BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — Tests, homework and school hours are all hotly-debated elements of the United States education system. People often debate how much homework is enough, what the point of tests is, and what time school should start and end.

Some people take this conversation a step further, wondering if the entire education system needs reform.

Test Prep Insight , an online education company, conducted an online survey of 3,000 parents to find out which country’s education system is favored by parents in each state.

The study found that parents in North Dakota favored the Chinese education model. China’s education system features lots of competition, and is exam-oriented. School hours are long, and there’s an exam that determines university placement.

North Dakota parents seem to favor a system that promotes rigorous studying and competition, something that they hope can set their children up for success when they enter the workforce.

Here are some of the other top choices from parents across the country.

• Finland: focused on equity and student well-being, while minimizing standardized tests and promoting teacher autonomy
• Japan: emphasizes rigor, discipline, and academic achievement, and is good for those who prefer high-pressure environments and value hard work
• Germany: tracks students into different academic paths early, focusing on career-oriented education

The fact that these countries’ education systems are some of the most popular among parents in the U.S. begs the question of what’s so appealing about them.

The majority of parents say their top priority in their children’s education is emotional well-being and life skills (37%), and creativity and critical thinking (35%). Finland and Norway, among other countries, focus on these aspects. Germany is also big on emphasizing life skills.

Another 16% value vocational and practical skills, while 12% favor academic excellence and rigorous testing, something they focus heavily on in South Korea.

93% of respondents also believe that teacher autonomy is somewhat or very important, indicating they would like their children’s instructors to adapt the curriculum to their students’ needs, rather than strictly adhering to a predetermined curriculum. Teacher autonomy is a key characteristic of the school system in some Western European nations, such as Finland.

The length of the school day is also a topic the survey asked parents about. 55% of parents felt that the current length is appropriate, while 17% prefer longer school days with more structured learning time. An additional 16% would like school days to be more flexible depending on the child’s needs, and 11% expressed interest for shorter school days with more emphasis on free time.

In China, school days are notoriously long, while in countries like the Netherlands, there’s a lot more flexibility, which promotes individualized learning.

All of these school systems have different methods of getting to the same goal: setting the kids up for success in the future. Finding a universal system that works for every child might be a difficult task, given the various needs of different students.

At the end of the day, different students do better in different environments, so the question of which school system would work better for someone’s children might best be answered by that child and their parents.

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