Critical Thinking. A disappearing talent.

Can education in various countries be reformed to get us smarter?

Over the past few months, I have been writing a lot about education. From comparing how my daughter and my style of learning were different yet achieving the same result to a discussion with my young self, education has always been an important part of my upbringing coming from a family of educators. Supporting entrepreneurs, I also focus a lot on EduTech trying to find the next idea that will change the way we learn (and yes some AI may sneak in there once in a while)

And despite not being a native speaker, I always try to improve my English both by writing and speaking in the most natural way (including accents) which for me is the closest to being bilingual.

Yet, it’s been disheartening to see the level of “dumbery” displayed on social media. From people claiming to be “pure Americans” yet not able to spell any word with more than 3 syllables (or less sometimes) properly, to people having a poor level of critical thinking and jumping into argumentative mode without being able to sustain logically the argument. So of course, it launched into very animated discussions with friends. Putting aside political differences, it was interesting to have to re-calibrate some perceived truths. One point repeated by two friends was that the US education system is one of the best in the world. Their proof was the number of Nobel Prizes affiliated to US Universities.

I had the delicate task to inform them that “since 2010, there have been 28 foreign-born U.S. winners. Since 1901, there have been 148 were foreign born individuals who either immigrated permanently to the United States or were at a U.S. institution of higher learning at the time they received the award. These 148 individuals account for 16 percent of all Nobel Laureates.” (Source: Institute for Immigration Research)

But if you bring that back to the number of immigrants, it is 40+% of all US Nobel Prizes. This doesn’t include recipients who were naturalized US citizen before receiving their Nobel.

What? Yes, you can scream now.

So, the US college level may be great but it is highly fueled by people educated outside of the US. What about the K-12 system? As my kids went through the American public-school system, I have to say I have been more than once left wondering.

Let me elaborate a bit. The educational systems of France and the USA have some significant differences in terms of structure, curriculum, grading, and cultural approach.

These may not be flagrant at first or if you have not been exposed to both but let me tell you, these differences are very impactful.

1. Structure and Organization:

• France: The French education system is centralized and follows a strict hierarchy. It is divided into three main levels: primary education (école primaire/middle school), secondary education (college/junior high), and upper secondary education (lycée/high school). Students are required to choose a specialized track after middle school, leading to either academic or vocational paths. Mine was economics because I failed a math class. Yet, I graduated top in the country in maths applied to economics. But my original dream to pursue sciences was shut down because of one class.

• USA: The American education system is decentralized, with authority largely resting in individual states and school districts. It consists of elementary school, middle school (or junior high), high school, and then higher education (college or university). The curriculum is typically more flexible, and students can choose a variety of subjects. I can see my kids being able to semi-custom their curriculum in high-school. This is probably more inspirational for sure.

2. Specialization and Breadth:

• France: In the French system, students are required to choose a specific academic track after middle school, which can limit their exposure to a wide range of subjects. This early specialization prepares students for specific career paths or higher education options. Again, this is where my career as a pilot was crushed. But c’est la vie.

• USA: The American system emphasizes a broader education. Students typically study a variety of subjects throughout their years in high school, and specialization often occurs at the college or university level. This can provide students with more flexibility in their career choices.

3. Grading and Assessment:

• France: The French grading system often uses a scale of 0 to 20, with 10 being a passing grade. Grading can be strict, and a grade of 20 is rarely given. The system also places a significant emphasis on standardized exams, such as the Baccalauréat (Bac), which determines access to higher education. This is the most common frustration for anyone moving to the US and trying to get a degree equivalency. My postgraduate landing in the 13+/20 which is excellent. Yet, it looked like a C- or D+ in the US system which is not good. But for French standard, it was closer to the top than the bottom. I was able to extract myself from the “expected median knowledge”.

• USA: The American system generally uses a letter grading scale, such as A, B, C, D, and F (Fail). GPA (Grade Point Average) is a common way to quantify a student's overall performance. Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT are important for college admissions but may not be as all-encompassing as the French Bac.

4. University Admissions:

• France: University admissions are often determined by the results of the Bac and additional competitive exams for certain programs (engineering schools or top business schools for example). Admission is typically based on academic performance and test scores. However, most students can register in any public university in sections that aligned with their majors in High-School. Mine was economics so I picked economics/finance. There may not be the same drastic upfront selection process which happens in the US, but I will always remember a professor in my 1^st year of college telling everyone on our 1st day in his class: “Watch your neighbors on the left and right, you won’t see them next year”. The failure rate for his class was 66% and he was proud to maintain it. Fun fact, I knew it was not going to be a good year for me as I was sitting by a window.

• USA: University admissions consider a combination of factors, including high school GPA, standardized test scores (SAT or ACT), recommendation letters, extracurricular activities, and personal essays. The application process is often more holistic. Yet, the final determination of where to attend is also quite obscure. As we were waiting for my daughter to receive her acceptance letters few years back,  it was complete incomprehension on my part as to why she couldn’t go where she wanted by default. Or what were the criteria for a rejection? Admission officers should have a transparent process, yet, it’s unclear.

5. Tertiary Education:

• France: Higher education in France is largely publicly funded, and universities often have a centralized curriculum. Students choose their major upon entering university and follow a structured program. So for everyone still reading, my total student debts when I graduated with a postgraduate from La Sorbonne was about $5,000 which was paid promptly within my first year of collecting a paycheck.

• USA: Higher education in the US includes both public and private institutions. There is a greater emphasis on individual choice and customization of the curriculum, allowing students to explore different subjects before declaring a major. And a lot of area for abuse in cost and pushing degrees with little IRL values. And the student loans racketing is quite impressive. Like everything in the US, education is business not a betterment for society. And that is a pity.

6. Cultural Approach:

• France: The French system values academic excellence and often places a strong emphasis on theoretical knowledge. There can be a more formal and structured approach to education. But see the “negative reinforcement” part.

• USA: The American system tends or used to tend to emphasize critical thinking, creativity, and practical application of knowledge. It encourages students to engage in extracurricular activities and pursue a well-rounded education. This is where I am wondering if most of the “pure Americans” display their lack of critical thinking or education. They may have not gotten the opportunity to go to college. As one of my professors said during my last year of postgrad, “you must realize that you are surrounded by peers who all have the same level of education than you do and that you are probably just 1% of the total population. Remember to have patience with everyone else”. What a wise director of research.

It's important to note that while these differences are generally observed, there can be variations within each country's educational system due to factors like regional policies, cultural norms, and individual school practices. But in a nutshell, this reflects quite well the 2 systems I have been intimately observing or being part of.

So clearly, at college level, the dumbery should be washed out (take that greek life). So does it happen earlier? At the K-12 level? In France, the law is clear. You must go to school until you are 16. That you pass or fail, you will be in school. In the US, there is a similar approach but when talking about high-school drop-out, it is always weird. In France, without that magic high-school degree, even if you don’t go to college, you will not be considered well.

Comparing test results between France and the USA at the high school level can be complex due to differences in the education systems, grading scales, and standardized tests used in each country.

1. Grading Scales:

• See previous point #3.

2. Standardized Tests:

• See previous point #4.

3. Test Content and Purpose:

• France: The Bac covers a wide range of subjects, including mathematics, literature, science, social studies, and languages. The Bac's purpose is not only to assess subject knowledge but also to determine a student's eligibility for higher education.

• USA: The SAT and ACT cover English, math, reading, and science reasoning. While they assess subject knowledge, they also measure critical thinking and reasoning abilities. These tests play a significant role in college admissions.

4. Scoring and Interpretation:

• France: The Bac is scored on a scale of 0 to 20, with each subject having its own coefficient that affects the final score. The cumulative score determines a student's overall performance level.

• USA: The SAT is scored on a scale of 400 to 1600 (combining math and evidence-based reading and writing), while the ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36 (averaging the four section scores). The scores are used by colleges to evaluate a student's readiness for higher education.

5. High-Stakes Nature:

• France: The Bac is a high-stakes exam, and a student's performance on this exam significantly impacts their opportunities for higher education and future careers. The Bac is your sesame to almost everything in French culture, workplace.

• USA: While the SAT and ACT are also high-stakes tests for college admissions, the overall college application often includes other components like GPA, extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendation letters. Yet, colleges and universities are moving away from the critical role of the SAT or ACT score.

Yet, what is the number of graduates each year?

United States: In the United States, the number of high school graduates varies from year to year. On average, around 3.5 to 3.7 million students graduate from high school each year. This number can be influenced by factors such as birth rates, population growth, and education policies. That’s about 1% of the total US population.

France: In France, the number of students who graduate from high school, specifically the Baccalauréat (Bac), also varies annually. As of pre-pandemic times, the number was around 600,000 to 700,000 students who took the Bac exams each year. That’s about 0.96% of the French population.

So this means about the same percentage of the population will graduate every year with an high-school degree. Then where does it become acceptable to say that people who do not complete high-school or go to college have a tendency to be more influenceable by social media and demagogy, the political activity or practices that seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument?

This is where I am still trying to figure it out. Because in France even if you don’t complete your High-School degree or you go to a trade school, the level of critical thinking is still present. Don’t get me wrong, we do have a level of dumbery for sure, but the vast majority is able to analyze from a neutral point of view what’s happening around them.

And it’s not because a small higher percentage graduate in France, it’s because we are also raised differently.

The whole education system in France is not about building your individuality but about fitting in society. There is always the joke I crack up with friends and my kids. In France, we are raised with negative reinforcement.

You see, French professors and teachers are not shy in putting you down, in letting you know you are an idiot and won’t amount to much in your future life. There was even an ads series about a kid designing cutlery (and the most famous brand in France) being scaffolded by his professors for being a nobody. Having a 0/20 grade is sometimes a badge of honor.

We don’t get positive reinforcement like in the US. We don’t get a medal or a ribbon for participation or for trying. So everything we look at is through this lens of negativity. It forces us to find the positive in things. So if something doesn’t go our way, it’s not a big deal. We can handle it. If something gets better results than expected, we become suspiscious. We will question it for the sake of being the “devil’s advocate” which is the core of French argumentative spirit but that is to better analyze critically a problem.

This is the foundation of critical thinking and unfortunately, the US elementary system is failing the kids in developing it. And parents too.

It is visible especially right after high school if you look at enrollment for Community Colleges. US English speaking kids are the ones who didn’t get an acceptance to a major colleges or universities and took the 2 years track to being able to transfer later.

Meanwhile, you also have the non-US born, non-english speakers who also takes similar classes. The differences between the US-Born English Speaking students and the Foreign students are astonishing.

When you observe the level of motivation, the capacity to tackle a topic or problem, the effort put in writing that English essay, you will notice that despite all obstacles stacked against them, the foreign students have a tendency to do better than the US students.

This seems to indicate that the issue is at the K-12 level. So instead of banning content from curriculum for political gain, instead of lowering the standards, what about creating a semi-centralized unified system and increase the funding and pay for teachers so we get a stable educative base.

United States (High School Diploma):

• Approximate number of graduates: 3.5 to 3.7 million

• Total high school enrollment: Around 15 to 16 million (estimated)

• Percentage of graduates: 23.2% (Number of graduates / Total enrollment) * 100

France (Baccalauréat):

• Approximate number of exam takers: 600,000 to 700,000

• Total high school enrollment: Around 2.5 million (estimated)

• Percentage of exam takers: 26% (Number of exam takers / Total enrollment) * 100

For the most accurate and current percentages, you would need to access official education statistics from the respective countries' education departments or ministries.

So over many years working in the US anchored in my French education, it has been pretty consistent that French are great generalists or theorists while Americans are great specialists or planners. However, over time, I gradually incorporated the US way into my career. This makes me dangerous in a good way as I can shift from a core competency to another by putting my mind to it from the level of theory to the practical implementation. Any topics. Would that make me a top expert in a specific field, maybe not but it put me back into the small percentage of people able to talk about the topic with solid data and knowledge.

But this just based on my first hand experience, it would be interesting to expand this perception to more countries. Please put your thoughts or experience in the comments section. It may inspire another post or get you a guest interview. And for your comments, remember, it’s always in a non argumentative way.