【英美概况】【课堂笔记】美国教育educationintheUSA

1、EDUCATIONINTHEUSAGoingtoSchoolinAmericaTodayAmericaneducationhasthegoalofachievinguniversalliteracyandtoprovideindividualswiththeknowledgeandskillsnecessarytopromoteboththeirownindividualwelfareaswellasthatofthesociety.About90%ofAmericanstudentsattendpublicschoolsandtheother10%attendprivateschools.M

2、ostprivateschoolsarerunthechurches,synagoguesorotherreligiousgroups;theseschoolsteachabouttheirreligionaswellastheusualsubjectssuchasmathematics,English,science,historyandgeography.Thecostsinvolvedinprovidingeducationareveryhighandthereforeitisconstantlyunderreviewbygovernmentsandbycitizens.Thespend

3、ingofmoneyisguidedbyboardsofeducationatthestateanddistrictlevel.Thesameistruefordecisionsaboutschoolcurriculum,teacherstandardsandcertification,andthemeasurementofstudentprogress.Education-ALocalMatterEducationismainlyinthehandsofthestatesandlocalgovernments;itisnotcontrolledbythefederalgovernment.E

4、achchildinAmericaisguaranteed13yearseducation,regardlessofthechildsrace,sex,religion,learningproblems,physicalhandicaporinabilitytospeakEnglish.Eachofthe50statesintheUSAhasitsownlawsconcerningeducationsuchastheschoolleaving-ageofstudents.Americansliketoeducatetheirchildrenaboutmajorpublicconcerns,su

5、chasenvironmentalpollution,nuclearissues,crimesanddrugs.Boardsofeducationcanaddcoursestothecurriculum,iftheythinkthattheyareimportantforthestudents.WhatanAmericanStudentLearnsThereisnonationalcurriculumintheUSAbuttherearesomesubjectsthatmaybetaughttoallstudentsfromkindergartentograde12.Elementarysch

6、oolElementaryschoolusuallymeansallgradesfromkindergartenthroughtograde8.Almosteveryelementaryschoolteachesthefollowingsubjects:mathematics,English,penmanship,science,socialstudies(asubjectthatincludeshistory,geography,citizenshipandeconomics)andtheuseofcomputers.Secondaryschool(highschool)Secondarys

7、choolgenerallymeansgrades9to12.ThecoresubjectsrequiredtobetaughtinsecondaryschoolsareEnglish,mathematics,science,socialstudiesandphysicaleducation.Inadditiontotherequiredsubjects,thestudentcantochooseelectivecourses.Forinstance,iftheycompletetherequiredworkinAmericanHistory,theyarethenabletotakeaddi

8、tionalhistoryrelatedunitssuchasEuropeanHistoryandWorldPoliticalIssues.Studentscanbeguidedintheirchoiceofelectivesbyschoolcounsellors,whocansuggestelectivesrangingfromveryspecializedacademicsubjectstothosethataremorevocationalinnature.Somesecondaryschoolsspecializeinparticulartypesofsubjectssuchasbus

9、inesseducation,foreignlanguagesorindustrialtrades.Atalllevelsofeducation,studentsareexpectedtoworkhard,completeassignments,completehomeworkandshowrespecttotheirteachersandprofessors.HigherEducationAbout33%ofhighschoolstudentgraduatesgoontohighereducation.ThesystemofhighereducationintheUSAiscomplex.I

10、tcomprisesfourcategoriesofinstitutions:1.Theuniversitywhichoffersbachelorsdegrees,mastersdegreesanddoctoraldegrees.Thecollege-whichonlyoffersfour-yearbachelorsdegrees,thissortofcollegeisnotpartofauniversity.3.thetechnicaltraininginstitutionwhichoffersawiderangeofcourses,someshortandothersuptofouryea

11、rs,andwherestudentscanlearnavarietyoftechnicalskillsrangingfromhairdressingtobusinessaccounting.4.Thetwo-yearcommunitycollegewherestudentsstudyfor2yearsforaqualificationwhichthenallowsthemtogoonandcompletetheirdegree(anothertwoyears)atauniversity.SomeBachelorleveldegreeshaveanemphasisondevelopingawe

12、ll-roundedpersonandsomeBachelordegreesaredirectlyaimedataparticularcareerpath.Manyuniversitieshavegainedastrongreputationforthehighqualityoftheireducationalprograms.Someofthemostprestigiousuniversitiesreceiveaverylargenumberofapplications,andtogetaplaceatoneoftheseprestigiousuniversitiesisverydiffic

13、ult.Factorsthatdeterminethestatusoftheuniversityare:QualityoftheteachingQualityofresearchdonethere(veryimportant)AmountoffundingavailableforlibrariesNumberofapplicantsforadmissionQualityoffacilitiesThemostdesirableuniversitiesareusuallythemostexpensivebuttheirgraduateshaveadistinctadvantagewhenitcom

14、estofindingemployment.UniversityforAllAfterWorldWar2thegovernmentpassedalawofferingfinancialassistancetoreturnedsoldiers(veterans)whowishedtogotohighereducationcolleges.Manyveteranstookuptheopportunity,becausetheythoughtthatitwouldimprovetheirchancesofgettingagoodjob.Thischangedtheimageofwhoshouldgo

15、tocollege.Previously,onlyasmallpercentageofschool-leaverswereacceptedbycollegesanduniversities.Aftertheveteransstartedattendingcollege,manyothergroupsalsostartedtoattendcollege.Forinstance,theenrolmentofwomenandAfrican-Americanstudentsgreatlyincreasedafterthis.Bythistime,racialsegregationhadbeendeem

16、edunconstitutional,andtheopportunitiesforAfrican-Americanstudentstoenterhighereducationimproveddramatically.Aboutthephoto:AFortMyer,VirginiaschoolSeptember8,1954takenshortlyafteraunanimousrulingthatsegregationineducationwasinherentlyunequalasaresultofthecaseofBrownvs.theBoardofEducation.)Universitie

17、sandcollegeswentontodevelopwaystogiveschoolleaversgreateraccesstotheirprograms.Forexample,manyuniversitieschangedtheirentrancerequirements,sothattheynotonlytookstudentshighschoolperformanceandentrancescoresintoconsideration,butalsotheirthetalents,voluntaryactivitiesand“lifeexperiences”.Whatsuccessdi

18、dtheseprogramshave?Americanstudentshavebecomeanincreasinglydiversegroup.By2000therewere128womenforevery100meninhighereducation.?Alsoby2000,forevery100mastersdegreesawardedtomen,therewere138awardedtowomenUniversitiesandcollegeswereenrollinganincreasingnumberofnon-traditionalstudents,forinstance,stude

19、ntswhoenrollafterworkingforsometime,orstudentswhostudypart-timeandworkpart-time.By2000,50%ofcollegestudentswere25yearsorolderand43%werepart-time.PhysiolEcono1999RatioRaPhysiChemisogyorLiteratmicTotPopulatPopulatinkCountrycstryMedicinureScienalionon/ecex1000Nobels1Iceland0001012732732Sweden4467223891

20、13873Luxembou001001429429rg4Switzerl25620157275485and5Denmark314301153574876Britain2126248685591136957Ireland10040536337278Norway01032644397409Netherla8320215158081054nds10Germany212716817382087112411U.S.A.7345851128242272640112712Austria2130178139116313France127912242589781404PhysiologyEconomic1999

21、RatioRankCountryPhysicsChemistryorLiteratureTotalPopulationPopulation/MedicineSciencex1000Nobels1Iceland0001012732732Sweden446722389113873Luxembourg0010014294294Switzerland256201572754855Denmark314301153574876Britain2126248685591136957Ireland10040536337278Norway01032644397409Netherlands832021515808105410Germany212716817382087112411U.S.A.7345851128242272640112712Austria2130178139116313France127912242589781404PhysiologyEconomic1999RatioRankPhysicsChemistryorLiteratureTotalPopulationPopulation/CountryMedicineSciencex1000Nobels14Belgium01310510182203615Finland0101025158257916Canada25203