Cuba/U.S. Curriculum Translation

*Should have had consistent schooling with minimal gaps in education

** Assuming English is at a Novice Mid to Novice High Level

Cuba Education System

School Year: September to June | Compulsory Education: 1st-9th | Graduation: 1st – 12th

Cuba/U.S Grading Scale

Cuba Transition Supports

Colombia Education Practice:
Education in Cuba is mandatory until the ninth grade of secondary school and is free on all levels, including university education. Less than 1.0 percent of students drops out of primary education, and 98.2 percent continues their studies after the sixth grade. When it comes to preschool education, data are even more impressive: 98 percent of Cuban children of appropriate age attend preschool and primary school gross enrollment is close to 100 percent (Marks 2020c).

There is a strict maximum of 25 children per primary- school class, many of which have as few as 20. Secondary schools are striving towards only 15 pupils per class. This is an optimal number of students in the classroom, enabling them to learn all that is required during the school day and still leaving them enough time to seek help and support from the teacher, if needed (Marks 2020c).

U.S. Educator Implications:
Students from Cuba will generally be well educated and have minimal to no academic gaps. Despite teacher shortages and political issues, education continues to be a priority for all students. Students are used to relatively small classroom sizes; therefore, larger U.S. class sizes may overwhelm students.

Strategies for Transition

• Get to know your students by building positive relationships.
• Provide multicultural education where texts, values, beliefs, and perspectives represent people from different cultural backgrounds.
• Education in Cuba is fairly formal, and most classes are taught in lecture format. Relationships between teachers and students are close but formal, and group work and peer interaction is kept to a minimum. Teachers may need to facilitate group work and encourage Cuban students to be vocal in class, as this is mostly discouraged in their home country.
• It may take time for Cuban students to get used to the drastic increase in personal freedoms in the U.S. Teachers may need to yield questions and offer clarification on these issues.
• Cuban families will likely be extremely respectful and interested in developing strong relationships with their child’s teacher. Educators should engage with families positively and consistently.
• Cubans come from a polychronic culture where there is a very different view regarding time. Individuals from this culture believe that time is flexible; therefore, tardiness may be an issue as the student acclimates into a monochronic culture like the U.S. Frequent reminders and discussions regarding the importance of punctuality should be addressed often, in a respectful and solution- focused manner.
• Cubans may become excited during discussions; therefore the tone, pitch, and sound of their voice may be impacted. Educators should evaluate the context of the situation before interpreting this behavior as aggressive in nature.