American educational system1

American Education SystemThe American education system is confusing and different from the education system in our country. It offers the widest education choices for students in the world. In fact, an student in American can pursue anything from nuclear science to film and dance. American education possibilities are almost endless!Perhaps one of the most impressive facts is the large number of presidents, prime ministers and leaders who have experienced the American education system and graduated from a university or school in the USA. In many fields and industries, the American education system offers the most cutting-edge, sought-after programs at the world's best schools. That is why graduating from an accredited American school and being exposed to the rigors of the American education system is an investment in the future.Primary and Secondary SchoolMost Americans attend twelve years of primary and secondary school. With a secondary school ("high school") diploma or certificate, a student can enter college, university, vocational (job training) school, secretarial school, and other professional schools.School begins around age six for U.S. children. They attend five or six years of primary school. Next they go to secondary school, which consists of either two three- year programs or a three-year and a four-year program. These are called "middle school" or "junior high school" and "senior high school" (often just called "high school"). Americans call these twelve years of primary and secondary school the first through twelfth "grades." This may be accomplished either at public (or government-operated) schools, or at private schools.Higher EducationAfter finishing high school (twelfth grade), U.S. students may go on to college or university. College or university study is known as "higher education." Study at a college or university leading to the Bachelor's Degree is known as "undergraduate" education. Study beyond the Bachelor's Degree is known as "graduate" school, or "postgraduate" education. Advanced or graduate degrees include law, medicine, the M.B.A., and the Ph.D. (doctorate).Different sorts of Universities and Colleges:1. State College or UniversityA state school is supported and run by a state or local government. Each of the 50 U.S. states operates at least one state university and possibly several state colleges. Some state schools have the word “State” in their names.2. Private College or UniversityThese schools are operated privately, not by a branch of the government. Tuition will usually be higher than at state schools. Often, private colleges and universities are smaller in size than state schools.3. Two-Year CollegeA two-year college admits high school graduates and awards an Associate's Degree. Some two-year colleges are state-supported, or public; others are private. You should find out if the Associate's Degree(准学士学位，专科毕业证书)will qualifyyou for a job in your country. In some countries, students need a Bachelor's Degree to get a good job. Two-year college or "junior" college graduates usually transfer to four-year colleges or universities, where they complete the Bachelor's Degree in two or more additional years.4. Community CollegeThis is a two-year state, or public college. Community colleges serve a local community, usually a city or county. Many of the students are commuters who live at home, or evening students who work during the day.Most, but not all governments, recognize degrees from junior and community colleges.5. Professional SchoolA professional school trains students in fields such as art, music, engineering, business, and other professions. Some are part of universities. Others are separate schools. Some offer graduate degrees.6. Institute of TechnologyThis is a school which offers at least four years of study in science and technology. Some institutes of technology have graduate programs. Others offer shorter courses.7. Technical InstituteA technical institute trains students in fields such as medical technology or industrial engineering. Although the course may prepare you for the career you want, the degree may or may not be equivalent to a college or university degree. Some colleges and universities do not accept credits from students who have attended technical institutes and want to transfer.8. Church-related SchoolMany U.S. colleges and universities were founded by religious groups. The relationship, however, between the school and the religious organization may be very flexible. Sometimes, these schools prefer to admit students who are members of the sponsoring religious group. Nearly all these schools welcome students of all religions and beliefs. Traditionally, many church-related schools have required that students take Bible courses and attend chapel services. But these practices are becoming less common.。

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Questions about John Lennon
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Who was John Lennon? Which country was heReading Detailed from? What was his profession? Do you know any songs by him? Can you tell us anything about Lennon?
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Spaghetti The American Educational System
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Background Information
3. Undergraduate school Students who have completed high school and would like to attend college or university must attend what is referred to as an undergraduate school. These are schools that offer either a two-year degree (called an associate degree) or a four-year degree (called a bachelor’s degree) in a specific course of study. That course of study is called the major. While most schools that offer a four-year degree will admit students who have not yet chosen a major, all students are required to select (or declare) a major by their second year at school. Students who complete an associate degree can continue their education at a four-year school and eventually complete a bachelor’s degree.
Background Information
In the American education system, students must have obtained a high school diploma before they are admitted into college or university. Foreign students who would like to attend an American college or university must have completed coursework that is equivalent to what is taught at an American high school.

Chapter Seven American Education1. Features of American educationEducational institutions in the U.S. reflect the nation’s basic values, especially the ideal of equality of opportunity. Americans believe that everyone has both the right and the obligation to become educated; Americans regard education as the most important factor in determining a person’s social role and economic prospects.America has had a great respect for education from its earliest times: The first group of Puritans came to the new world in 1620 to avoid being persecuted in England and seek the freedom to practice their religion – a freedom they could not enjoy in their native countrythey went on board the ship known as Mayflower and established the Plymouth Colony in New EnglandIn the subsequent years, more Puritans came and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. Plymouth remained a separate colony until 1691 when it merged into the MA Bay Colony. One of the things the Puritans believed was that every person should be able to read the Bible. Within just a few years after their arrival, they took steps to set up a system of education in their colony: 1) In 1634, they opened a “Latin grammar” school, a school for those who wanted to prepare for college；2) In 1634 and 1638 the Puritans passed laws declaring that all property could be taxed for the common good, including the support of schools；3) In 1642 and 1647, the Puritans passed laws requiring all parents to provide reading education for their education；4) Harvard College was founded in 1636 for the training of religious ministers, and there were 8 other colleges were established before 1776. So from the earliest days of the British American colonies, the Puritans introduced two practices that still influence American youth: 1).Compulsory education for all children; 2) public taxation for schools.Religious bodies were very active in developing elementary and secondary schools. Soon after 1800, progress was made in the north-eastern region towards universal education paid for from taxes. In 1825, a basic system of public schools was established in the US. Under the US Constitution, the federal government has no power to make laws in the field of education; schools are maintained by state and local governments. The federal government can give financial help in this field.Each state has an educational administration: 1).Laying down general principles concerning the organization of schools and such matters as the ages of compulsory education. 2).Schools are provided and managed by local community boards of education, whose members are elected.There is no unified national curriculum and textbooks are chosen by the state or local educational authorities. All the states practice compulsory education free of charge, and require a child to attend school up to age 16, and some states require attendance to age 18.2. Elementary and secondary educationThe typical American child spends 6 hours a day, five days a week, and 180 days a year in school. Most children start school at age five by attending kindergarten, or even at age three or four by attending preschool programs. Then usually there are six years of elementary school, two years of middle schools (or junior high school), and four years of high school. School systems may divide the 12 years up differently –grouping grades 6-8 into middle school (junior high school) and secondary or high schools generally means grades 9-12. Not all school systems havekindergarten, but all have 12 years of elementary, middle school (or junior high school), and senior high school. The great majority of American students attend the free public elementary and high schools, but about 10 % attend private schools, most of which are run by churches, and receive financial support from them, though parents must also pay tuition. 1) The law forbids public schools to give religious instructions, but private schools are free to do it. Religion is not always the reason that parents send their children to these schools .2). Many parents believe that private schools are safer and of better quality than the public schools. .There are also some elite private schools which serve many upper-class children. Students must pay high tuitions fees that only wealthier families can afford them, though scholarship are usually offered talent, less affluent children who cannot pay the tuition. Parents often send their children to these schools so that their children will associate with other upper-class children and maintain the upper-class position held by their parents, in addition to getting a good education. Unlike private religious schools, elitist private schools conflict with the American ideal of equality of opportunity. These schools often give extra educational and social advantage to the children whose families have the money to allow them to attend.The quality of education children receive in public schools varied greatly; the residential patterns were often the source of problems, particularly in urban areas. The public schools in the inner city are predominantly composed of Afro-American students and often share the neighborhood problems of high crime rates and other forms of social disorder. These schools were clearly unequal to those in the predominantly white, middle-class neighborhoods in the suburbs. The largest percentage of the money for schools comes from the local level (cities and counties), mainly from property taxes. School districts that have middle-class or wealthy families have more tax money to spend on education; therefore, wealthier school districts have beautiful school buildings with computers and the latest science equipment, and poorer school districts have older buildings with less modern equipment.There is no national curriculum, and textbooks are chosen by the state or local educational authorities, but certain subjects are taught at all schools across the country. Almost all elementary schools provide instructions in such subjects as 1) mathematics; 2) language arts (including reading, grammar, composition and literature); 3) penmanship; 4) science; 5) social studies (including history, geography, citizenship and economics); 6) music; 7) art; 8) physical education Also many elementary schools have introduced courses in the use of computers, and a second language in the upper eleme ntary grades. Most secondary schools offer the same “core” of required subjects: English, mathematics, science, social studies and physical educationAfter completing the required courses, students can take additional courses as “electives”, which range from specialized academic to vocational subjects: European history, foreign languages, industrial trades, driver education, and “shop” (construction and repair of machines).American schools tend to put more emphasis on developing critical-thinking skills. Class discussion is common because it embodies the principle of “learning by inquiry”. Traditionally, Americans are more interested in practical skills than in pure theory. This, some Americans argue, partly explains why American students’ average scores i n international academic contests are not so high. Also American schools do not give their students special intensive training prior to the formal contests. Americans schools also emphasize developing the students’ social and interpersonal skills to help students develop these skills. Schools add a large number of extracurricular activities to daily life at school: athletics, student government, clubs, and activitiesfor almost every student interest such as art, music, drama, debate, photography, volunteer work. Grades in high school courses and scores on tests like the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) are very important but so are the students’ extracurricular activities.Anyone who wants to teach at an elementary or high school has first to graduate from a college/university and then study education for one year and get a teacher’s certificate. In making their decisions about which students to admit, colleges look for students who are “well-rounded.”3. Higher educationAfter high school, the majority of students go on to college leading to a bachelor’s degree, and the bachelor’s degree can be followed by professional studies, which lead to degrees in such professions as law and medicine, or graduate studies, which lead to master’s and doctoral degrees. The American public schools are free and open to all at the elementary and secondary (high school) level, but the colleges and universities, whether public or private, charge tuition and have competitive entrance requirements.The US leads all industrial nations in the proportion of its young men and women who receive higher education. The US does not have a unified national system of higher education –1) The 50 states and large cities run their own colleges and universities, which are known as public universities making up 75% of the total. 2) The other 25% are privately operated by religious or other organizations.Both public and private universities and colleges depend on the following sources of income: 1) students’ tuition fees, 2) government funding (financial help), 3) donation from the wealth and former graduates. Public universities receive more financial assistance from the government than private ones; and the latter require students to pay more tuition fees than the former.The system of higher education is complex. it mainly comprises three categories:1) The university, which may contain: a) several colleges/schools for undergraduate students seeking a bachelor’s (four-year) degree; b) one or more graduate schools for those continuing in specialized studies beyond the bachelor’s degree to obtain a master’s or a doctoral degree.2) The 4-year undergraduate institution: the college; most of them are not part of a university3) The 2-year, or community college, which offers associate degrees to their students and from which students may enter many professions or may transfer to 4-year colleges or universities.In addition, there are many technical/vocational schools, at which high school graduates may take courses ranging from 6 months to four years in duration and learn a variety of technical skills, from hair-styling through business accounting to computer programming; There are also various non-degree certification/diploma programs, such as adult basic and continuing education, leisure learning programs, continuing professional education and training programs, etc.Out of more than 3 million students who graduate from high school each year, about one million go on for higher education. Simply by being admitted into one of the most respected universities in the US, a high school graduate achieves a degree of success.The factors that determine whether a university is one of the best or one of the lower prestige are :1) quality of teaching staff2) quality of research facilities3) amount of funding available for libraries4) specialized programs5) the competence and number of applicants for admission - how selective the university can in choosing its students.All these factors reinforce one another.Admission to prestigious universities is highly competitive. Applicants have to take SATS (Scholastic Aptitude Tests). Applicants are generally chosen on the basis of: a) their high school records; b) recommendations from their high school teachers; c) the impressions they make during their interviews at the university; d) their scores on the SATS.At the college level, foreign applicants are required to submit the scores on TOEFL test (Test of English as a Second Language). If you are pursuing a graduate degree in the Arts and Science, you are also asked to take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). If you are pursuing a graduate degree in a business related field, you’ll be asked to take the GMA T (Graduate Management Admission Test). For law it is the LAST (Law School Admission Test) .For medicine it is the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test).There are a number of financial aid programs in the form of loans and scholarships available at both public and private schools. The expenses of attending college make it difficult for many students to attend even the less expensive public universities. Growing number of students cannot afford to go away to college and pay $15,000 - $39,000 each year for a public or private university, they choose instead to attend community college for two years in their hometowns, paying as little as $2,000 per year in tuition. These 2-year colleges offer a wide range of programs and offer associate degrees to their graduates. Some of the associate degrees are in vocational or technical fields. Students may also take their first 2 years of college at a community college and then transfer to a state university.Despite its costs, the percentage of Americans seeking a college education continues to grow. Today there are more than 15 million students attending college, and there are about 3,000 different colleges and universities throughout the country. Many parents who were not able to attend college when they were young are eager to see their children attend. Colleges provide residence halls for students, but many students do not live on campus; they have their own cars and drive home after class to save rent. Meals are provided in students’ cafeterias and the food is usually less expensive than outside. Many students must work during their college years to help meet the costs. Even students from rich families sometimes do part-time jobs in restaurants or supermarkets to earn their tuition and living expenses. Americans do not look down upon anyone engaged in honest work to make money.College students choo se their “major” and a number of “electives”. Typically, an undergraduate student has to earn about 120 credits in order to receive the bachelor’s degree at the end of four years’ study. The courses for most graduate degrees can be completed in 2-4 years; if a graduate program requires original research, a graduate student has to spend additional months in the lab. Courses related to the business world and learned professions are the most popular in America. About 70% of Master’s degree and doctoral degrees are awarded in teaching education, business management, engineering, medicine, sciences, and law. These are among the high paid jobs.。