Education in the United States

. Introduction

. The Present Education System

. Higher Educatin

. History

1. Introduction

Purpose

--- is to achieve universal literacy and provide individuals with knowledge and skill necessary to promote the welfare for individuals and the general public.

Education --- A Local Matter

Each of the 50 states in the United States has its own regulating education. Some laws are similar. Others are not.

---age limits vary (attendance to 16 or 18)

---instructional material (state committees or local school officials)

---school curriculum (major public concerns such as environmental pollution, nuclear issues, neighborhood crime and drugs ---- boards of education in different areas often add courses on various relevant issues to elementary and secondary school curriculum)

2. The Present Education System

. Compulsory

----Every child in America is guaranteed up to 13 years of education regardless of a child’s race, religion, sex, learning problems, physical handicap or inability to speak English.

. Free Choices

---Public schools---supported by American taxpayers. 90% of American students attend public schools. (Religious instruction is not given.)

---Private schools---run by churches, or other religious groups. The other 10% attend private schools and pay special attendence fees. Religious teaching is a part of the curriculum.

. boards of educatin---

---refers to groups of people who make policies for schools at the state and/or district level. They also make decisions about the school curriculum, teacher standards and certification and the overall measurement of student progress.

American students pass through

. several levels of schooling---K to 12 educational system

Elementary School (grammar school) ---means grades kindergarten(K) through 8. But in some places , it includes only K-6.

. It teaches mathematics, language art (reading, grammar, composition and literature), penmanship, social studies (history, geography, citizenship and economics), science, music, art, physical education and some other subjects (computer, a second language).

. class size: 20-30

Different divisions of school systems:

. elementary school—one through eight

high school—next four years

. elementary school—one through six

junior high school—seven through nine

senior high school—ten through twelve

. Secondary School (high school)--- means grades 9-12.

. It teaches mathematics, language, social studies, science, physical education and some other subjects.

. Students can choose electives guided by school counselors. Elective courses vary from school to school. They include European history, political issues, business, industrial trades, foreign languages and so on.

3.Higher Educatin

. Higher Educatin -- includes four categories of institutions. They are the university, the four-year undergraduate institution (the college), the technical training institution and the two-year or community college. Some are supported by public funds and some by private funds.

. Many universities and colleges, both public and private, have won reputations for offering particularly challenging courses and providing their students with a higher quality of education. The great majority are generally regarded as quite satisfactory.

. the features of the colleges

---The United States does not have a national(federal)school system, each of the 50 states operates its own universities, and so do some large city government.

---About 25 % of all schools of higher education are privately operated by religious organizations. . Both public and private colleges depended on three sources of income: students tuition, endowments and government funding.

Admission process:

Submission of written applications and supporting credentials

High school records

Recommendation letter

interviews

SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) or ACT

Organizational structures

Governing boards: function

The President (chancellor): the highest ranking executive officer

Faculty:

Professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor

Curriculum

The first two years: general education; students name their majors at the end of the second year. The last two years: majors

College costs

Public colleges: tuition and tax

Private colleges: tuition and gift or grants

Students: scholarships, grants, loans, jobs

Ivy League

Ivy League: is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The term is most commonly used to refer to those eight schools considered as a group, including Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, and Dartmouth College. The term also has connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism.

4.History

. Americans trace the origins of their nation to the English colonists. A few years after their arrival, they set up a system of education in their colony.

. In 1634, they opened a “Latin grammar”school. In 1636, Harvard College was founded for training of religious ministers.

In 1634 and 1638, the Puritans passed laws

that all property could be taxed for the

commmon good, which included the

support of schools.

In 1642 and 1647, the Bay Colony passed

Laws requiring all parents to provide

reading education for their children.

At the end of the 18th century, elementary

education throughout the US was in local

hands.

After 1920, the K to 12 education in America Remained very much the same until World War II. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that the practice of segregating blacks into separate schools was unconstitutional.

Secondary education was no longer enough for many Americans, universities were established then.

The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act

Passed in 1944, It was soon popularly called

the “GI Bill of Rights”. GI was a nickname

for the American soldier, which came from

the abbreviation for “Government Issue”—

the uniforms and other articles”issued”to a

Soldier. The Act promised financial aid, including aid for higher education to members of the armed forces after the end of the war.

Affirmative Action Programs

Advocated by some colleges in 1960. The purpose of the programs was to equalize educational opportunities for all groups and to make up for past inequality by giving special preference to members of minorities seeking jobs or admission to college.

No Child Left Behind Act

2002 signed by Bush

new version of Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965

some famous Universities in the United States

Harvard University

The oldest institution of higher learning in America

comprehensive university that mainly grants degrees

engaged in scientific research

established in 1636

named after John Harvard—its first benefactor

Three Lies of the Harvard Statue:

The “Founder”John Harvard was actually not the founder. The university was founded by two British teachers. What John Harvard did was donating some money when the school was about to shut down due to financial restricts two years after founded.

The university was not founded in the year 1638 as is engraved on the statue. It was founded two years ago. 1638 was nothing but the year he donated money.

The biggest joke about the statue is that the person sitting on the chair is not John Harvard himself! John had already passed away when the university decided to set up a statue and there's no picture left of John. So they just selected a most handsome male students as the statue's model.

Outstanding academic achievements

---7 presidents

John Adams,

John Q. Adams,

Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt,

Rutherford B. Hayes,

John F. Kennedy,

George W. Bush

---more than 40 Nobel laureates

Stanford University

Massachusetts Institute Technology

Columbia University

Princeton Univ

Univ Chicago

Yale Univ

Cornell Univ

哈佛大学Harvard Univ成立于1636年，哈佛大学是全美最古老的大学之一，先有哈佛，后有美国，这说明了哈佛大学在美国历史上的地位。迄今哈佛己培育出6位美国总统、29位诺贝尔奖得主和27名普利策奖得主。不论从学校的名气、设备、教授阵容、还是学生素质方面，哈佛大学都堪称世界一流

斯坦福大学Stanford Univ, 有着“西部哈佛”之称的斯坦福创办于1891年，学校位于富庶的加利福尼亚州，与美国文化底蕴丰富的旧金山(San Francisco)和有“高科技圣地”之称的硅谷(Silicon Valley)为邻，培育了不少顶尖级的科学家、企业家和学术界名人，在科研和学术领域双双取得骄人的成绩。斯坦福的过人之处在于它与工商业界和各政府部门有着密切关系，使它在天时、地利、人和方面取得优势，而跻身世

麻省理工学院Massachusetts Inst Tech 1865年创建于波士顿，1961年迁到坎布里奇，麻省理工学院（MIT）是美国培养高级科技人才和管理人才、从事科学与技术教育与研究的一所私立大学，已被公认为世界一流的大学

哥伦比亚大学Columbia Univ 建于1754年，是美国最古老的7所大学组成的“常春藤联合会”成员之一，哥伦比亚大学阵容强大，有十六个学院、六十九个系所。一般来说哥伦比亚大学之法律、文史哲、管理、新闻、国际关系系所名声较大，工学院由于成立比较晚，排名靠后

普林斯顿大学Princeton Univ 成立于1746年，位于美国新泽西州普林斯顿镇。普林斯顿大学是举世公认的著名大学，它的招生口号是“只要你是优秀的，付学费不用顾虑”。普林斯顿大学最引以自豪的是重视本科生教育，另一大特点则是坚持自身优势——基础研究，二战后一度被称为世界“数学之都”的普林斯顿大学，迄今仍保持着这一名望，其物理学研究也处于一流水平

芝加哥大学Univ Chicago是一所成立于1892年的著名私立大学，由石油大亨洛克菲勒（John D.Rockefeller）投资建立。学校设有数十个学科专业，其中人类学、地球科学、经济学、地理学、历史学、语言学、统计学、社会学等学科专业在美国大学的相应领域排名中均居前十名，具有较强的学术实力

耶鲁大学Yale Univ 成立于１８８７年，其前身是创建于１７０１年的一所教会学校，１７１８年更名为耶鲁学院。耶鲁大学如今已发展成为一所世界级名校，拥有来自美国和其他１１０多个国家和地区的１１０００多名学生,下设耶鲁学院（本科生院）、艺术与科学研究生院及１０所专业学院，即建筑、艺术、神学、戏剧、林业与环境、法学、管理、医学、音乐和护理。耶鲁学院是耶鲁大学的核心，共有６５个系所，每年开设２０００多门本科课程

康奈尔大学Cornell Univ 于1865年创立,位于纽约州芬戈尔湖地区,是美国常青藤八大盟校之一.它是“公私合营”式的大学。在七所学院中，农业与生物学院、人类环境学院和工业与劳工关系学院是公立学院，受纽约州政府管辖。而其他四所学院：艺术科学学院、建筑艺术与规划学院、工程学院和旅馆管理学院则是私立的.该校包括本科生,研究生和专业人员在内共19000人