Incorporating Socialist Educational Practices within a Democratic Society: A Comparison of the United States and Cuba's Education Systems

The U.S.'s education system has been in a state of crisis for decades. Reform attempts addressed with each administration, such as "A Nation at Risk" during the Reagan campaign, "No Child Left Behind" during the Bush administration, and the most recent, Obama's "Race to the Top" initiative, elucidate America's struggles in academic equity (Martin & Lazaro, 2011). According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2018), the United States' ranking falls short of international achievement (the highest ranking 17 out of 39 in the area of reading, and the abysmal ranking of 32 out of 39 for math), despite boasting the number one ranking for gross domestic product (GDP; World Bank, 2017). The disparity between finances and achievement contradicts expectations, especially when compared to nations such as Cuba, an economically disadvantaged society that maintains high levels of academic performance. The assumption that a financially stable society should have the funds necessary to use research to promote academic success, in addition to funding the changes necessary to achieve them warrants further investigation into how a nation such as the United States falls short in comparison. Two overarching questions guided the authors of this article: (1) How does Cuba achieve superior performance with limited means while the United States struggles scholastically; and (2) How can the United States implement the Cuban practices to bolster academic achievement?