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Countries worldwide are seeking new ways to advance and strengthen their economies by
investing in the education of their youth. The 20th and 21st centuries have been a vital time for innovation, growth, and change. Many of these developments rely on a nation's ability to cultivate and develop a skilled, adaptable, and efficient workforce. The future of these economies depends on the younger generation, making education systems an integral part of the economy. Investing in education is a way a nation can ensure economic stability and long-term growth for years to come, so countries should prioritize investing in education to allow the nation to progress and have the capacity to compete on an international scale.
Countries that prioritize and develop policies about money, structure, and education can ensure a future for innovative thinkers and problem solvers. This is especially evident in developed countries, such as Singapore and the United States, which have access to resources and the means to invest in their education infrastructure. Singapore has a structured, organized, and centralized government. The country invests heavily in the education system. Professor Song Kong Lee states that in the 2015 national budget $12.1 billion was dedicated to education (New Zealand Centre for Political Research, 2017). Lee also states that since 2007, Singapore has been known to have the highest PISA test scores around the world and is classified as having one of the best education systems in the world (New Zealand Centre for Political Research, 2017). While the U.S may invest more money in its education system, its approach towards the curriculum structure and teacher preparation is weak, which differentiates the outcomes for both
education systems. STEM subjects, particularly math and science, are extremely valuable because many developed and developing countries rely on new developments in research, science, and mathematics.
In this paper the PISA will be the main method of comparison for the United States and Singapore. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international test administered for 15-year-old students in math, reading, and science. 81 countries participate in this international exam every three years. The purpose of this test is to test science, reading, and math comprehension for students, and the test tests the students ability to for problem solving, which are core principles in STEM education. The United States is also considered a developed country and invests just as much as Singapore in its education system, yet it underperforms not only Singapore but also the international average for PISA test scores. This raises questions about how national policies and curriculum structures impact student academic success, particularly in subjects that foster economic growth, such as STEM fields.
Education systems' overall goal is to educate and provide students with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills to help them in the future. STEM subjects specifically target these skills. According to the European Journal of STEM research, STEM subjects have proven to enhance critical thinking, decision-making, and analytical skills (Yaki 2022). While all countries are trying to find new ways to progress their economies, a strong academic understanding of STEM subjects will help advance their economy significantly and ensure a prosperous future. Countries that fail to implement and efficiently plan effective STEM curricula risk an efficient government in the future.
As AI and various technologies continue to spread globally, countries' innovative thinkers will be crucial for expansion. STEM subjects help foster problem-solving and creativity dramatically compared to other core subjects. Countries that fail to develop their curriculum to improve their innovative and problem-solving skills risk falling behind economically.
Although many countries recognize the importance of STEM subjects in their curricula, the degree to which these countries invest in their education systems differs. Singapore’s STEM-based curriculum preparation for high school students provides students with a stronger academic foundation and critical thinking skills, as demonstrated by the international standardized test PISA, compared to the U.S., due to its strong teacher preparation and its greater emphasis on STEM curriculum. This paper aims to compare Singapore’s STEM-based curriculum with the United States' curriculum, identifying specific aspects and details within Singapore's curriculum that contribute to its superior performance, with the goal of informing potential improvements.
What classifies a good curriculum?
To understand why Singapore’s curriculum outperforms the United States, we must first
define what constitutes an effective curriculum. Curricula are designed to provide knowledge and educate novices in a specific area, deepening their understanding and equipping them with the skills necessary to progress in the real world. Students constantly learn during the school day whether it was inside the classroom or outside the classroom. The International Bureau of Education has stated that there are four main areas when defining a curriculum’s quality: focus on learning and learners in the curriculum, the content and delivery of the curriculum, documentation of the curriculum, and curriculum development processes, including monitoring
and evaluation (Stabback et al. 2011). Stabback, Male, and Georgescu emphasize the idea that the content and delivery of the curriculum are extremely important. This also coincides with what Stabback, Male, and Georgescu have to say about a curriculum.
In an article from Simon Fraser University, it confirms that the curriculum's overall goal should be to prepare children for innovative thinking and prepare them for the future (Fraser 1978). Fraser mentions that the idea of curriculum spread around most of the world around the 1800s, but new problems started to arise, such as methodologies and structure for the curriculum (Fraser 1978). This shows that even back in the day, scholars and individuals learned that it is not only the material that matters, but also the methods in which they are taught and how they are structured that play a significant role in student development and understanding.
According to the International Bureau of Education, a curriculum should be structured in a way that each subject syllabus contains appropriate cross-references to similar content in others, and provides guidance to schools about how this cross-referenced material can be integrated (Stabback et al. 2011). In a research paper about curriculum theory, Michael Young says that curriculum development is the work of curriculum specialists. These curriculum specialists analyze and develop curriculum using a critical and normative role (Young, 2013). According to the authors, a curriculum should be inclusive, future-oriented, have new teacher roles, and have differentiation (Stabback et al. 2011). Inclusivity, the authors emphasize the idea of not discriminating against others based on race, gender, or any other factors. Students should be considered equals, and the curriculum should cater to their diverse needs. The two most important factors that the authors stated that most authors who write about curriculum agree on are that curricula should be future-oriented and have new teacher roles. This has been a prevalent
topic within all articles written about efficient curriculum preparation. All articles have emphasized that the content is just as important as the delivery.
This also raises questions about whether rigorous curricula are more efficient than less rigorous curricula. According to a survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates in August of 2005, almost 90% of high school students stated that they would work harder if more was expected of them, and less than 33% said their school set high academic expectations. The survey demonstrated that most students would favor ideas that “might add some hassle to their life, such as more rigorous graduation standards and additional high-stakes testing” (Associated Press, 2005, para. 2). This study shows that academic rigor is extremely important. Even students themselves believe it is crucial for academic understanding. They would be more successful if they were expected to perform better, which would help them in the future and enhance their educational knowledge.
Singapore’s STEM-based curriculum:
Now that we have defined what an effective and strong curriculum looks like, we can
discuss and analyze how Singapore’s STEM curriculum enables students to outperform the international average and what aspects contribute to its success. Singapore is considered a developed country with an annual 5.0% growth (Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore, 2024). The Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore also states that GDP growth for the year was mainly driven by the wholesale trade, finance & insurance, and manufacturing sectors. In particular, the electronics cluster of the manufacturing sector and the machinery, equipment & supplies segment of the wholesale trade sector grew robustly on account of the upturn in the global electronics cycle (Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore, 2024). This is important
because it demonstrates that Singapore's top-performing industry is its technology and STEM subject-based industry, highlighting the importance of mastery in STEM subjects to its economy. The growing demand of people in this field continuously increases, thus further increasing the need for STEM excellence with their students, starting from a young age.
According to the Discovery Institute, Singapore requires its students to attend school for 200 days a year and 6 hours each day (Nelson, 2020). Additionally, when you compare this system to the U.S, Nelson also notes that a Singapore student, upon graduation, will have received more than one full year of education than a typical American student (Nelson, 2020). The school days in the U.S typically are around 7-8 hours every day. Singapore employs shorter days and more days of school to allow students to process more information while not becoming burnt out.
While Singapore allocates more time for learning, its structure and expectations are set up to put a lot of pressure on its students. Singapore implements standardized testing to varying degrees, placing significant pressure on students at a young age. The United States, on the other hand, does not place as large of an emphasis compared to Singapore for standardized testing.. Each state is allowed to administer its own test, but almost all states require their students to take the SAT and ACT in high school. There are no mandatory and prevalent tests recorded among all states during a student’s elementary or middle school years. However, many states do have their own standardized test starting from grades as young as kindergarten, but the trajectory of the students’ education is not determined solely based on this score.
Singapore on the other hand has a different approach. They require their students to take The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is an annual national examination that is taken
by candidates at the end of their final year of primary school education, in Singapore (Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board). PSLE is taken by all primary six students, who are typically between the ages of 11 and 12, toward the end of their primary school education. Test takers are assessed in four subject areas: English Language (EL), a Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics, and Science. The PSLE test scores are used to “certify the level of achievement of students in each subject; determine the secondary school stream for students; and post students to secondary schools based on merit” (Tan et al., 2008, p. 115). This puts a lot of pressure on Primary 6 students because, to some extent, the results of this exam determine what the rest of their life may look like and it determines which schools they are eligible for throughout the country.
Another issue is the government's interference with Singapore’s education system. It states that the Singapore government centralizes policy control and infrastructures to create an efficient system, making high-quality public education available to all under the Compulsory Education Act 2000 (Brookings, 2023). This article shows that the government spends a lot of time and has a lot of control over the education system in Singapore, which allows it to maintain a strict and practical curriculum, contributing to Singapore’s success.
Diving deeper into their curriculum, as previously stated, Singapore prioritizes its STEM subjects, mainly since most of the nation’s economic development relies on STEM-related fields. According to Learning Environments Research, STEM education is best learned when it is integrated into all aspects of life that allow students to draw and make connections (Learning Environments Research, 2023). Learning Environments Research authors discuss the different factors that influence STEM education understanding and enjoyment. One factor that is
commonly noted towards aspects that make up a good curriculum is teacher training and teacher relationships. The Learning Environments Research Authors state that this scale is particularly focused on the teacher’s tolerance for student behavior within the classroom, with students indicating that they did not like large amounts of freedom within this area. They suggested that their teachers didn’t allow misbehavior within their classroom, and they were able to expand on this reasoning further within the focus groups (Learning Environments Research 2023). This method coincides with Singapore’s focus on teaching. Singapore has many different requirements before teachers are allowed to begin their academic journey.
Singapore’s Teacher Preparation
To establish an effective curriculum, two aspects are crucial: the content and the methods
for delivery. Singapore employs extensive teacher preparation and requirements that differentiate it from other countries to maximize success with its students. Professor Sing Kong Lee states that Singapore’s education system is relatively small, with about 450,000 school-going students educated in a system with roughly 369 schools staffed by a teaching workforce of around 33,000 teachers (Lee, 2017). This means that for every teacher, there are around 13-14 students, which is considered a low teacher-to-student ratio. This ratio is lower than the international average. According to the Global Conference of Contemporary Issues in Education, the average class size at the lower secondary level is 23. There are countries like Finland, Iceland, and the UK with class sizes of 19 and lower, while Turkey, Korea, and China have class sizes of 28, 34, and even 54 (Koc and Celik, 2014). They argue that smaller classes provide a better teaching and learning environment (Koc and Celik, 2014). Singapore adopts this strategy, and its class average is
significantly smaller than the national average, which demonstrates its priority to have its students have a strong student-teacher relationship.
Singapore not only prioritizes student-teacher relationships, but its requirements for teachers are also significantly stricter than those in the United States. Singapore not only prioritizes student-teacher relationships, but its requirements for teachers are also considerably more stringent than the U.S. teacher requirements. According to the Journal of Curriculum Studies, a nation’s educational success depends on the quality of its teachers (Ro, 2020). In the PISA test results, Japan, Singapore, and many other countries perform well above the international average, especially in the STEM areas. This is because the countries tend to have smaller student-teacher ratios, and teachers are also required to go through an extensive amount of training. Ro also states that teaching candidates are typically drawn from the top third of the student cohort. They receive comprehensive training in subject mastery, curriculum development, technology and student management and communication skills, with abundant opportunities for practice and reflection at the National Institute of Education (NIE), the nation’s sole institution for teacher education (Ro, 2020). Employed teachers are entitled to 100 hours of professional development per year (Ro, 2020). Additionally, the article states that individual teacher performance is assessed annually according to the professional standards encompassing various components of the job, such as teaching competence, pastoral care for students, service to the school, and professional learning. Based on the appraisal results, individual teachers receive additional compensation or support (Ro, 2020).
The Singapore Ministry of Education outlines Singapore’s teacher prerequisites and the objectives they must complete to teach successfully, but this document does not specify the
duration of their training. According to the Singapore Ministry of Education, teachers first acquire their bachelor's degree and then complete the two-year-long diploma in education (DipED) (Ministry of Education, 2025). To obtain a DipEd, one would need at least 2 A-Level / H2 Level passes and 2 AO-Level / H1 Level passes, including General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry, a Polytechnic diploma, an IB diploma, and any other equivalent and relevant qualifications (Ministry of Education, 2025).
Overall, Singapore has implemented various policies to maximize teacher development and foster strong student-teacher relationships, helping students progress in all subjects, not just STEM-based ones.
The United States STEM-based curriculum
In the previous sections, we established what a good curriculum is, and the standards and
specific policies Singapore employs to make sure that it is effective. According to the bae Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.0 percent in the second quarter of 2025 (April, May, and June) (BEA, 2025). The United States understands the importance of education. K-12 schools spend $857.2 billion total ($17,277 per pupil) annually. Federal, state, and local governments provide $878.2 billion or $17,700 per pupil to fund K-12 public education, according to the Education Data. This amount is comparable to what Singapore spends on each student. As previously noted, however curriculum development is mostly dependent on two factors: curriculum content and delivery. The United States has longer school days than Singapore, but in the end, it has fewer days.
However, Singapore still teaches more content to the students than the United States does, according to Nelson (Nelson, 2020). According to the New York Times, the performance of American teenagers in reading and math has been stagnant since 2000. Other recent studies revealed that two-thirds of American children were not proficient readers, and that the achievement gap in reading between high and low performers is widening (Learning Network, 2019). The study also mentions how students consistently underperform the average for standardized tests and claim the stress and pressure they must score well negatively impacts them (Learning Network 2019). However, the United States has a much shorter time span and less depth and breadth in its curriculum than Singapore. Therefore, it reduces students' ability to process new information and perform well on standardized tests.
For accelerated and efficient STEM learning, the curriculum should not provide students with as much freedom and should integrate STEM learning into aspects of everyday life. A paper from Griffith University outlines four ways to integrate STEM learning, particularly for K-12 grade levels. It states that the U.S teaches each of the four STEM disciplines with more emphasis going to one or two of the four (which is what is happening in most U.S. schools today). This may be referred to as Stem (Ro, 2020). This approach prioritizes certain aspects of STEM, slowly integrating with the students from a young age, which is considered an effective strategy. Overall, the United States spends a lot of money and time towards its education system, but due to the lack of classroom structure and the amount of content that is not learned by many students, it prohibits them from expanding their knowledge like Singapore’s students.
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international
standardized test administered in many different countries for 15-year-olds. According to the OECD, PISA tests the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in mathematics, reading, and science. Eighty-one countries and economies took part in the 2022 assessment (OECD, 2023). PISA is the main form of data that will be used to analyze the two countries. This is because it tests 15-year-olds, which measures secondary school students around the world, and because it contains two of the three STEM subjects: Science and Math. Looking at the 2023 PISA test score results it states that the United States underperformed the international mathematics level by 10 points, but it was at its all time lowest compared to 2018. It also showed that boys did overperform the girls in math. Additionally, in 2023, the United States slightly overperformed in science by 15 points compared to other countries. The science points were 499, while the math was 465 (education GPS, 2023). In Singapore, however, the students overperformed the international average by 103 points in mathematics, and overperformed the science average by 76 points. Singapore's science was 561 points, while its math was 575 points. Even after the pandemic and school going online, Singapore’s scores remained the same as its 2018 scores. Below are some graphs that graphically show the information I have listed.
PISA Math Scores 2018 -2022:
PISA Science Scores 2018-2022:
The above graphs illustrate the STEM subject performance for Singapore, United States, and the OECD average. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an indicator that provides a benchmark for the average data for countries. Looking at the PISA graphs starting from 2018 in Math, Singapore's scores continuously outperform the OECD average and are the number one scores. However the United States not only progressively decreased their PISA rankings, they are below the OECD average.
With the Science graph The OECD average both years was around 490 points. Singapore significantly overperforms this average as the graph indicates, and their results are going in an
upward scale. This highlights the extensive STEM preparation even during the pandemic has greatly improved even while facing challenges.
Conclusion:
Overall, The United States and Singapore are well-developed, but there are some gaps in the United States STEM curriculum. STEM curriculums are extremely important and are the future of many nations, mainly because of the rise of AI. STEM curriculums also measure a student's ability to problem solve, which is one of the main features for innovation in an economy. Nations that fail to adapt and change their education systems to help enhance STEM subject learning risk being left behind. Even though the United States spends more money on each individual student than Singapore, Singapore’s STEM curriculum produces significantly better results because of the rigorous content, low student-teacher ratios, and strong teacher preparation. Singapore performs significantly better than the United States because of their strong teacher preparation and their specific policies they employ. For example, Singapore has 6 hour school days, but there are 200 days of school in one academic year. This system prevents students from burnout, and this system allows educators to teach more information than in the United States. While there are many factors that go into an effective and strong STEM curriculum, if the United States emphasizes delivery and content as much as Singapore does for their STEM curriculum they will be able to advance their economy at a much faster rate.
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