美国教育节假日媒体.doc

Educationldeals of American EducationThe first ideals of American education is that as many people as possible should have access to as much education as they want. This ideal is an outcome of the American assertions about equality among people.The second ideal is producing a society that is to totally literate and of local control.In the United States, education is governed by state and local governments, not by the Federal government. Each of the 50 states has its own laws regulating education. From state to state, some laws are similar; others are not .For example, all states require young people to attend school until the age of 16 or 18.The third ideal is about the basic nature of knowledge and learning. The ideal is that scholars and students should work to discover new information or conceive new ways to understand what is already known. Learning at all levels is considered not just a process of memorizing knowledge. Learning is an enterprise of exploration, experimentation, analysis and synthesis. American schools tend to put more emphasis on developing critical thinking than acquiring quantities of facts. The goal of American education is to teach children how to learn and help them reach their maximum potential.Education in America is regarded as both an individual benefit and a social necessity. It is a general view that every American should have the right and obligation to become educated. Americans believe that, through education, an individual acquires knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities which will enable them to fit into society and improve their social status. They hold the view that the future of the nation depends largely on education.Educational System1) Elementary and Secondary EducationFormal education in the United States consists of elementary, secondary and higher education. Elementary and secondary education, the basis of public education are compulsory and are divided into 12 grades. Generally, one academic year from September through June is required to complete each grade. The first academic institution that a child attends is called elementary school although many parents choose to enroll their children in kindergarten and even earlier, nursery school or daycare center. In some school systems, elementary schools included grades one through eight. The next four years are called high school. In other school systems, there are three divisions: elementary school (grades one through six), junior high school (grades seven through nine) and senior high school (grades 10 through 12).Elementary schools teach reading, arithmetic and language arts such as creative writing, spelling and handwriting Social studies, science, music, the arts and physical education are also part of the program. Class size is usually limited to between 20 and 30 students although schools generally try to have a smaller class size,In high schools, subject matter becomes more specialized. English classes stress writing and literature. Social studies are split into separate courses in American history; American government or political science, European history,etc.Algebraandgeometryareoffered aswellHighschool students usually take a one-yeargeneralscience course,andthenmoredetailedcoursesinbiology,chemistry andpbysicsareprovided.Mosthighschoolstudentsstudyaforeignlanguage,usuallyFrenchor Spanish, with Chinese becoming more and more popular as a foreign language choice in some areas.Some highschools specialize in vocational education and train students forvarioustechnicalcareers. Inmosthighschools, studentsmeetwithadifferentteacherandadifferentgroupofstudentsforeachsubject.Thehighschoolstudentsdaymaybedividedintonineperiods:fiveforacademicsubjects, oneforphysicaleducation, alunchperiodandtwostudyperiods.Thestudyperiodsmaybeusedtovisitthelibraryorparticipateinanextracurricularactivitysuchas theschoolorchestra, newspaper staff, or chess club. Onceastudenthasreachedhighschool, theyareveryconsciousoftheneedtoobtaingoodmarksontheirschoolworkif theywishtogoontoacompetitiveuniversity.Someuniversitiesareveryselectiveintheiradmission, whileothersadmitanystudentprovidedtheyhavepassedallthehighschoolcoursesandgraduated. Onthematterofadmission, differentcollegesanduniversitieshavedifferentrequirements. InAmerica,thereisnoannualcollegeentranceexamination.Collegeapplicantsarechosenonthebasisofa)theirhighschoolrecords,b)recommendationsfromtheirhighschoolteachers;c)theimpressiontheymakeduringinterviewsattheuniversity;d)theirscoresontheScholasticAptitudeTest(SATOfallthehighschoolgraduates,morethan60%continuecollegeaftergraduation.2)HigherEducation HighereducationintheUnitedStatesbeganwiththefoundingofHarvardCollegein1636.Inthepastmorethan300years, ithasdevelopedintoalargeenterprisewithawerycomplexsystem.Thehighereducationcomprisesfourcategoriesofinstitutions:a)theuniversity;b)thefour-yearundergraduateinstitution-thecollege;c)thetechnicaltraininginstitution:andd)thetwo-yearcommunitycollege. InAmerica, thetermcollegereferstoanundergraduateinstitutionthatconfersthe degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S) after four years of study or an associate degree after two years of study. A university is generally a group of college, each serving a special purpose: college of business, college of arts and humanities, college of education, etc. The system of higher education in the United States has three functions: teaching, research and public service. Each college or university has its own emphasis with regard to its functions. The majority of the higher education institutions are located in states that have a large population.The American higher education institutions offer a wide variety of subjects, from the fine arts to practical and career-oriented fields such as engineering and marketing.The U.S. has a variety of higher education institutions, from large comprehensive universities to small traditional liberal arts colleges. Distinctions among these institutions are in size, level, educational quality, residential atmosphere and the time it takes to compete a degree. At the undergraduate level, students personal preferences as to size, academic quality and location play a key role in their choice of college 0 university. At the graduate level, more attention is paid to the reputation of the faculty and department.For a university student, an academic year is about nine months, usually from mid-September until early June or from late August until May. ln most universities, it is dividedinto either two semesters or three semesters, excluding the summer session. The studentsusually enjoy a break of one week during each semester and a 30-daywinterbreakTypically, an undergraduate student has to earn a certain number of credits( usually at least 120) in order to receive a degree at the end of four years of college.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 ina single course. A course may last 10 to 16 weeks, the length of a semester.Living accommodations are usually not large enough to hold all university students, though large numbers of residence halls have been built. Many students live off campus and prepare their own meals.It is common for students to work to earn their tuition and living expenses not only during vacations but also in their free time during the semester. Many colleges and universities offer work-study programs so that students can earn money while working at the school.Sports have a significant place in American university life. Football is the most popular university sport. Some universities award both football and basketballscholarships, and students admitted mainly as athletics or jocks receive not only free tuition but also other financial assistanceThere are clubs and activities for almost every students interests, such as art, music, drama, debate, foreign languages, photography volunteer work, all aimed at helping students become successful in their later life while simultaneously pursuing their hobbies.3)FamousUniversitiesHarvard University, the oldest institution of higher in theUnitedStates, isacomprehensiveuniversity.HarvardCollege wasestablishedin1636andwasnamedforitsfirstbenefactor, JohnHarvard! Theuniversityhasgrownfromninestudentswithasinglemastertoanenrollmentofmorethan20,000degreecandidates, includingundergraduates, graduatesandprofessionalstudentsin11principalacademicunits.HarvardUniversityisknownaroundtheworldforitsoutstandingacademicachievements. Theuniversityhasproducedmorethan40Nobellaureates. EightPresidentsoftheUnitedStatesaregraduatesofHarvard.Yale University wasfoundedin1701 astheCollegiateSchoolinKillingworth,Connecticut. In1716, itmovedtoitspermanentlocationinNewHaven. ElihuYale, a wealthyBritishmerchant, donatedgenerouslytotheschool, anditwasrenamedYaleCollegein1718.In1864, YaleCollegewasrenamedYaleUniversity. Theuniversityisnowcomprisedofthreemajoracademic components:YaleCollege(theundergraduateprogram), theGraduateSchoolofArtsandSciencesand10professionalschools.Yaleencompassesawidearrayofresearchorganizations,libraries,museumsandadministrativesupportoffices.Approximately12,000studentsattendYale.Anditembarksonasteadyexpansion.Withstrictteachingandenrollment, YaleUniversityhasahighacademicstandardandgreatprestigesomeoftheword smostfamousandpowerful mentodayaregraduatesofYale, includingGeorgew. Bush, JohnKerryandWilliamF. BuckleyJr, etc.Princeton University wasknownastheCollegeofNewJerseyfrom1746to1896.Itiswell knownforitsHistoryDepartment,PhilosophyDepartment,EnglishDepartment,MathematicsDepartmentandPhysicsDepartment.TheWoodrowWilsonSchoolofPublicandInternationalAffairshasbeencontinuouslytraininggovernmentofficials.PresidentWilsonandover80SenatorsaregraduatesofPrincetonUniversity.MassachusettsInstitute of Technologyisaninstitutefamousforitsscientificandtechnologicaltrainingandresearch. Establishedin1861, theinstituteusedtobeapurelytechnicalinstitution. Itiscomprisedoffiveschools:theSchoolofArchitectureandPlanning, theSchoolofEngineering, theSchoolofHumanities, ArtsandSocialSciences, theMITSloganSchoolofManagementandtheSchoolof Science.Whileattachingimportancetoteaching, theinstitutepaysgreatattentiontotheorystudyandappliedresearch.Boththeundergraduatesandthegraduatespricipateincooperativeresearchwork.MIThasachievedsignificantsucessinthefieldsofscientificresearch.4)MulticulturalEducationTheschoolsintheUnitedStateshavebeengreatlyaffectedbythecombinationofpopulationandincreasedimmigration. Forexample, inCaliforniapublicschoolsoneoutofsixstudentswasbornoutsidetheU.S, andoneinthreespeaksalanguageotherthanEnglishathome.Today, schoolsroutinelyteachtheexperiencesandvaluesofmanyethniccultures. Currenttextbooksincorporateavarietyofethnicindividualswhohaveachievedsuccess. Strugglesforequalityarevividlydepicted, andpastracismisbluntlyacknowledged. Culturalpluralismisnowgenerallyrecognizedastheorganizingprincipleofeducation. Concreteexamplescanbefoundatverygradelevel. ElementaryschoolstudentslearnnotonlyaboutthetraditionalThanksgivingcelebrationintheUnitedStates, butalsoaboutotherharvestholidaysaroundtheworld. Highschoolsincludeliteraturefromaroundtheworld, offeringalternativeperspectivesonsocialproblemsandsignificanthistoricalevents. EthnicstudiesdepartmentscanbefoundinhighschoolsandcollegesthroughouttheU.s.MediaTechnologicaladvancesinAmericahavemademasscommunicationsinexpensiveandimmediatelyavailabletoeveryone.Themediaisperceivedasmoretrustworthythanbusiness, stateandlocalgovernments, orthepresidency.NewspapersNoothercountryintheworldhasmoredailynewspapersthantheU.S.ThequalityofsomeAmericanpapersisextremelyhighandtheirviewsarequotedallovertheworld.Manyofthenewspapershavecolumnsbywell-knownjournalistsofdifferentpoliticalandsocialviewsinordertopresentabalancedpicture.Tomanyreaders,themostentertainingpartofthepaperisthefunniesorcomicssection.Almosteveryonecanfindacomicstripthatappealstohim,whetherhistasteisforslapstickhumor, violence, adventureorintellectualsatire. Ofallthenewspapers, thefallowingonesarethemostinfluentialintheU.S.TheNewYorkTimeswasestablishedin1851, consistentlyrankingnumberoneintheU.S. foreditorialqualityandnewscoverage.Itissoldespecallytotheupperorupper-middleclassandhasareputationforitsseriousattitudeandgreatbulk.TheWashingtonPost, establishedin1877, isthedominantnewspaperintheU.S.capitalandusuallycountedasoneofthegreatestnewspapersintheU.S.ItsmainreadersaregovernmentemployeesanditiscloselylinkedtotheAmericanCongress.ItwasTheWashingtonPoslthatfirstexposedtheWatergateScandalin1972.TheLosAngelesTimes, establishedin1881, isoneoftheworldsgreatnewspapers.ItispublishedbytheTimesMirrorCompany*inLosAngeles.Beingphysicallyhuge,itoftencovers200pagesonSunday.Furthermore,itmakesapolicynottoendorsecandidatesforhighfficessuchasthethePresidentandgovernors.TelevisionandBroadcastIntheUnitedStates, thereisnogovernment-ownedtelevisionnetwork. ThemajorradioandTVnetworksaretheColumbiaBroadcastingSystem(CBS)theNationalBroadcastingSystem(NBS)andtheAmericanBroadcastingSystem(ABS)Nearlyall TV iscommercialandprogramsarefrequentlyinterruptedwithadvertisements. However, commercialsdomakeitpossibletoshowprogramsthatareexpensivetoproduce.Thereisonechannelwheretherearenocommercials.ProgramsonthischannelareproducedbythePublicBroadcastingService(PBS)andcanbeseenallovertheUnitedStates.AIthoughPBSgetsagrantfromCongress, Congressdoesnotinterfereinanywayregardingthecontentofitsprograms,TheCableNewsNetwork(CNN)isaenabletelevisionnetworkthatwasestablishedin1980byTedTurner.ItisadivisionoftheTurnerBroadcastingSystem.CNNiswidelycreditedforintroducingtheconceptof24hournewscoverage.TheVoiceofAmerica(VOA)isthemostfamousradiostationintheUnitedStatesforthedisseminationofpropagandatoforeigncountries.Beingsupportedandorganizedbythegovernment, VOAwasoriginallyestablishedtobroadcastwarinformation. Nowitsdayto-dayoperationsaresupportedbytheInternationalBroadcastingBureau.Itsendsnewstothewholeworldinover40languages24hoursaday.HolidaysandFestivalsThanksgivingThanksgivingiscelebratedintheU.S. onthefourthThursdayinNovember. FormanyAmericans it is themostimportant holidayapart fromChristmas. Schools, officesandmostbusinesses closefor Thanksingandmanypeoplemakethewhole weekendavacation.ThanksgivingisassociatedwiththetimewhenEuropeansfirstcametoNorthAmerica. In1620, whenthePilgrimsfirstarrived, theyhadaveryhardwinterandcouldnotfindenoug