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EDUCATION IN THE US
EDUCATION
Education in the US comprises three basic levels: primary, secondary and higher education. Vocational training, adult education, school of classes for special types of children, and kindergartens also form part of the program in most states.
Parents may choose whether to send their children to their local free public schools, or private schools which charge fees. The organization and curricula of private schools and colleges are similar to those of public schools although the administration differs. The vast majority of students at the primary and secondary levels go to public schools(see page connected with differences) Most of those who attend private schools attend church sponsored parochial schools. The school year is usually nine months, from early September to mid- June. The common pattern of organization, referred to as the 6-3-3 plan, includes elementary school in grades 1 through 6, junior high school in grades seven through nine and senior high school in grades ten through tvelve. Today, unified systems operating both elementary and secondary schools most commonly use the 6-3-3 plan or a 6-2-4 variation. However, many variations on the pattern exist in the US.

  • Preschool education

    • A child's introduction to formal education is usually in kindergarten classes operated in most public school systems. Many systems also preside nursery schools. The age group is commonly 4 and 5 years. These preschool education programs maintain a close relationship with the home and parents, and aim to give children useful experiences which will prepare them for elementary school. The programs are flexible and are designed to help the child grow in self-reliance, learn to get along with others, and form word to play habits.

  • Elementary school

    • The main purpose of elementary school is the general intellectual and social development of the child from six to tvelve or fifteen years of age. Curricula vary with the organization and educational aims of individual schools and communities. The more or less traditional program consists of teaching prescribed subject matter. Promotion from one gade to the next is based on the pupil's achievement of the specified skills in reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, history, geography, music and art.

  • High education

    • Most pupils follow a course that includes English, science social studies, mathematics and physical education. Elective subjects may be chosen in the fields of foreign languages, fine arts and vocational training. Pupils usually select about half of their work in grades nine through twelve. During the 7,8 and 9 grades, guidance counseling is important as the pupils begin to plan their careers and select subjects that will be useful in their chosen work. Guidance counseling countries throughout the center high school years and into c program is designed to prepare students for college. Among the subjects added to the foundational are more advanced maths and science courses and foreign languages. The vocational program may give training in four fields AGRICULTURAL education, which prepares the students for fare management and operation; BUSINESS education, which trains students for the commercial field; HOME ECOMOMICS , which trains students for home management, child care and care of the sick; and TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL education, which provides training for jobs in mechanical, manufacting, building and other trades. Their program prepares students either for employment or further training. The third program, a general or comprehensive program, provides features of the academic and vocational types. Its introductory courses give an appreciation of the various trades and industrial atrs rather than train students for specific job. Those who do not expect to go to college or enter a particular trade immediately, but who want the benefits of schooling and a high school diploma, often follow the general course. Most young Americans graduate from school with a high school diploma upon satisfactory completion of a specified number of courses. Students are usually graded from A(excellent) to F(failing) in each course they take on the of perfomance in tests given at intervals throughout the year, participation in class discussions and completion of written and oral assignments. Locally development end-of-the-year examinations are given in many schools. Students receive "report cards" at least twice a year, but in some school school districts, up to six times; this "report cards" indicate the grades they have received in each of the subjects they are studying. High schools maintain a school "transcript" which summerizes the courses taken and the grades obtained for each students. Many students, upon finishing high school, choose to continue their education. Community colleges, also known as junior colleges, offer two-year programs. They are public schools and the tuition costs are usually low. Colleges and universities have 4-year programs leading to a bachelor's degree; as well as, in many cases future programs leading to higher degrees. These schools may be public or private; private schools cost a lot more. U.S. colleges and universities have many students from around the world, especially from Asia. We already have some basic ideas of the system of high education in the U.S.: about the school year, basic and elective subjects.And now let's talk about ine small,but important feature- about the process itself. Almost all the americans are the great patriots of their country, so patriotism is trained since childhood.Most of american youth think that to be patriot is the latest craze. On every holiday celebrated in the U.S. such as Washington's Birthday(02 22), Columbus Day(Oct.) pay great attention and usually pupils take part in some activities, make some historical perfomances. Well in whole people of the U.S. usually pay attention to their history, so the pupils are taught the history if the country, the dids of some outstanding persons starting from Washington and finishing with Florenz Zeigfeld.

  • Higher education

    • Higher education starts when young people are 18. They often can choose from different colleges & universities. Out of more than three million students who graduate from high school each year, about one million go on for higher education. A college at a leading university might receive applications from two percent of these high school graduates, and then accept only one out of every ten who apply. Successful applicants at such colleges are usually chosen on the basis of their school records, recommendations from their high school techers or scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests or SATs. The system of higher education in the U.S. comprises three categories of institutions:
  • the university, which may contain : a )a several colleges for undergraduate students seeking a bachelor's degree (4-year) and b ) one or more graduate schools for those continuing in specialised studies deyond the bachelor's degree to obtain a master's or a doctoral degree
  • the technical training institutions at which high school graduates may take courses ranging from 6 months to 4 years in duration and learn a wide variety of technical skills, from hair styling through business accounting to computer programming
  • the two-year, or community college, from which students may enter many professions or may transfer to 4- year colleges

    Any of these institutions, in any category, might be either public or private, depending on the source of its funding.Some universities and colleges have, over time, gained reputations for offering particularly challenging courses and for providing their srudents with a higher quality of education. The factors determing whether an institution is one of the best or one of the lower prestige are quality of the teaching faculty; quality of research facilities; amount of funding available for libraries, special programs, etc; and the competence and number of applicants for admission, i. e. how selective the institution can be choosing its students.

    The most selective are the old private north-eastern universities, commonly known as the League, include Harvard Radcliffe (Cambridge, Mass., in the urban area of Boston), Yale University,(New Haven, Conn. between Boston and New York), Columbia College (New York), Princeton University(New Jersey), Brown University, Cornell University, Datmouth College, University of Pennsylvania. With their traditions and long established reputations they occupy a position in American university life rather like Oxbridge (see page about further education in GB) in England, particularly Harverd and Yale. The Ivy League Universities are famous for their graduate schools, which have become intellectual elite centers. In defence of using the exams as criteria for admission, administratrs say that the SATs provide a fair way for deciding whom to admit when they have ten or twelve applicants for every first-year student seat.

    In addition to learning about a college/ university's entrance requirements and the fees, Americans must also know the following :

    Professional degrees such as Bachelor of Law or LL.A. or a Bachelor of Divinity or B.D. take additional three years of study and require first a B.A. or B.S. to be earned by a student.

    Gradual schools in America award Master's and Doctor's degrees in both the arts and sciences. Tuition for these programs is high. The cources for most graduate degrees can be completed in two or four years. A thesis is required for a Master's degree; a Doctor's degree requirements a minimum of two years of course work beyond the Master's degree level, success in a qualifying exams, proficiency in one or two foreign languages and/or in a research tool(such as statistics) and completion of a doctoral dissertation.

    The number of credits awarded for each course relates to the number of hours of work involved. At the undergraduate level a student generally takes about five-hour-a-week courses every semester. Semesters usually run from September to early January and late January to late May. Credits are earned by attending lectures or lab classes and by successfully completing assignments and examinations. One credit usually equals one hour of class per week in a single course. A three-credit course in Linguistics, e.g. could involve an hour of lectures plus 2 hours of seminars every week. Most students complete ten courses per an academic year and it usually takes them 4 years to complete a bachelor's degree requirement of about three- hour courses or 120 credits.

    In the American higher education system credits for the academic work are transferable among universities. A student can accumulate credits at one university, transfer them to a second and ultimately receive a degree from three or a third university.

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