American_education_1

ChapterEightAmericanEducationContent•Generalintroduction•Fourlevelsofeducation•Highereducation(IvyLeague)•ExercisesGeneralIntroduction•Respectforeducation•State-administratedratherthannation-administrated•Schoolyear•Schoolholidays•SchoolgradesbackEducationislikeabigwindowopening.Americansareproudofthefactthatthewindowofknowledgeisneverslammedshutforanyofthenation’scitizen.(veterans,women,blacksandotherethnicminorities)AllAmericanchildrenareoffered12yearsoffreepubliceducation&mostgoodstudentscangetfinancialhelptocontinuetheirstudiesformanymoreyears.Adultsorpart-timerswhowishtoattendschoolalsofindmanyopportunities.•Atthestatelevel,thereisthestateboardofeducation教育委员会whichisresponsibleforestablishingpolicies.•Atthedistrictlevel,eachlocalschooldistricthasagoverningboard管理委员会whichisresponsibleforthehiringofprofessionalandsupportstaff,determiningcurriculum,etc.Schoolyear•1.two-semestersystem(16weekspersemester)•1-5spring•9－12fall•2.three-semestersystem(10weekspersemester)•9－12fall•1-5spring•6-8summerSchoolholidays•ThanksgivingDay5-7days•Winterholiday3weekstoonemonth•SpringholidayinMarch5-7days•Summerholiday3monthsSchoolGradesLevel/GradeTypicalAge(attheendoftheschoolyear)PreschoolVariousoptionalprograms,suchasHeadStartUnder6Pre-kindergarten4-5ElementarySchoolKindergarten5-61stGrade6-72ndGrade7-83rdGrade8-94thGrade9-105thGrade10-11MiddleSchool(secondaryschool)6thGrade11-127thGrade12-138thGrade13-14HighSchool9thGrade(Freshman)14-1510thGrade(Sophomore)15-1611thGrade(Junior)16-1712thGrade(Senior)17-18II.FourLevelsofEducation1.PreschoolEducation2.ElementaryEducation3.SecondaryEducation4.Post-secondaryEducation(HigherEducation)1.PreschoolEducation•Nomandatory(强制的，必须的)pre-kingdergartenprogram•Familiesresponsibleforpreschoolorchildcare•DaycareCenter---frominfancyto3/4year-oldpreschooleducation---3/4-5year-old•Kindergarten---from5-year-old(beginningofcompulsoryeducation)2.ElementaryandSecondaryEducation1.IntheUnitedStates,classesofstudentsaredividedinto12academiclevelscalledgrades.2.Generally,oneacademicyear(fromSeptembertoJune)isrequiredtocompleteeachgrade.3.Academicwork---learningtoread,write&doarithmetic---beginswhenthechildentersfirstgrade,ataboutage6.TwoWaystodivideelementaryandsecondaryeducationElementarySchoolorGrammarSchoolGrades1-8HighSchoolGrades9-12ElementarySchoolGrades1-6JuniorHighSchoolGrades7-9SeniorHighSchoolGrades10-123.HigherEducation•TheUSisworldleaderineducation.(Tradition,“EducationinNewNation”pp121)In1825,Englandhadonlytwouniversities:OxfordandCambridge,whiletheUShadoverfiftyuniversities.•Bynow,thereareover2,000universitiesandcollegesthroughouttheUnitedStates.3.1Classificationsofhighereducation(p123)•(1)theuniversity:a.Master’scomprehensivecollegesanduniversities;b.LiberalartscollegesofferingBAdegree•(2)thecollege(thefour-yearundergraduateinstitution)•(3)Specializedinstitutions/Trainingtechnicalschools•(4)Two-yearinstitutions/communitycolleges（两年制的社区大学)FunctionsofHigherEducation•ThesystemofhighereducationintheUShas3principalfunctions:teaching,researchandpublicservice.3.2HowtoSelectaCollege/University•Curriculum•PublicorPrivate•BigorsmallPublicorPrivate(p125)•Publichighereducationalinstitutionisoperatedbyastateorlocalgovernment.•Eachofthe50statesoperatesitsownuniversities.•About25%ofallschoolofhighereducationareprivate•Bothpublicandprivatedependonthreesourcesofincome:Studenttuition,endowments(捐助，资助),andgovernmentfunding.•Privatecollegesrelyon60%tuitionandpublic20%3.3SuccessofApplicationsforaCollegeEducation(123)•a.student’shighschoolrecords•b.recommendationsfromtheirschoolteachers•c.theimpressiontheymakeduringinterviewsattheuniversity•d.theirscoresontheScholasticAptitude/AssessmentTests(SATs)4.CollegeEntranceExaminations•SAT:ScholasticAssessmentTest学习能力评估考试(Mathematics&EnglishReading&EnglishWriting)SATisthemostwidelyusedcollegeadmissiontest,designedtoassessyouracademicreadinessforcollege.•ACT:AmericanCollegeTest美国大学考试Grades&Degrees•Collegegrades,fromhighesttolowest,runABCDF.•AnFisafailinggrade.•Americanuniversitiesoffer3maincategoriesofgraduatedegrees.Bachelor’sdegreeMaster’sdegreeAPh.DdegreeTheIvyLeague•EightprivateinstitutionsofhighereducationintheNortheasternUS.•Thetermalsohasconnotationsofacademicexcellence,selectivityinadmissions,andareputationforsocialelitism.?HarvardUniversity•Cambridge,Massachusetts.•AmemberoftheIvyLeague.•Foundedin1636.•TheoldestinstitutionofhigherlearningintheUnitedStates.•7presidents,40NobelPrizewinners•No.1,(2010)HarvardSeal•NewHaven,Connecticut.•Foundedin1701,Yaleisthethirdoldestinstitution.•AmemberoftheIvyLeague.•5presidents•No.3(2010)•LikeOxfordandCambridgeinEngland.•Aremarkablenumberofthemenwhoholdprominentpositionswereeducatedatoneofthesetwo.Forexample:43rdPresidentGeorgeW.Bushandhisfather41stPresidentGeorgeH.BushbothgraduatedfromYale;PresidentBarackObamaandhiswifebothgraduatedfromHarvardLawSchool.PrincetonUniversityLocatedinPrinceton,NewJerseyoneofthenineColonialCollegesfoundedbeforetheAmeri