|
Du bist hier: Referate Datenbank | Erdkunde
| Education in Britain and the United States
Education in Britain and the United States
EDUCATION
IN
BRITAIN
AND
THE
UNITED
STATES
EDUCATION IN BRITAIN
AND THE UNITED
STATES
Education in
Britain
British education is characterized by a lack of unity.
It provides two separate school systems:
- state maintained
schools
- private fee-charging
schools
About 94% of British schoolchildren attend publicly
financed state schools.
Compulsory schooling is divided up into: primary
education
secondary education
PRIMARY EDUCATION consists of a two-year Infant School
and a four-year Junior School.
SECONDARY EDUCATION comprises the years 11 to 16, but
may also lead up to the age of 18.
About 95% of all British children attending state
schools go to
Comprehensive Schools (corresponds to the German
“Gesamtschule”. They are attended by children of all abilities and
provide all types of secondary education. Ideally, they are non-selective and
are attended by all children in a district.
About 5% of schoolchildren attending state schools are
selected at the age of 11, according to their total school performance, and move
on into three types of selective secondary schools:
- 1. Grammar
Schools
- 2. Secondary Modern
Schools
- 3. Technical
Schools
At the age of 11 schoolchildren had to
take the “Eleven Plus” exam at the end of primary education. After
strong criticism of ist fallibility the 11+ was abandoned in most
areas.
At the age of 16( after 5 years of secondary
education)
- Ordinary level of the General Certificate of
Education was subject examination
with no compulsory subjects, although English, Maths
and a modern language were
normally taken, plus any other subjects up to a total
of 8. Five passes were enough
to qualify for a decent job or to enter the Sixth
Form.
- Certificate of Secondary Education was a
subject exam consisting of a series of
tests, practical work and continuous assessment. It
had a lower status than O-level
and provides a leaving certificate for those pupils
who wished to leave school at the
earliest age allowed by law.
- General Certificate of Secondary Education run
by regional examination groups,
but their syllabuses must be validated by the Schools
Council. Grading is from A to
G; grade C is generally considered to be a
pass.
At the age of 17 Certeficate of
Pre-Vocational Education is intended for those at school who wish to continue
full-time education for a year after the age of 16 to prepare either for work of
for vocationl courses.
At the age of 18(at the end of the Sixth
Form)
- Advanced level: Normally a student takes 3
subjects. The grading system is A to E;
B is usually required by universities
- Advanced Supplementary level: this exam
provides an opportunity for Sixth -
Formers to study a wider range of
subjects.
- Scholarsip level is an additional paper taken
in the same subjects as A-level,
intended for the most able students.
FURTHER EDUCATION
Students who leave school at the age of 16 may continue
their education at a Technical College, a College of Art or an Evening
Institute.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Sixth-Formers may enter a university, a polytechnic or a
College of Education in the age of 18.
UNIVERSITIES
There are appoximately 50 universities in Great Britain.
Oxford an Cambridge retain their pre-eminence in terms of academic excellence,
social standing and international prestige. The main group in terms of student
numbers are the so-called “Redbrick” universities.
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
The open university is a non-residential university
which provides study by means of correspondence courses, radio and television
programmes and it is “open” to anybody.
About 6 % of British children attend independent
schools. These schools must be registered and are subject to official
inspection.
In private education there are: - PREPARATORY
SCHOOLS
-
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
PREPERATORY SCHOOLS are intended for children aged 7 to
13. They provide education that “prepares” the future Public Schools
boy for the Common Entrance Examination which is the same for all Public
Schools.
PUBLICH SCHOOLS
The largest and most important schools of the
independent schools are the Public Schools (13 - 18 years). The word
“public” derives from the fact that originally students from all
over the country could enter the school and not just from the immediate
neighbourhood. Most of them are boys’ schools, but today some of them also
accept girls as Sixth-Formers.
Some of the most famous are: Westminster
(1382)
Winchester (1440)
Rugby
(1557)
Harrow
(1571)
The ideals and values of Public Schools
are:
- formation of character through
practice of sport
- emphasis on social
behaviour
- discipline is regarded as an
important feature, but pupils are also encouraged to take
responsibility
-
Special Features of British School
Life
- Compulsory Schooling covers
the age-groups from 5 to 16
- It is a dual system consisting
of state and private schools.
- English schools are all-day
schools with school meals provided at lunch time
- The school-year is divided up
into 3 terms
Education in the United
States
Structure of the Educational
System
About 90% of American schools are free and public. Most
of them are co-educational.
The rest are fee-charging private schools, mostly Roman
Catholic parochial schools. Private schools are mostly single-sex
schools.
American education comprises three levels: elementary
education
secondary education
higher education
Schooling is compulsory from the ages of 5 to
16.
There are several structural patterns in use, depending
on the location:
- 6-3-3 plan: Elementary School:
grades 1-6; Junior High School: grades
7-9;
Senior High
School: grades 10-12;
- 8-4 plan: Elementary
School: grades 1-8; High School; grades 9-12;
- 6-6 plan: Elementary
School: grades 1-6; High School; 7-12;
All plans lead to high school graduation at about 17 to
18 years of age.
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION is intended for children
from the ages of 6 to 12 or 14. They are usually public and
co-educational.
SECONDARY EDUCATION comprise either 4 years or 6
year-old children. The six-year High School is divided up into a Junior and a
Senior High School.
The American High School offers educational facilities
for all children aged 12/14-17
It shows best the egalitarian tendency of American
education by making children of all social classes attend th same type of school
as long al possible. It is a Comprehensive School which mirrors the American
ideals of equal opportunities and equality of social status and
serves.
The basic problem of US High School education is whether
it should provide vocational or general education.
Therefore all larger High Schools offer a number of
different programmes:
- The academic curriculum
prepares children for college; the basics for High School graduation
requirements are English, mathematics, science, social studies, computer science
and a foreign language if students go on college.
- Commercial classes include
typing, shorthand and bookkeeping.
- Vocational programmes offer
courses in auto mechanics, printing, agriculture, homemaking, cosmetology,
marketing and sales skills
HIGHER EDUCATION
Three out of four students graduate from High School and
more than half of the High School graduates continue their education. The
post-secondary education system in Aberica is complex, as many different types
of programmes are offered by the more than 3000 colleges and
universities.
It consists of four basic types of
institutions:
1. the two-year Junior or Community
College;
2. the two-year Technical College;
3. the four-year undergraduate
institution
4. the university, which normally comprises a college
for undergraduate students
seeking a Bachelor’s Degree and one or more
graduate schools or professional
schools for those seeking Master’s of doctral
degrees.
A school in any of these categories might be public or
private according to ist source of funding. Although higher education can be
expensive in America - most annual tuitions is in the range of $ 3000-9000 - a
student can seek funds through scholarships, financial aid or guaranteed
government student loans.
CONTROL AND FINANCING OF
EDUCATION
Education has been considered a state and local
responsibility, rather than a federal matter. Local communities are given broad
authority to run schools.
State governments habe their own departments of
education which determine school policy and enact educational
laws.
The US Department of Educational has little authority
and no direct control over education.
EXAMINATIONS
There is no national public examination system. In
public elementary and secondary schooling, local districts determine and
maintain standards.
-
Current Issues of American
Education
American education is beset by many problems. The most
important concerns are
- Equal opportunities for
all
- Racial issues
- Bilingual
education
- Student achievement and
curricula reforms
- School prayer
- Inner-city school
problems
|
PDF-Format (23,84 KB)
ZIP
Archiv (7,74 KB)
(c) 2003-2012 ontaps GmbH