美国国家概况——教育

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The United States does not have an uniform national educational system. Schools are maintained by state and local governments. But the general goal is the same-to achieve universal literacy and to provide individuals with the knowledge and skills which are necessary in promoting their own individual welfare as well as that of the general public. Americans believe that education is indispensable to a qualified citizen as well as the democratic system.

一、Elementary and Secondary Education

The United States practices compulsory education and every child is entitled to 13 years education at the public expense. The normal school-leaving age is 17 or 18. A typical American student spends six hours a day. Five days a week, 180 days a year at school.

American elementary school normally means grades 1 (kindergarten) through 8. But in some place elementary school means grades 1 through 6. Secondary school generally means grades 9~12. These grades are popularly known as “high school”. But in many places the term “junior high school” is used to mean grades 7~9, and when grades7~9 are included with grades 10~12, and six grades are said to constitute the “senior high school.”

The United States has established the school district system to provide equal education to all children. Children in the same school district have to go to the same public school regardless of color and academic performance.

二、Higher Education and Universities

Students completing high school may choose to attend a college or university, which offer undergraduate degrees such as Associate’s degrees or Bachelor’s degrees. Community college or junior college typically offer two-year associate degrees, although some community colleges offer a limited number of Bachelor’s degrees. Some community college students choose to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a Bachelor’s degrees. Community colleges are generally publicly funded (usually by local cities or counties)and offer career certifications and part-time programs.

The United States does not have a unified national system of higher education. The 50 states and large cities operate their own universities. These are known as public universities which make up 75% of the total. The other 25% of universities and colleges are privately operated by religious and other organizations.

Universities are granted the right to self-government and the government does not interfere in their operation. There is no unified federal policy for enrollment and every university is free to select its own first-year students and set its own standard.

To gain admission to ordinary universities is comparatively easy. As a matter of fact, some colleges are worried by the lack of applicants. But admission to prestigious universities is highly competitive. Applicants have to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test(学习能力倾向测试,简称 SATS). First- year students of prestigious universities are usually chosen on the basis of their high school records, recommendations from their high school teachers, the impression they make during interviews at the university, and their records on SATS.

College students choose their “major” and a number of “electives”. Typically, an undergraduate student has to earn a number of “credits”, about 120, to receive the Bachelor’s degree at the end of four years’ study. One credit usually equals one hour of class per week in a single course which lasts 10 to 16 weeks- the length of a “semester”.

There are some famous universities in American, such as:

Harvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units. It is also the first and oldest corporation(officially The President and Fellows of Harvard College) chartered in the United States.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.

Yale University is an American private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1701, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine Colonial Colleges chartered before the American Revolution.