THE EDUCATION OF USA

Why do we need to study about education to understand culture?

For most countries, education means the power of knowledge. In the era of knowledge economy, education itself is an industry and the development of education will become the great driving force for the development of national economy. Learning from a country’s education, it is obvious for people to know the teaching methods and attitude of it. Through learning, culture can be disseminated around the world. It is a great way for foreign people to communicate with each other easily. Besides, education can promote countries to make a huge progress, following by their culture. A large amount of elites can be found and cultivated for their countries. Education is conducive to the inheritance and development of culture.

What is the education system in USA?

The educational structure

The K-12 school system

In the United States, at the age of five, children go to kindergarten. Kindergarten, first grade, second grade etc. to twelfth grade are together referred to as K-12. Usually, kindergarten yo fourth, fifth, or sixth grade is together called elementary school. Grades six or seven to twelve are part of secondary school. The K-12 curriculum includes English, mathematics, social studies, science, and sometimes music, art, and physical education. Secondary education is not usually specialized towards training in a specific career. Students who want to go to college often take college-prep classes, while other students take courses in practical subjects.

Post-secondary education

In US, local government are required to provide free public K-12 education for all children. Post-secondary education (=after twelve grade) is not free, however. Some students attend two-year community college or junior colleges, which have an emphasis on practical career-related courses such as nursing or journalism. Others may choose to attend four-year universities and colleges, which may be either private or state-run, and earn bachelor’s degree.

Public or private education

Most children in the US go to public schools run by the government, which are free. But there are many private schools, for which parents pay. Private schools generally have a good reputation and parents send their children there so that they will have advantages later in life. In addition, as increasing number of parents choose to home-school their children (=teach them at home).

What does the educational system of USA teach us ? By many standards, American education is successful.

Education in USA emphasizes the combination of teaching and practice and focus on cultivating students’ creativity and independent thinking, which make education really become students’ self-conscious activity.Students are encouraged to express themselves, to be more creative and develop critical thinking.

What’s more, USA has the “No child left behind” policy, which shows individual care. Disadvantaged students and students with disabilities of and kind are treated with extra fairness.

Thirdly, one of the most attractive features of the U.S. higher education system is the flexibility it provides through the number and diversity of institution types it encompasses. This diversity offers students options to specialize in a variety of academic disciplines and even gain employment training.

Nevertheless, American education has its problems.

Parents are not involved enough in USA education. Time spent in the classroom is simply not enough for teachers to instruct every student, to teach them what they need to know. There must, inevitably, be some interaction outside school hours.

Schools are overcrowded. The smaller the class, the better the individual student experience. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 14 percent of U.S. schools exceed capacity. At a time where children need more attention than ever to succeed, overcrowded classrooms are making it even tougher to learn and tougher still for teachers to be effective.

American have not achieved education equity. For a long time, the lack of equality in education has been one of the most painful social problems among the American people. At 38 elite US universities, there are more students from families in the top 1% of income groups than from the bottom 60% of income groups combined.The NBC commentary says there is corruption in college sports. “Many educators and coaches are only too happy to take advantage of their positions and get rich through fraudulent means.”