Elise Zarcaro Elementary Education EDU 357

Purpose To explore foreign curriculum in order to broaden my future as a teacher. Images From:

History of Education in Kenya  In 1967 Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania formed the East African Community.  The East African Community has a similar education system to that of Britian.  Children attend primary school from the age of 6-7 until the age of 13 after they have taken the Certificate of Primary Education.

School Life in Kenya  85.1% of the population can read and write. (90.6%- Male and 79.7% Female)  The first year of school is known as Standard 1 etc.  School starts in January and ends in November with three vacations (April, August, and December).  In 2003, public education became free.

The International School of Kenya Elementary School Day  About 180 days of school  Classes typically start around 8:30 am and ends around 3:20pm.  School is divided in to two semesters and four quarters. Students get a progress report at the end of each quarter.

The International School of Kenya Elementary School Day  Students learn about Art, Computer, Physical Education (including swimming), Music, Library, Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.  Kindergarten to grade 3 students learn Kiswahili and grades 4 and 5 choose between French and Spanish.

Projects “Education for Marginalized Children in Kenya [was] started in 2004 and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the project helps to prepare primary school children for the transition to elementary grades and has promoted quality learning and teaching in particularly poor regions of Kenya. It also increases parent involvement, builds educational resources, and makes education accessible to the most vulnerable children in society, including special needs students.” (Partnership In Action)

Projects A fifth grade class raises money to help build a school. Students and families collected spare change in a jar in the classroom of a Snohomish school in Seattle. The final $85.00 was enough to purchase 275 bricks that put up two seven foot tall walls. The students learned to reach out to others and to small gestures can go a long way.

How My Major Might Help As a teacher we are always looking to further our knowledge of other educational systems around the world. Someday I may teach in a foreign country or my class could do something like the Snohomish school did.

References  Africa: Kenya. (n.d.). The World Factbook. Retrieved October 16, 2011, from world-factbook/geos/ke.html  Education for Children, Kenya | PartnershipsInAction. (n.d.). PartnershipsInAction. Retrieved October 17, 2011, from  Education in Kenya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved October 17, 2011, from  Elementary School Program: International School of Kenya, Nairobi. (n.d.). International School of Kenya, Nairobi. Retrieved October 16, 2011, from  Snohomish elementary students raise money to help build a school in Kenya | HeraldNet.com - Local news. (n.d.). Everett and Snohomish County news from The Herald | HeraldNet.com. Retrieved October 17, 2011, from