EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE USA

The defining feature of distance learning is that you do not need to attend the awarding university/institution in person. This allows you to study from home with course materials provided by the institution. (1) Institutions provide special systems of support to help you through the course.

This style of study is not new. The University of London established its External Programme in 1858 to make the degree accessible to students who, for one reason or another, could not come to London to study, and it now offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications, to almost 24,500 students in over 157 countries around the world. Many professional bodies were also aware of the conflict that people face between the need to work full time and the need to acquire and keep up to date a professional qualification. (2)

Provision for students unable to attend university increased in 1969 when the Open University was established. (3) It offers its 150.000 students the opportunity of studying for undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications or a range of professional diplomas. Now a growing number of other UK institutions are developing distance learning programmes to offer students the chance of studying without leaving home.

The academic support given to a distance learning student varies from programme to programme and from institution to institution. (4) In its simplest form, students may receive basic academic guidance through specially written study guides and past examination papers and reports. However, many programmes provide an extensive range of materials including videos, computer disks, audio tapes and annotated texts. Some institutions have introduced programmes of study which can be delivered to a student’s home by Internet. Direct tutor support may not always be available, but, if it is, it may be given through seminars given by visiting academics and email/fax responses to assignments returned to the home institution, residential summer schools and/or revision weekends. (5)

The choice of qualifications available to students is wide, from ‘A’ levels to undergraduate diploma and degrees, master’s programmes and PhD by research.

A Since the turn of the century, such bodies have offered their members the opportunity to gain qualifications through correspondence courses.

B However, the focus is on self-study.

C These can be paper-based, on CD-Rom or provided through the Internet.

D Some universities and colleges have local partners who provide on the spot advice and support.

E The OU differs from most other British universities in that it is open to any adult living in the UK/EU irrespective of previous educational qualifications.

Exercise 11. Answer the following questions about various aspects of university educarion in Britain.

1. What is the dominant teaching style in British universities?

2. What is the difference between a workshop and a seminar?

3. What is a tutorial?

4. What role does a tutor play in a student's academic life?

5. In what ways can an academic year be structured?

6. What are the main costs for university students in Britain?

7. What governmental support can a student receive towards his/ her tuition fees? What does it depend on?

8. In what form is the help towards living expenses provided by the government? On what conditions?

9. What are the two main types of scholarships?

Exercise 12. Explain how the following is connected with the system of teacher training in the UK.

l Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA)

l Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

l initial teacher training

l in-service training

l Postgraduate certificate of Education

l Bachelor of Education

l Graduate Teacher Program (GTP)

l Overseas Trained Teacher Program

Further Reading

1. Gordon P. Dictionary of british education / P. Gordon, Lawton D. – London; Portland, OR: Woburn Press, 2003. – 303 p.

2. Sheerin S. Spotlight on Britain [2-d edition] / S. Sheerin, J. Seath, G. White. – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990. 140 p.

* The name derives from the student age group: 11-12 years.

* The types of secondary schools described above within the selective and non-selective system are government-maintained schoolswhere instruction is provided free of charge. Besides these government-maintained schools (or state schools) there are privately run schools in the UK called public schools or independent schools.

A public school, in common English and Welsh usage, is a (usually) prestigious school, for children usually between the ages of 11 or 13 and 18, which charges fees and is not financed by the state.

It is traditionally a single-sex boarding school (which provides accommodation), although many now accept day pupils and are coeducational. Public schools are free to select their pupils, subject only to the general legislation against discrimination. The principal forms of selection are financial and academic, although credit may be given for musical, sporting or other promise. The majority date back to the 18^th or 19^th centuries, and several are over 400 years old. Among the most famous ones are Eton, Harrow and Winchester.

The English usage of the term “public school” is in direct opposition to what any foreign English speaker would expect. In countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, the United States and Canada, a “public school” is the equivalent of an English “state school”, while an independent, fee-charging school is called a “private school”. This is also the generic name for all fee-paying schools for children in England and Wales, although rarely used for those which categorise themselves as public schools. Preparatory schools (historically also known as “private schools”, as they were usually privately owned by the headmaster) take children from the age of eight (or younger) and prepare them for their entrance exams to public schools.

The term “public” (first adopted by Eton College) refers to the fact that the school is open to the paying public, as opposed to a religious school, which was open only to members of a certain church. It also distinguished it from a private education at home (usually only practical for the very wealthy who could afford tutors).

* * Many non-advanced courses are provided in further education colleges for people aged over 16.

* The system described is the educational system of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish educational system is different:

In Scotland, pupils between the ages of 5 and 16 years receive full-time education. After 7 years of primary education pupils are transferred to secondary education, usually around the age of 12 years. There are no entry restrictions to secondary education in Scotland. Further education in Scotland is available through Higher and Advanced Higher education courses.

There is no statutory curriculum in Scotland, thus local authorities and headteachers have responsibility for the delivery and management of the curriculum, however guidelines are provided.

Scotland also has a separate exam system. After seven years of primary education and four years of compulsory secondary education, students aged 15 to 16 take the Scottish Certificate of Education (SCE) which appears in two levels: SCE (“O” level) or simply a Standard Grade (taken by pupils aged 14-16 over their 3^rd and 4^th years of secondary schooling); SCE “Highers” or simply “Highers” (one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications usually taken in the 5^th Year of secondary school at the age 15 or 16).

* * The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are usually called Oxbridge.

*

* The English civic university movement developed out of various 19^th century private research and education institutes in industrial cities.

* The report recommended immediate expansion of universities, and that all Colleges of Advanced Technology should be given the status of universities. Consequently, the number of full-time university students was to rise from 197 000 in the 1967-68 academic year to 217 000 in the academic year of 1973-74 with “further big expansion” thereafter.

* = humanitarian subjects

EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE USA

Education in the United States is provided mainly by the government, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local.

The federal government provides research and support to ensure equal access and excellence in education, along with funding student loan programs and assistance to lower- income students. Nevertheless, responsibility for education remains primarily a state and local enterprise. According to the U.S. Department of Education, about 90 percent of the annual expenditures for education at all levels comes from state, local, and private sources.

State boards of education, along with a state superintendent or commissioner, oversee local education districts, set student and teacher standards, approve the classroom curriculum, and often review textbook selections. The state’s chief power, however, is increasingly financial: most states now provide substantial aid to schools to supplement local tax revenues.

Local boards of education, most of which are elected, administer the nation’s nearly 15,500 school districts, ranging from small rural schools in states like Kansas and Nebraska to the New York City system, which educates more than a million children annually. They are responsible for school curricula, funding, teaching, and other policies.

The American education system requires that students complete 12 years of primary and secondary education (compulsory schooling) prior to attending university or college.

The U.S. educational system today comprises almost 96,000 public elementary and secondary schools, plus more than 4 200 institutions of higher learning, ranging from small, two-year community colleges to massive state universities with undergraduate and graduate programs in excess of 30 000 students.

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 1466