Education in the United States of America美国教育体系 I. The goal of education“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life.” - Chinese Proverb The goal of education is to achieve universal literacy and to provide individuals with educational opportunities. Education in the United States is provided mainly by government, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. vEach of 50 states in the United States has its own laws regulating education. From state to state, some laws are similar; others are not.II. Education a local matterIII. Expenditure of EducationvEducational funds are from several sources.v Funds for elementary and secondary schools come from 3 sources: 1.about 50% from local property taxes, 2.40-50% from the states, 3. 8%-9% from the federal government.Levels of schoolingHigher EducationSecondary EducationElementary EducationElementary school and secondary schoolvIn most areas, free public school education begins with kindergarten classes for 5 years old.vAlmost all the 50 states have laws that require 12 years of compulsory attendance at school for children.vIn some school system, the 12 grades are divided into two stages, the first 6 grades for elementary school and the next 6 grades for secondary school.vIn other school system, there are three divisions: elementary school (grades16), junior high school (79), and senior high school (1012). Education in the United StatesGradeAgePreschoolKindergarten5 - 6Elementary School1st Grade2nd Grade3rd Grade4th Grade5th Grade6 - 77 - 88 - 912 - 1310 - 116th Grade7th Grade8th Grade11 - 129 - 1013 - 14Middle School9th Grade14 - 1510th Grade11th Grade12th Grade15 - 1616 - 1717 - 18High SchoolIV. Curricula for Students1.Elementary SchoolvAlthough the federal government has no national curriculum for education, almost every elementary school provides instruction in these subjects: language arts; math ;penmanship; science; social studies; music; art; and physical education.Physical Education2. Secondary SchoolvSecondary schools offer these subjects: English, mathematics, science, social studies and physical education.vMost schools offer foreign languages. Spanish is the most popular foreign language for Americans .vClass atmosphere is usually relaxed in American schools.vAmerican educator believe that children learn better when they are happy and interested, so every effort has been made to arouse the interests of the individual.Public SchoolsvPublic schools are locally controlled.vFirstly, public schools are supported by taxes paid by all people whether or not they have children attending schools.vSecondly, they are free from religious influence.vPublic schools educate about 88% of all American children.Private SchoolsvMost private schools are related to religious groups. vIn these schools, religious instruction is part of the curriculum vToday, about 12% of all American children go to private schools for their elementary and secondary education.Middle School in U.S.AStandardized TestsvIn the last year of high school, students who want to go on to receive higher education have to take some kind of standardized tests.vThe most popular tests are Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT) and the American College Testing (ACT)SATvThe SAT is a three-hour, multiple-choice exam measuring verbal, math, and reasoning skills.vIt is required by most higher education institutions in the United States for the admission to undergraduate degree programs.Entrance Requirement of a University or a CollegevSuccessful applicants at such colleges are usually chosen on the basis of :1.Their high school academic performance2.Letters of recommendation from their high school teachers3.The impression they make during the interviews at the university4.Their scores on SATThe Complex System of Higher EducationIt comprises four categories of institutions:vThe universityvThe four-year undergraduate institutionthe collegevThe technical training institutionvThe two-year, or community collegeThe Military AcademyvThe only institutions of higher education funded by the federal government are related to the Military. vThey are the United States Military Academy （陆军学校）at West Point, New York; the United States Naval Academy （海军学校）in Annapolis, Maryland; and the United States Air Force Academy （空军军官学校）in Colorado Springs, Colorado.CreditvOne of the measurements for an undergraduate in academic progress is credit or “point”. vTypically, an undergraduate student has to earn a certain number of credits (about 120) in order to receive the bachelors degree at the end of four years of college.vCredits are earned by attending lectures (or lab classes) and by successfully completing assignments and examinations. vStudents who want to pursue graduate study have to take 1.the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), 2.or the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) for law school, 3.or the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) if one wants to go to a medical school.Table of Academic Degrees18 (age)Undergraduate for the Bachelors degree (4 years)1 (grade)19220321422Graduate School for the Masters (1-2)523624Graduate School for the Doctorate (2,3 or more)7258Postdoctoral Study and ResearchPublic UniversitiesvPublic universities are operated by a state or local government vSome famous public universities: 1.University of California at Berkley2.University of California at Los Angles (UCLA)3.University of VirginiaPrivate UniversitiesvAbout 25 percent of higher education in the United States are privately operated by religious organization. vThe most prestigious universities in America are the older private universities, such as Harvard University (1636),Yale University (1701), Princeton University (1746), Columbia University (1754),etc.Ivy League UniversitiesvIvy League Universities refer to the eight older private universities in the east of America.vHarvard University 1636 Cambridge MA vYale University 1701 New Haven CNvPrinceton University 1746 Princeton N.JvUniversity of Pennsylvania 1740 Philadelphia PAvColumbia University 1754 New York City NYvBrown University 1764 Providence RIvDartmouth College 1769 Hanover NHvCornell University 1865 Ithaca NYHarvard UniversityThank you for listening!