The American system of education differs somewhat from the systems of other
countries. It has certain peculiarities of its own which are closely
connected with the specific conditions of life in the New World and the
history of American society. There are free, state-supported, public
schools
which the majority of American children attend. There are also
a number of private elementary and secondary schools where a fee is charged
for admission and children are accepted or rejected on the basis of an
examination. These include many church-supported schools, usually Catholic,
which also charge a fee. Most public schools are coeducational, that is,
girls and boys study together, but a lot of the church-supported schools are
for boys or girls only.
Under the United States Constitution the federal government has no power to
make laws in the field of education. Thus, education remains primarily a
function of the states. Each state has a Board of Education
(usually 3
to 9 members elected by the public or appointed by the governor), not
subject to federal control. State laws determine the age of compulsory
education, the length of the school year, the way in which teachers shall be
certified and many of the courses that must be taught. With so much local
control there is some degree of uniformity of education provided in
different parts of the USA, because state and national accrediting
agencies
insist that certain standards be maintained and certain
things be taught.
Education is compulsory for every child from the age of 6 up to the age of 16 except in Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania where it is compulsory to the age of 17 and in Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah where children must go to school until the age of 18.
Elementary (primary) and secondary (high) schools are organized on one of
two bases: eight years of elementary school and four years of secondary
school, or six years of elementary, three years of junior high school
and three years of senior high school
.
Elementary school children in the US learn much the same things as do
children of the same age in other countries. The program of studies includes
English (reading, writing, spelling
, grammar, composition), arithmetic
(sometimes elementary algebra or plane geometry in upper grades
,
geography, history of the USA, and elementary natural science. Physical
training, music, drawing are also taught. Some schools teach a modern
language, such as French, Spanish, or German.
The junior high school is a sort of halfway between elementary and secondary school. It continues some elementary school subjects, but it also introduces courses in mathematics and science, and usually gives students their first chance to study a foreign language. It usually comprises grades seven, eight and nine, although sometimes it is only grades seven and eight.
The high school prepares young people either for work immediately after graduation or for more advanced study in a college or university. Although there are some technical, vocational and specialized high schools in the United States the typical high school is comprehensive in nature. The subjects studied in elementary school are dealt with in greater detail and in more advanced form in high school. In addition one can specialize in home economics, chemistry and physics, music, humanities, automobile mechanics, etc. High school students study 4-5 major subjects a year and classes in each of them meet for an hour a day, five days a week.
The United States have the shortest school year in the world, an average of 180 days.
An important part of high school life is what is called extracurricular activities. The student is free to join a chorus, band or school orchestra; enter the debating team, or participate in sports of all kinds as well as a variety of social activities.
The fundamental task the US faces today is the modernization of the entire school system. It is not only to provide more and better schools, but also to re-examine the contents of the education and to bring it into line with modern requirements.
public school -- государственная школа
Board of Education -- (местный) отдел народного образования
accrediting agencies -- учреждения, определяющие требования
по аттестации знаний учащихся
junior high school -- неполная (младшая) средняя школа
senior high school -- полная (старшая) средняя школа
spelling -- правописание, орфография
grade -- класс (в школе)