Education in the United States

Education in the U.S. Main Contents: 1. History 2. Administration 3. Practice 4. Education for all

Education in the U.S. --- History 1. American education was rooted in the Old World experience. 2. After the war of independence, American education came into its own. 3. Before the Civil War in the 1860s, there was little laws that concerned children to attend school.

Education in the U.S. --- History 1) When the Puritan settlers in Massachusetts came to the New World, they brought with them a belief that education was fundamental to religion and to service for the commonwealth. 2) Quite a number of the early settlers were graduates of Cambridge and Oxford Universities.

Education in the U.S. --- History 3) The Puritans set up schools as instinctively as they set up churches: ① The Boston Latin School in 1634, ② Harvard College in 1636, ③ They took their first step toward establishing a system of public schools. ④ In 1647, Massachusetts passed a radical law, which required every town to provide its children with schools and schoolmasters.

Education in the U.S. --- History 4) the Puritans introduced two practices: compulsory education for all children public taxation for schools 5) Throughout the colonies, young men and women could receive an education in reading by becoming an apprentice in a small business.

Education in the U.S. --- Administration 1. The goal of education 2. Educational systems 3. Funds for schools

Education in the U.S. --- Administration 1. The goal of American education ①To achieve universal literacy ②to provide individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote both their own individual welfare as well as that of the general public.

Education in the U.S. --- Administration 2. Educational systems In America, education is a national concern, a state responsibility, and a local function. 1) There are 50 educational systems in the United States. The U.S. Constitution mentions nothing about education. Each state enjoys freedom to develop a school system as extensive or as limited as it desires.

Education in the U.S. ---Administration 2) Local communities in turn were given substantial freedom to select teachers and administrators and to schedule the school year and day to meet the standards by the states. 3) There was not a federal organization for education until the establishment of the U.S. Office of Education in 1867. In 1953 became a branch of the largest federal agency -----The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Education in the U.S. --- Administration 4) Since the U.S. Constitution is silent on education, all educational matters are left to the individual state. On the state level, educational policy is generally the responsibility of boards of education. And there is no one uniform pattern of state administration.

Education in the U.S. --- Administration 5) In most states, the state legislature or governor appoints state boards, but a few state boards are elected . Ohio, for example, has one board member elected from each of 24 districts.

Education in the U.S. --- Administration 6) ★Different education laws for different states: All states require young people to attend school. to age 16 to age 18 Every children is guaranteed up to 13 years of education. ★ the selection of learning material ★ A strong tendency to educate their children about major public concerns.

Education in the U.S. --- Administration 3. Funds for schools come from 3 sources: 1) Approximately 50% is raised through local property taxes. 2) An average of from 40% --50% comes from the states. 3) Only 8% -- 9% from the national government.

Education in the U.S. --- Administration College and universities are administered in a way quite separate from that of schools. Public and private colleges depend on 3 sources: student tuition endowments government funding The federal government influences higher education and contributes financially to it but has no control over its substance and practice.

Education in the U.S. --- Practice 1. General situation 2. School system 3. Higher Education

Education in the U.S. --- Practice 1. General situation Public schools 90% Private schools 10% 4 out of 5 private schools are run by churches, synagogues or other religious groups. Religious teachings are a part of the curriculum.

Education in the U.S. --- Practice Schools were asked not only to teach the new information, but to help students ask their own questions about it. → the “inquiry” method of learning

Education in the U.S. --- Practice 2. School system Education is carried out at various levels, which are mainly divided into: 1) elementary education 2) secondary education 3) higher education

Education in the U.S. --- Practice Elementary and secondary education covers 12 years from age 6 through 18, but a variety of subdivision may be identified, with the most popular pattern being ① 8---4 ( 8 years for elementary school and 4 years for high school). ② 6--2--4 (6 years for primary school, 2 years for junior high school, and 4 years for senior high school).

Education in the U.S. --- Practice ③ 6 –3 –3 ( 6 years for elementary school, 3 years for junior high school, and 3 years for senior high school). ④ 4 – 4 – 4 ( 4 years for primary school, middle school, and high school respectively). ⑤ 6– 6 ( 6 years for elementary school and combined junior and senior high school respectively).

Education in the U.S. --- Practice Secondary education takes place in a variety of junior and senior high schools. There are several different kinds of high schools with somewhat different missions. Vocational and technical high schools generally provide for a variety of occupations and vocations, some of them specialize in a single vocational or technical area such as aviation, electronic , and automotive trades.

Education in the U.S. --- Practice Academic high schools emphasize their schooling in academic and intellectual disciplines. ⇛While in reality the majority of American high schools call themselves secondary education for almost all high schools age children and are responsible for providing good and appropriate education, both academic and vocational, for all young people.

Education in the U.S. --- Practice 3. Higher Education Successful applicants are chosen on the basis of : a. high school records b. recommendations c. the impression d. scores on the SATS.

Education in the U.S. --- Practice Higher education in America is noted for its complexity. ★Four categories of the institutions: The university colleges graduate schools The 4-year undergraduate institution (the college--independent) The technical training institution The two-year, or community college

Education in the U.S. --- Practice Difference between College and University ①College: usually refers to an institution that concentrates on a four-year study leading to graduation with a bachelor’s degree ; College also sometimes refers to academic units, within universities.

Education in the U.S. --- Practice ②University is usually larger and provides, in addition to four years of undergraduate work, advanced research and studies in academic areas and professional fields leading to doctoral degree. University can refer to a public system of higher education within a state that includes many campuses.

Education in the U.S. --- Practice Higher education includes: undergraduate study ----- Bachelor’s degree graduate study ------Master’s degree ------Doctor’s degree

Education in the U.S. --- Practice Undergraduate students are classified according to their year of study. First year : Freshmen Second Year: Sophomores Third-year Students: Juniors Fourth-year students: Seniors

Education in the U.S. --- Practice At the undergraduate level, students usually select their “major” plus a specific number of “electives”. In order to receive a degree, an undergraduate student has to earn a certain numbers of “credits”. ---credits are earned by attending lectures and by completing assignments and examinations.

Education in the U.S. --- Practice ▶The Ivy League(常春藤联盟) The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education located in the Northeastern United States. The term was firstly used by Stanley Woodward--a sports journalist for New York Herald Tribune in 1930s.

Education in the U.S. --- Practice The Ivy League is now most commonly used to refer to those eight schools considered as a group: Brown University (布朗大学), Columbia University(哥伦比亚大学), Cornell University(康乃尔大学), Dartmouth College(达特茅斯学院), Harvard University(哈佛大学), Princeton University(普林斯顿大学), Yale University(耶鲁大学), University of Pennsylvania(宾西法尼亚大学).

Education in the U.S. --- Practice The term has connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and a reputation for social elitism.

Brown University--Rhode Island

Columbia University--New York

Cornell University—New York

Dartmouth College--New Hampshire

Harvard University--Cambridge, Massachusetts

Princeton University—Princeton, New Jersey

Yale University--Connecticut

University of Pennsylvania--Pennsylvania

Education in the U.S. – Education For All Servicemen’s Readjustment Act --- GI Bill of Rights Affirmative action programs