American Education System

EducationintheUnitedStatesMainContents:•1.History•2.Administration•3.Practice•4.EducationforallHistory•1.AmericaneducationwasrootedintheOldWorldexperience.•2.Afterthewarofindependence,Americaneducationcameintoitsown.•3.BeforetheCivilWarinthe1860s,therewaslittlelawsthatconcernedchildrentoattendschool.•1)WhenthePuritansettlersinMassachusettscametotheNewWorld,theybroughtwiththemabeliefthateducationwasfundamentaltoreligionandtoserviceforthecommonwealth.•2)QuiteanumberoftheearlysettlersweregraduatesofCambridgeandOxfordUniversities.•3)ThePuritanssetupschoolsasinstinctivelyastheysetupchurches:A.TheBostonLatinSchoolin1634,B.HarvardCollegein1636,C.Theytooktheirfirststeptowardestablishingasystemofpublicschools.D.In1647,Massachusettspassedaradicallaw,whichrequiredeverytowntoprovideitschildrenwithschoolsandschoolmasters.•4)thePuritansintroducedtwopractices:compulsoryeducationforallchildrenpublictaxationforschools•5)Throughoutthecolonies,youngmenandwomencouldreceiveaneducationinreadingbybecominganapprenticeinasmallbusiness.Administration•1.Thegoalofeducation•2.Educationalsystems•3.FundsforschoolsAdministration•1.ThegoalofAmericaneducationToachieveuniversalliteracyToprovideindividualswiththeknowledgeandskillsAdministration•2.Education–alocalmatter•InAmerica,educationisanationalconcern,astateresponsibility,andalocalfunction.•1)Thereare50educationalsystemsintheUnitedStates.TheU.S.Constitutionmentionsnothingabouteducation.Eachstateenjoysfreedomtodevelopaschoolsystemasextensiveoraslimitedasitdesires.•2)Localcommunitiesinturnweregivensubstantialfreedomtoselectteachersandadministratorsandtoscheduletheschoolyearanddaytomeetthestandardsbythestates.•3)TherewasnotafederalorganizationforeducationuntiltheestablishmentoftheU.S.OfficeofEducationin1867.In1953becameabranchofthelargestfederalagency-----TheDepartmentofHealth,Education,andWelfare.•4)SincetheU.S.Constitutionissilentoneducation,alleducationalmattersarelefttotheindividualstate.Onthestatelevel,educationalpolicyisgenerallytheresponsibilityofboardsofeducation.Andthereisnooneuniformpatternofstateadministration.•5)Inmoststates,thestatelegislatureorgovernorappointsstateboards,butafewstateboardsareelected.Ohio,forexample,hasoneboardmemberelectedfromeachof24districts.•6)★Differenteducationlawsfordifferentstates:Allstatesrequireyoungpeopletoattendschool.toage16toage18Everychildrenisguaranteedupto13yearsofeducation.★theselectionoflearningmaterial★Astrongtendencytoeducatetheirchildrenaboutmajorpublicconcerns.•3.Fundsforschoolscomefrom3sources:•1)Approximately50%israisedthroughlocalpropertytaxes.•2)Anaverageoffrom40%--50%comesfromthestates.•3)Only8%--9%fromthenationalgovernment.•Publicandprivatecollegesdependon3sources:studenttuitionendowmentsgovernmentfunding•Thefederalgovernmentinfluenceshighereducationandcontributesfinanciallytoitbuthasnocontroloveritssubstanceandpractice.EducationintheU.S.---Practice•1.Generalsituation•2.Schoolsystem•3.HigherEducationPractice•1.Generalsituation•Publicschools90%•Privateschools10%4outof5privateschoolsarerunbychurches,synagoguesorotherreligiousgroups.Religiousteachingsareapartofthecurriculum.•Schoolswereaskednotonlytoteachthenewinformation,buttohelpstudentsasktheirownquestionsaboutit.→the“inquiry”methodoflearning•2.Schoolsystem•Educationiscarriedoutatvariouslevels,whicharemainlydividedinto:•1)elementaryeducation•2)secondaryeducation•3)highereducation•Elementaryandsecondaryeducationcovers12yearsfromage6through18,butavarietyofsubdivisionmaybeidentified,withthemostpopularpatternbeing•18---4(8yearsforelementaryschooland4yearsforhighschool).•26--2--4(6yearsforprimaryschool,2yearsforjuniorhighschool,and4yearsforseniorhighschool).•36–3–3(6yearsforelementaryschool,3yearsforjuniorhighschool,and3yearsforseniorhighschool).•44–4–4(4yearsforprimaryschool,middleschool,andhighschoolrespectively).•56–6(6yearsforelementaryschoolandcombinedjuniorandseniorhighschoolrespectively).•Secondaryeducationtakesplaceinavarietyofjuniorandseniorhighschools.Thereareseveraldifferentkindsofhighschoolswithsomewhatdifferentmissions.••Vocationalandtechnicalhighschools•Academichighschools•3.HigherEducation•Howtochoseapplicants--a.highschoolrecordsb.recommendationsc.theimpressiond.scoresontheSATS.degree•Highereducationincludes:undergraduatestudy-----Bachelor’sdegreegraduatestudy------Master’sdegree------Doctor’sdegreelesson•Attheundergraduatelevel,studentsusuallyselecttheir“major”plusaspecificnumberof“electives”.•Inordertoreceiveadegree,anundergraduatestudenthastoearnacertainnumbersof“credits”.---creditsareearnedbyattendinglecturesandbycompletingassignmentsandexaminations.HarvardUniversity--Cambridge,MassachusettsEducationintheU.S.–EducationForAll•Servicemen’sReadjustmentAct---GIBillofRights(GI:GovernmentIssue)•Affirmativeactionprograms