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| Education in the United States
Education in the United States
Education in the United
States
Has been an important Factor in the economic development of
the United States and in the achievement of a high standard of living for most
Americans .
Schools, libraries and museums provide learning
opportunities for people of all ages .
Development of School-System
During the early history of the United States most schools
were privately owned.
Church groups owned and operates many of them .
In the early 1800`s the idea of free public schools began to
gain widespread support in the country . State and local governments took the
responsibility for establishing public school systems .
By 1918, every state had laws requiring children to attend
school until they reached a certain age or completed a certain grade .
Structure of the Educational System
About 90% of American schools, elementary and high schools
and about half of its institutions of higher learning, 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,
there are about 79000 Schools in the USA
- secondary education,
there are about 29000 High Schools
- higher education, there
are about 3000 colleges, universities, and community or junior colleges in the
country .
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.
Many American children begin their schooling before
enrolling in first grade .
More than 80 per cent of all 5-year-olds attend Kindergarten
.
The word Kindergarten is the same as in German
.
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION is intended for children from
the ages of 6 to 12 or 14. They are usually public and
co-educational.
About 98 per cent of all U.S. children complete elementary
school .
SECONDARY EDUCATION comprises either 4 years or 6
years.
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 equality tendency of American education by
making children of all social classes attend the same type of school as long as
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
About 75 per cent
of the graduates of elementary school graduate from high school and 60 per cent
of them enter Higher education by enrolling in universities or colleges.
HIGHER EDUCATION
The post-secondary education system in America 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
doctoral degrees.
A school in any of these categories might be public or
private according to its 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.
About 15 per cent of the country`s people complete the last
four years of their education .
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 have 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.
Public schools in the United States are supported mainly by
taxation .
Private schools get their operating funds mainly from
tuition and contribution of private citizens .
The national schools, like its private businesses, have
always had to deal with financial problems .
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 be set 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
Other problems are :
Run-down school buildings .
Shortage of teachers .
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