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Education System in the United States

EDUCATION AND CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES

(Ñëàéä 2) Plan to the lecture

 

1. The Main Concepts of American Education

2. Education System in the United States

3. American Higher Education

4. Problems Facing American Education

US social customs and habits

6. Culture in USA

7. Festivals and Traditions in the US

 

COMMENTARY

1. engineering– a scientific discipline of study, leading to a professional designation applicable to that industry. Areas of engineering would be: electronic, mechanical, electrical, biomedical, architectural, etc.

2. a tuition fee– a cost associated with enrolment in a college, university or institution of higher education. A fee for services provided by professors, teachers, and for laboratories, libraries and living quarters, etc.

3. a scholarship– a grant or subsidy given to a particular student showing high academic skills and potential but without adequate financial resources to enroll in a specific university.

4. the Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD)– a degree bestowed upon a given individual who has successfully completed advanced studies (post graduate) in a school of higher education. The JD degree (Juris Doctor) is the equivalent of the PhD in the field of law.

 

(Ñëàéä 3) 1. The main concepts of American education

Educational institutions in the United States, according to the ideas of their creators, should reflect the nation's basic values and ideals. In some respects this has been achieved, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

The underlying principle of the American system of education is to educate people in such a way that everyone has the opportunity to develop to his/her greatest potential. As elsewhere, one of the major problems is the question of what should be the true goal of education. The American system tends to focus on teaching people to get along in the community. Learning to think for oneself and learning by doing are stressed as means of developing the judgement to achieve this goal.

Another major purpose of education in America is to lay the ground work for achieving success in life. Here it should be said that Americans value education largely as a means to reaching a higher standard of living. The belief is widespread in the US that the more schooling a person has, the more money he or she will earn on college graduation. Generally speaking, the expectation is that degrees in fields such as business and engineering will result in higher paying careers than a degree in the liberal arts (literature, history, philosophy, etc.).

(Ñëàéä 4)Equality of opportunity – the declared motto for life in the United States – is also an important aspect of the American system of education. Because of the inequalities inherent in society as a whole, however, the goal of equal opportunity in education remains an ideal rather than a reality. Furthermore, the very structure of education itself, which contains both public and private schools, may not encourage equality of opportunity.



There exist private schools where tuition fees are relatively high, so that they educate primarily upper-class children. The reason why parents send their children to these schools is that they often believe they will receive a better education in them and/or they will associate with other children of their own background. However, these private schools are few in number, and they do not by any means displace the public schools, which are truly the central educational institution in the United States.

Since separation of church and state is a principle of American democracy, and therefore religion cannot be taught in state-supported schools, there are also many parochial schools, which are supported by the church. These are often Catholic, but there are Protestant and Jewish schools as well.

There is still another factor which supports the idea of equal opportunity – competition in getting jobs or entering the best universities is held on a relatively equal basis irrespective of the type of the school, private or public, one has attended. Furthermore, a lot depends on the personal qualities of the individual school graduate.

There are also private colleges and universities, many of which have strict entrance requirements. Some believe that private institutions of higher learning have higher graduation standards, but this is debatable.

All university students must pay tuition fees. In private universities these are usually much higher. In addition to tuition fees one has to pay for books and room and board. Deserving students may receive scholarships of various types that offset the high costs of higher education.

Unlike the European system of higher education, individual colleges and universities in the US do not have their own entrance examinations. Rather, admission is based on scholastic achievement in high school d performance on standardized national tests (the SAT or ACT). In addition, colleges and universities may require applicants to submit samples of their writing.

(Ñëàéä 5) 2. Stages of Education

The divisions or stages a child passes in his/her educational ladder are elementary, junior high school or middle school, and high schools. American children begin to attend school by the age of five or six. There are also pre-school classes called kindergarten. Before this they may attend nursery school or a day care center.

Schooling is divided into twelve academic levels or grades, each of which lasts one year. Elementary school usually covers grades one through six or seven. Middle school or junior high school is from grades seven to nine or seven to eight. The concluding three or four grades form high school.

After high school over 40 per cent of the graduates pursue higher education in colleges and universities. Nearly every state has at least one university supported by public funds which offers training through the Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD). There are also public community colleges, also called junior colleges which offer a two-year program in a variety of disciplines, and state teacher colleges which specialize in training school teachers. The word "college" refers either to an independent institution offering undergraduate education or to a part of a university, such as a College of Arts and Sciences or a College of Engineering.

The idea of giving a child practical skills comes from John Dewey, who became the apostle of American schools. This philosopher and educator believed that conveying factual information to students is secondary to teaching them thinking processes and skills which they will use in the future. He also greatly influenced teaching techniques by stressing that activity and experimentation should come first. So, in American schools much attention is given to creative activities. Students are encouraged to be creative both during class time and extra-curricular hours.

American high schools try to adapt to the needs of society. Learning computer skills starts early. As life is becoming more complex, new subjects are introduced. Schools are initiating programs previously viewed as a part of home education. These include subjects such as driver's education, sewing and cooking classes called home economics, consumer education, and health and sex education, where issues like drug and alcohol abuse and smoking may be treated.

American high schools offer different branches of education for their students. For the college-bound, high schools offer classes in math, sciences, social sciences, English, and foreign languages. Other students take vocational courses such as shorthand and mechanical drawing, and some do work/study programs which enable them to get high school credit for on-the-job training in various occupations.

Education System in the United States

age groups stages of education  
3 years old nursery school PRE-SCHOOL
4 years old kindergarten EDUCATION
5 years old kindergarten  
6 years old 1st grade ELEMENTARY
7 years old primary school EDUCATION
8 years old to 11 years old elementary school  
12 years old to 14 middle school or junior high school SECONDARY
15 to 17 years old high school EDUCATION
18 years old to 21 years old 1st year – freshman 2nd year – sophomore 3d year – junior 4th year – senior COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION (bachelor's degree)
2 years Master's program GRADUATE OR
3 to 6 years Professional school (law, medicine) PROFESSIONAL
3 to 5 years Doctoral program (after M.A. program) EDUCATION

(Ñëàéä 6) MIDDLE DIVISION PROGRESS CHECK LIST

GRADES 3-3

NAME __________________ TEACHER_______________ GRADE _________________ TERM___________________   Strong Progress Satis- factory Progress Impro- vement Needed Quality of Effort 1,2,3
Language Arts
Reading with fluency and expression V      
Comprehension – literal V      
– inferential V      
Vocabulary V      
Phonics (word attack skills) V      
Spelling V      
Written expression V      
Sentence mechanics V      
Oral expression V      
Handwriting V      
Listening V      
Mathematics
Numeration V      
Computation skills – Add/Subtr V      
– Mult/Div V      
Problem solving   V    
Geometry   V    
Graphs V      
Estimating   V    
Fractions   V    
Decimals V      
Social Studies
Understanding of concepts   V    
Research/Recording skills   V    
Class participation – Listening   V    
– Contributing        
Science
Understanding of concepts V      
Research/Recording Skills V      
Class participation – Listening V      
– Contributing V      
Work and Social Habits
Neatness and organization   V    
Ability to follow directions V      
Completion of assignments V      
Acceptance of responsibility   V    
Politeness V      
Days Absent/Session Days _______ Classroom Teacher: _______ Parents Signature ________________________

 

(Ñëàéä 7) 3. American Universities and Colleges

Acceptance into the university is based on a written application, submission of a transcript showing all grades from all courses in previously-attended educational institutions, evidence that the student satisfactorily completed all requirements at the previously-attended institution, and sometimes an oral interview at the school which the student desires to attend. If the student is entering college he or she must also take a test called the S.A.T. (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the A.C.T. (American College Testing), which supposedly measures the student's ability to perform in a college setting. Different schools may have different standards of acceptance; some may require excellent grades on the S.A.T. and high grades for the student's previous coursework, while others may have less stringent requirements. Smaller schools usually like to orally interview the student before making a decision to accept him or her. This allows the school to have a close look at each student, his/her personality, and to make sure that the student's goals will be met by the school.

To graduate from a university requires a student to complete requirements of the university, to achieve the minimum allowable grade in the required courses, and to spend the minimum time required at the university (or employment). There is wide variation in the requirements depending on which university you look at. In general, universities and colleges require students to fulfill a set of general requirements applicable to all students at the school, as well as fulfilling the specific requirements for their major field of study. (Ñëàéä 8)For example, at Haverford college they require 32 credits for graduation, 1 credit being awarded for each course taken and passed per semester. So, 4 credits per semester and 2 semesters per year equals 8 credits per year. Four years of college education multiplied by 8 credits per year equals 32 credits, or the amount needed to graduate. However, the Linguistics Department requires 10 credits of linguistics courses in order to be eligible for the Bachelor of arts degree in Linguistics. As a result, it is necessary to fulfill both requirements before being allowed to graduate, i.e. pass 32 credit of courses, 10 of which must be in the Linguistic Department.

In addition, most universities require a minimum grade-point average before the student is allowed to graduate. This means that all of the grades over the entire four years are averaged; if this average is less than the minimum, the student may not graduate. In the end, a diploma is given to every student who graduates, and evidence of this diploma or a complete transcript of grades must be submitted with all applications to graduate school. Students who fail to graduate from undergraduate institutions are, of course, not permitted to enroll in graduate school.

 

Grades and Points

The difference between grades and points: a grade is the final, overall evalution of either a test, paper or oral presentation. The grade is determined by how many points the student scores on an exam or paper.

In summary, the points constitute, or determine the grade. Some professors, however, have chosen to avoid a completely mathematical system of evaluating the performance of students and may consider several additional factors in determining the final grade. These may be: whether or not the student actively and willingly participates in class discussions (this is called the "class participation" factor); whether the student prepares assignments regularly; how much effort the student shows, and to what degree he or she improves throughout the course of the semester; how much outside-the-classroom work a student does for the class. In American universities the choice of which factors to consider and how much importance to attach to each factor is left to the discretion of the professor; that is to say, most professors may use different systems of evaluating their students.

Great stress is placed on knowledge, reasoning, organization, and expression. Students may also receive training in the field of publication from the paper and the yearbook.

Student government is important in developing political and social skills. Students elect officers and compete with fellow-students in school-wide elections. Running for office and taking responsibility for a number of matters develop competitive skills. But still whether the American system lives up to its ideal of providing equal opportunity to fully develop mind and spirit is a debatable question.

 

(Ñëàéä 9) 4. Problems Facing American Education

Researchers studying the schools and the standard of education in the US have found that the American educational system has many weaknesses, among them are the inadequate level of literacy and a poor knowledge of history and literature. One study showed that around 80 percent of high school seniors could not identify Dickens, Dostoevsky, and Ibsen. Other studies indicate that students are weak in mathematics and writing skills.

Many students simply do not study enough. Two-thirds of high school seniors do an hour or less of home-work per night. American teenagers are often distracted by part-time jobs, sports, and other school activities, TV, and socializing. Some cannot cope with emotional problems, use of illegal drugs, or simply lack motivation. Clearly, if Americans are to become better educated, one study showed, students must study more, and parents must insist on it. A large number need help in learning English. Many change residences and schools often, and a changing classroom population is difficult to teach. In some classrooms, teachers have difficulty keeping the students' attention because disrespectful uncooperative students disturb the class.

Certain problems come about as a result of trying to educate everyone together. The pressing problem is how to challenge the person of above-average academic ability while taking care of the average student. The problem is solved in part by differentiated curricula. There is a wide variety of courses offerings in an American high school. Students are allowed to choose a certain number of subjects they study. But in spite of the guidance system some make unsuitable course selections. Until they drop or fail the course, they sometimes slow down the progress of the class. This is especially true of state-supported colleges and universities with a liberal admission policy. The general courses offered in the first two years are often designed to round out the education of the average person rather than for the specialist in a field.

In more specialized fields in the third and fourth years and especially at the graduate level, the problem is less acute because standards are rigorous enough so that students lacking abilities in that field will drop out or never gain admittance.

The problem of racial imbalance in schools exists in all parts of the United States, not just in the South. Despite numerous efforts the problem remains unsolved. The most controversial method has been busing school children from their neighborhoods to schools in more distant neighborhoods in order to achieve a better balance of black and white children in the schools.

Criticism of American education stimulated a reform movement which became particularly active at the end of the 1980s. As a result, 45 of the 50 states raised high school graduation requirements. Efforts have been made to involve parents in school and to improve teaching. College programs that educate teachers are encouraging academically talented students to go into teaching. School administrators are revising curricula, and publishers are creating more challenging and interesting textbooks. Finally, citizens are urging communities and the federal government to provide more tax dollars for education.

Americans believe deeply in education as the best vehicle for individual and social advancement.

3. PHI 240R SPECIAL TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY: EXISTENCE OF GOD

(2 credits)

 

**FOURTH QUARTER COURSE**

 

Semester: Spring 1996 Instructor: J. Kekes
Call No.: Prerequisites: None
Days: M W    
Time/Room: 125-325 (HU-39)    

We shall examine the Judeo-Christian worldview. This includes a consideration of its account of the nature of reality and its system of values. One basic assumption of this worldview is the existence of God. We shall consider the arguments for and against the existence of God.

Requirements:Two examinations to be given in class; one in the middle of the quarter, the other at its end; each taking two hours; each consisting of short essay-type questions.

Texts:

J. Hick, Philosophy of Religion, 2nd edition.

J. Hick, The Existence of God.

L. Stevenson, Seven Theories of Human Nature.

 

4. PHI 216 EXISTENTIAL THOUGHT IN LITERATURE AND RELIGION

 

Semester: Spring 1996 Instructor: T. Martland
Call No.: Prerequisites: None
Days: TTH    
Time/Room: 100-220 (ED-120)    

 

The purpose of this course is to examine the nature of Existentialism, distinguish it from what might be called philosophical Essentialism, and then to inquire into its significance as a mode of understanding and a vehicle of protest.

We will examine literary and religious expressions of Existentialism. Our plan will be to start with examples which make a rather simple point and to work into the more complicated philosophical implications that follow. I hope that we can do this by aggressive class discussion, but whether this is possible will in part be determined by the size of the class.

In any case there will be at least some lectures, certainly not to repeat the assignments but to go beyond them and hopefully to clear up problems and to make connections between the texts.

Incidentally the readings themselves are all Existential documents, not writings about existentialism. It is we who will provide the talk-about...

Work:The regular battery of examinations — certainly a mid-term and a final. If the class is small enough, class discussion will count. The preference and size of class will determine the kind of examination administered.

 

(Ñëàéä 10) TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF THE UNITED STATES


Date: 2015-12-11; view: 2381


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