Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) #1

Mrs. Benz agreed to partner with me and provide questions that I could answer while I was in Japan. I thought the students did such a nice job that I felt I should provide responses as soon as possible. It is my hope that these questions will lead our students, staff and community members into even more complex and relevant questions. I will post these questions in stages and I would entertain even more questions in the comments sections. I will do my best to find answers as quickly and accurately as possible.

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What is the Japanese school system like?

Their school system is very much like ours. The Japanese school is set up in a 6-3-3 format. They have an elementary school for six years, middle school for three years, and high school for three years. Compulsory (i.e. mandatory) education is for nine years, so students can drop out after 9 years although nearly all students attend high school. Students start at age six. These are all very similar to our educational system.

In the United States, we have the Department of Education that governs education at the federal (national) level and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) that does it at the state level. In Japan, they have the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) that governs education.

However, there are also some ways in which our systems differ. For example, when you enter the first year of middle school (what we would call 7th grade) is called the 1st grade of Middle School. 10th grade is the 1st grade of High School. The school year is also structured somewhat differently.

The Japanese have three terms: 1st Term goes from April through late July, 2nd Term is September through late December, and 3rd Term runs from January through late March.

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I will add more on schools (i.e. curriculum, technology, etc.) as I get to Tokyo and Miniamisoma and have a chance to tour and visit with educators and students. As I stated previously, if you have specific questions, please leave them in the comments section.