” Also, you fail to mention merit based scholarships when comparing the costs of Universities. In a fair comparison, one might note the huge drag on the German economy that the free universities have. Students can stay in school practically forever sucking up tax dollars and providing no economic value.

Political and cultural news in European media

Media and News - The media in United States is very short sighted and excludes the rest of the world which it considers as an amusement park. The political and cultural news about the world is often negatively biased from an American point of view to suit ‘Americanised’ tastes. Sex and sexuality is either commoditised in an obsessively unhealthy way or vilified, making it to look as a dirty and evil act. In contrast, political and cultural news in European media is much more worldly and inclusive. News media tend to present facts rather than biased opinions; sex and sexuality is shown in a positive and healthy light as compared to the US.

Quality of public education in United States

The quality of public education in United States is much lower than that of Europe, in fact it is lower than many developing third world countries. US High School students are much less aware of the world history and politics, have lower mathematical and scientific skills, possess lower reasoning and judgement capabilities than European students of the same age. Universities are prohibitively expensive, the better the university, the more expensive it is. Students are often immersed on a lifelong burden of debt or get wiped out of all savings for an average college degree which costs a fraction in European countries or is free as in case of countries like Germany.

Street crimes in USA & internal political differences

Diversity - United States, despite petty internal political differences is very uniform and homogeneous to an outsider. The culture (or lack of it) is same, the food is same, the language is same and the arts and style are similar. In Europe language, art, food, culture and politics are widely varied which might be overwhelming for an outsider but makes things interesting. A person visiting Scotland on a pleasure trip won’t feel like he could have done visiting England while a person visiting New Jersey and Virginia as a tourist would almost feel both are same states (except the differences in street crimes).

Cancellation of a doctor’s license in USA

In the United States it is common for a hospital to refuse to treat a critically ill patient if they are not insured or are not US citizens. In Europe such a concept is considered ancient and uncivilised. In the US, doctors sometimes refuse to treat or prescribe the right options to a patient if the doctor’s religious beliefs go against what is medically best for the patient. It happens most often in cases of abortion, birth control and treating homosexuals where the doctors’ medical ethics conflict with their religious beliefs. Such an act in Europe would lead to cancellation of a doctor’s license to practice for violation of the Hippocratic Oath.

Comparison of living standards in Europe and USA

This is another installment of a series called America, to discuss why the US is so often at odds with the rest of the world. Both Europe and the United States have a large economy, political stability and strong military might. What differs is the lifestyle and politics in these two demographic regions. Here follows a brief comparison of living standards in Europe and USA on the basis of healthcare, multiculturalism, education and media awareness.

Study of languages in European education system

I would actually divide Continental European education system and Emglish-speaking ones. The former includes France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Benelux, Switzerland, Austria Scandinavia and maybe other countries too. It seems that in Britain, the US or Australia, students have to choose subjects, while others (like English) are compulsory. In Cont. Europe everybody must learn all primary subjects (their native language, maths, sciences, history, geography, physical edducation...) and usually several foreign languages. In my school, everybody had to choose between 2 and 4 languages among 6 (incl. Latin and Ancient Greek). I had 3, because I had also a lot of sciences and maths and couldn't take more. In my school at least, students could choose to add hours in mandatory subjects. There are lots of optional subjects such as economy, sociology, psychology, religion, etc.

Continental European education system

Sorry Iron Chef, but Non-British European secondary school (highschool) exchange students who go and study to the States to learn English, as did lot's of my friends (I went to Australia and Germany) all say that an American 12th grade student learn the same as most European 9th graders, especially in maths or sciences. I would actually divide Continental European education system and Emglish-speaking ones. The former includes France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Benelux, Switzerland, Austria Scandinavia and maybe other countries too. It seems that in Britain, the US or Australia, students have to choose subjects, while others (like English) are compulsory. In Cont. Europe everybody must learn all primary subjects (their native language, maths, sciences, history, geography, physical edducation...) and usually several foreign languages. In my school, everybody had to choose between 2 and 4 languages among 6 (incl. Latin and Ancient Greek). I had 3, because I had also a lot of sciences and maths and couldn't take more. In my school at least, students could choose to add hours in mandatory subjects. There are lots of optional subjects such as economy, sociology, psychology, religion, etc.

European schooling system & learning of foreign languages

When I was in Australia, everyone had to choose 3 or 4 subjects for each of the last 2 grades/forms. As it was possible to choose just Phys.Ed., Drama, Outdoor activities and Arts, with English being obligatory, it means that these highschool students who have no maths, no sciences, no history, no geography and no foreign languages at all. Is that also possible in the States ? What's more, as each subject only accounted for 5h/week, so the total school time was a mere 20 to 25h/week, against 30 to 35h in general in most of Europe, I believe (I'd like to hear other voices from my European compatriots on this).But European schooling system only got 60% in my rating because I think we should start everything about 3 years earlier than it is now. When I entered kindergarten at 3, I thought I was going to learn to read and write, but was bitterly disappointed (and bored as a consequence). I longed for history and sciences classes since I was 6 or 7, but didn't get any till age 10 ! Maybe it's just me, but I have always found school to be so slow and basic compared to my real needs.

Medical professionals in Canada

Some of the extra money spent in the United States goes to doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. According to health data collected by the OECD, average income for physicians in the United States in 1996 was nearly twice that for physicians in Canada.
Canada has fewer doctors per capita than the United States. In the U.S, there were 2.4 doctors per 1,000 people in 2005; in Canada, there were 2.2. Some doctors leave Canada to pursue career goals or higher pay in the U.S., though significant numbers of physicians from countries such as India, Pakistan and South Africa immigrate to practice in Canada. Many Canadian physicians and new medical graduates also go to the U.S. for post-graduate training in medical residencies. As it is a much larger market, new and cutting-edge sub-specialties are more widely available in the U.S. as opposed to Canada. However, statistics published in 2005 by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), show that, for the first time since 1969 (the period for which data are available), more physicians returned to Canada than moved abroad.

Canadian/Ontario vs US Elementary Education

The chance to live in a new country and experience its culture is a great experience for most families. However, after the initial excitement wears off, the basic question of finding the right place to live in your new assignment starts to take precedence. One of the most important factors in moving a family tends to be finding the right school for the children. With a Canadian ex-pat move, the choice seems less daunting, as there are no language barriers and few cultural differences to overcome. Many companies pay for private education as part of a Canadian ex-pat package, but some don’t, due to Canada’s similar cultural experience and same language.

Disappointing experience with elementary education in USA

After our move to Oakville, ON , we have had multiple reinforcements that our disappointing experience with elementary education in Ontario is not dissimilar to other US ex-Pats utilizing the Ontario Public Schools. Also, we have been told by multiple Ontario teachers, who taught in the US, that the Elementary program here is weaker, especially in Math. We have learned that many of the Private schools use a curriculum more typical in the US and to do so, utilize the text books for a higher Ontario grade..ie: the Grade 6 private school children use the Grade 7 Ontario Math public school text book. From our findings, the Ontario private schools offer a curriculum that is greatly enriched from the Ontario public schools and more inline with the expectations of American schools we have experienced.

Disappointment with Oakville Public Schools

Our disappointment with the less advanced curriculum in Oakville Public Schools has been great. Obviously every family and every child is different and may not have the exact same experience that our children had. However, we are certain that the public school education we encountered in Oakville would not prepare them for the next higher grade in a US public school without additional support and instruction. After our move to Oakville, ON , we have had multiple reinforcements that our disappointing experience with elementary education in Ontario is not dissimilar to other US ex-Pats utilizing the Ontario Public Schools. Also, we have been told by multiple Ontario teachers, who taught in the US, that the Elementary program here is weaker, especially in Math. We have learned that many of the Private schools use a curriculum more typical in the US and to do so, utilize the text books for a higher Ontario grade..ie: the Grade 6 private school children use the Grade 7 Ontario Math public school text book. From our findings, the Ontario private schools offer a curriculum that is greatly enriched from the Ontario public schools and more inline with the expectations of American schools we have experienced. As a result of what we learned, we decided to make the very difficult decision to move our children to a Private School in Ontario to finish their education while we are here. This was not an easy choice, but one, we are certain will be to their benefit in the long-run.

How we Chose Oakville and our Specific Public School

We chose to live in the town of Oakville, a highly regarded, highly recommended and upscale community, as the first step, in trying to make the Public Schools work. Oakville (pop. 170,000), is part of the Halton School District, which serves four towns and 51,000 students. The Halton School District, and especially Oakville is recognized for being one of the strongest school systems in Ontario. In a 2006 EQAO ranking of the entire Ontario Province, the Halton Catholic Board ranked 5th out of 72 School Boards in the entire Ontario Province. The Halton Public Board ranked 23rd.Once we decided on the town of Oakville, we took numerous steps to try to determine that we were going into one of the better Oakville schools, as Oakville has over 150 elementary schools, most being JK-8. We reviewed standardized testing scores (EQAO’s) from the Oakville schools and considered only homes in school zones that scored in the top quartile of Oakville schools. In the end, we chose to use the Catholic Schools that served the area of town we had chosen to live in. Our children spent the 2007-08 school year at Mother Teresa School in Oakville. It was apparent within the first month that the Ontario Curriculum is approximately one to 1 ½ years behind the Michigan curriculum and the school we came from. Though our children found the school to be generally warm and welcoming, though they made friends and were comfortable in the school, the academics were a repeat of their prior years in the US. This surprising discovery led us to dig deeper into a comparison of the Ontario schools and ultimately to pull them out and put them into a Private School we felt better matched the US education/curriculum.

Why we Initially Chose Public Schools

Many companies (approximately 70%) pay for ex-pats to utilize private schools in Canada. However, some do not. We decided to try the Ontario public system because:

1. Our company did not offer tuition re-imbursement and Private schools are an expensive investment for 3 children

2. We could find no objective information comparing Ontario vs. US elementary school quality though we checked extensively on the Web, with the US Embassy and with our company’s HR department, etc.

3. We assumed, incorrectly, that Canadian schools were at least as good and might even be better than US schools.

4. Our US teachers evaluated the printed Ontario Curriculum for Grades 6, 7 & 8, and due to the generalized descriptions, felt the Ontario Schools were adequate, though different. (Unfortunately, we didn’t review the Grade K-5 Curriculum which is done below and shows the issues we encountered.)

5. We consulted as many people as we could find who had some experience with Canadian schools but most were Canadians who couldn’t provide adequate comparisons

Why we Initially Chose Public Schools

Many companies (approximately 70%) pay for ex-pats to utilize private schools in Canada. However, some do not. We decided to try the Ontario public system because:

1. Our company did not offer tuition re-imbursement and Private schools are an expensive investment for 3 children

2. We could find no objective information comparing Ontario vs. US elementary school quality though we checked extensively on the Web, with the US Embassy and with our company’s HR department, etc.

3. We assumed, incorrectly, that Canadian schools were at least as good and might even be better than US schools.

4. Our US teachers evaluated the printed Ontario Curriculum for Grades 6, 7 & 8, and due to the generalized descriptions, felt the Ontario Schools were adequate, though different. (Unfortunately, we didn’t review the Grade K-5 Curriculum which is done below and shows the issues we encountered.)

5. We consulted as many people as we could find who had some experience with Canadian schools but most were Canadians who couldn’t provide adequate comparisons