Education in the United States

PowerPoint Presentation Chapter 6 Education in the United States American Studies Lecturer Vu Doan Thi Phuong Thao University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi CONTENT General overview The school system Other features GENERAL OVERVIEW National education budget (2010) 904 6 billion (all levels) Literacy (2003) • Men 97% • Women 97% Enrollment 76 million • Primary 37 9 million • Secondary 16 4 million • Post secondary 17 5 million http www ed gov GENERAL.

American Studies Chapter Education in the United States Lecturer: Vu Doan Thi Phuong Thao University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi CONTENT • General overview • The school system • Other features GENERAL OVERVIEW • National education budget (2010) : $904.6 billion (all levels) • Literacy (2003) • Men 97%  • Women 97% • Enrollment: 76 million • Primary: 37.9 million http://www.ed.gov • Secondary: 16.4 million • Post-secondary: 17.5 million GENERAL OVERVIEW A large & diverse educational system, provided mainly by government  School attendance: • Formal shooling starts at the at of • Public school: free & open to all (at elementary & secondary levels) • Attending school required until the age of 1618 depending on the state  Compulsory school attendance GENERAL OVERVIEW  Varied opportunity: • Choice of courses • Wide variety of degree program in higher education • Varied academic standards & reputation  Decentralized funding & administration: • Educational standards and standardized testing decisions are usually made by state governments • Spending for public education is determined by states and education leaders  Cirriculm: No national school system & no national curriculum EDUCATION PHYLOSOPHY • Education is universal • Education is decentralized • Education is comprehensive • Education is professional • Education pays attention to both intellectual development and character building • Education is of practical value GENERAL OVERVIEW US School System Public • types of school: public, private, and home-schooling • Most of private schools are run by religious groups Schools in the USA • 85% of students enter public schools Private Homeschooling THE SCHOOL SYSTEM Higher Education Secondary Education The US’s School System Elementary Education Pre-schooling Pre-schooling • Pre-schooling programs offered at the age of or • Children attend nursery school, day care or pre-school Elementary Education • Includes kindergarten and the next five or six years of education (K-6th grade) • Basic subjects are taught, traditionally the three Rs : reading, writing and arithmetic • Other subjects, creative activites and sports are included American colleges & universities Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of California, Berkeley Colleges and Universities • Admissions criteria to go to college or university: • grades earned in high school • class ranking • standardized test scores (such as the SAT or ACT tests) Graduate study Entrance into graduate programs depends upon: • a student's undergraduate academic performance • professional experience • the score on a standardized entrance exam (the GRE (graduate schools in general), the LSAT (law), the GMAT (business), or the MCAT (medicine) OTHER FEATURES  Varying tuition fees depending on geographic location, the school's expenses, the availability of funding from sources other than tuition  Private schools have various missions: • cater to college-bound students • for gifted students, students with learning disabilities or other special needs, or students with specific religious affiliations Extracurricular activities • Educational activities not falling within the scope of the regular curriculum but under the supervision of the school • Develop students’ interpersonal skills • As important as the students’ class work • Include athletic activities, musical groups, marching bands, student government, school newspapers, science fairs, debate teams, and clubs focused on academic areas No Child Left Behind Act • Signed on January 8, 2002 • Reauthorizes federal programs to improve the performance of U.S primary and secondary schools • Requires states to set educational standards for achievement at different grade levels and to take steps to improve the performance of those who don’t meet the standards • Provide parents more flexibility in choosing schools for their children Desegregation • In the past, schools for blacks were not only separate but unequal • Desegregation began after the Brown case in 1954 • Bussing was introduced • Integration has succeeded in narrowing the gap between blacks and whites • Dropout rate among black high school has declined significantly American Education Reflects American Beliefs and Values Monetary Value Self-reliance & individual freedom AMERICAN EDUCATION Competitiveness Racial Balance Vs Discrimination American Education Reflects American Beliefs and Values • Americans value education for its monetary value The more schooling people have, the more money they can earn • American education is to develop individual’s critical thinking skills and competitiveness • Americans try to achieve racial balance in public school after a long time of discrimination INDIVIDUALISM EQUALITY IN EDUCATION Since 1970s, •Many universities have tried to treat all applicants regardless their background equally •Some even tried to make up for the previous inequality  the minority enjoyed extra advantages??? MULTICUTURAL EDUCATION • In the 1990s, curricula were changed to include varied cultural information and perspective into education • African-American History Month (February) or Hispanic Heritage Month (SeptemberOctober) are celebrated Questions for discussion List and explain the similarities and differences between Vietnamese education system and the US’s Why a lot of foreign students, not just Vietnamese, want to get education in the US? What you think are the most attractive elements of the US education? How are the traditional American beliefs and values reflected in the educational system? ... entrance exam (the GRE (graduate schools in general), the LSAT (law), the GMAT (business), or the MCAT (medicine) OTHER FEATURES  Varying tuition fees depending on geographic location, the school's... the previous inequality  the minority enjoyed extra advantages??? MULTICUTURAL EDUCATION • In the 1990s, curricula were changed to include varied cultural information and perspective into education. .. Decentralized funding & administration: • Educational standards and standardized testing decisions are usually made by state governments • Spending for public education is determined by states and education