EDUCATION

EDUCATION SYSTEM:

• no national system of education

• highly decentralized and diversified; state dependent

• supervised by the State Board of Education

• types of school:

• public (state supported)

• private schools (preparatory schools - prepare students for admission to highly selective colleges); “character schools”

• homeschooling (total estimated 1,9-2,5 mln students)

• three basic levels: elementary, secondary and higher education

• the 6-3-3 plan:

• primary school: grades 1-6

• junior high school: grades 7-9

• senior high school: grades 10-12

• additional vocational training programs for adults

• typical beginning age: 5-6

• typical finishing age: 16

• the school year usually starts in early September and ends in mid-May

• most school starts at around 8 o'clock every morning except Saturdays and Sundays, and finish at 3 or 4 o'clock

• grades from A to F (A being the best)

• students receive report cards at least twice a year

• you can make up for failed courses during summer classes

• no religious institutions

• subjects:

• typical subjects:

• English,

• Maths,

• Science (the basis of Chemistry, Physic and Biology),

• Social Studies (Geography, History, Sociology and Civics),

• Music, and PE,

• optionally Foreign Language

• optional subjects in high school:

• Foreign Language,

• advanced English Literature,

• Composition or Social Sciences,

• Arts or vocational training in such fields as Agriculture, Business, Home Economics, Child Care

• university preparing courses:

• Science courses (Biology, Chemistry or Physic)

• more advanced Maths (Algebra, Geometry, Calculus and Trigonometry)

• Foreign Language

• broad program of extracurricular activities: orchestras, bands, choirs, drama group, debating clubs, computer clubs, flying, swimming and many sport activities

PROBLEMS:

• lowering of educational standards: growing functional and cultural illiteracy

• the USA places 17^th on the development world of education (Pearson ranking)

• dissatisfaction with school policies (busing, forbidden public display of religious sentiments, teaching creationism)

• busing - the transporting of children to a school outside their residential area as a means of achieving racial balance in that school

• creationism - a doctrine of theory holding that matter, the various forms of life and the world were created by God out of nothing and usually in the way described in Genesis (as opposed to evolutionism)

• growing school violence: bullying, firearms - related crimes

HIGHER EDUCATION:

• SAT (Scholastic Attitude Test) - English language skills and Maths is taken by approximately 40% of high-school graduates.

• ACT (American College Testing) - English, Maths, reading and Science is taken by approximately 35% of high-school graduates.

• A school transcript is usually given to students to apply for admission to colleges or universities; it summaries the courses taken and grades obtained in high-school and must be stracinized ? by the admission committee.

• US institutions of high education include 2-year colleges (known as community or junior colleges), 4-year colleges, universities, institution of technology, vocational and technical schools and professional schools such as law and medical studies.

• public and private

• SOPHOMORE - student in the second year of college.

• open admission policies

• applicants are college usually chosen on the basis of:

• their SAT/ACT results

• high school diploma

• recommendation from their high-school teachers

• the impression they made during admission interviews at the university

• 4 years --> B.A. degree (Bachelor of Arts) or B.S. degree (Bachelor of Science)

• + 1-2 y. --> MA degree (Master of Arts)

MS degree (Master of Science)

MFA degree (Master of Fine Arts)

MBA degree (Master of Business Administration)

• + 3-4 y. --> PhD degree (Doctor of Philosophy)

• two or three terms a year with final examinations at the end of each term

• classes are usually five days a week

• the grading system in the US differs from university to university: the most popular grading scale is A to F, with A+ (plus) being the highest possible grade

• an elective curriculum, for undergraduates after fulfilling a set of core requirements, and a school for graduates, who sometimes do some of the undergraduate teaching too

• “Core curriculum” or “”distribution requirements”: during the first two years students have the opportunity to explore various fields of study such as social science, humanities and natural or physical science.

• the major: by the end of the 2^nd year, students at many institutions are asked to choose a specific field of study

• low interest long-term loans for higher education enable more equal access to courses; system of grants and scholarship

4 year total: T. & Fees, Room and Board, Books and Supplies, Transportation, Other

• Community College: -

• State Universities: $85,788

• Out of State: $ 135,892

• Private Colleges: $ 168,896

The most expensive US College: Sarah Lawrence College, New York, $58,334

The least expensive: Berea College, $ 10,378

• Fraternity: A chiefly social organization of men students at a college or university, usually designated by Greek letters.

• Sorority: A social dub or society for university women.

* limited or non-official at Harvard, Princeton and Yale

IVY LEAGUE

• an association of 8 universities and colleges in the northeast US, comprising Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale

• started as an athletic association in 1954

• elitist

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

• Cambridge, Massachusetts

• the oldest university in the US (1636)

• third in the world

• particularly known for its Law, Medicine and Business Colleges, it educated many prominent political leaders, scientists and artists

YALE UNIVERSITY

• new Haven, Connecticut

• founded in 1701

• a residential college

• 7^th university in the world

• educated many prominent leaders

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

• Princeton, New Jersey

• founded in 1746

• people associated: physicists, mathematicians and economists (Albert Einstein, John F Nash), writers (Eugene O'Neil, F. Scott-Fitzgerald, Toni Morrison)

• 9^th University in the world

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (U PENN)

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin

• first to open a school of medicine, to establish a teaching hospital, first collegiate school of business, ENIAC, the first-ever large-scale, general purpose computer

• noted as a leader in interdisciplinary and join degree programs

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

• New York, NY

• founded in 1754

• wants to provide the best general education curriculum available

• for students interested in pursuing graduate academic work

• one of the best engineering schools in the US famous also for the economics colleges

CORNEL UNIVERSITY

• Ithaca, NY

• founded in 1865

• the first university to teach a course in American history, establish professorships in American Literature and American studies, establish a university press

DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY

• Hanover, New Hampshire

• founded in 1749

• the smallest member of the Ivy League

• the highest rate of participation in study-abroad programs

• one of the best college sports programmes in the country

BROWN UNIVERSITY

• Providence, Rhode Island

• founded in 1764

• most non-conformist

• its program demands a great degree of initiative and self-direction

Other major universities:

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT)

• founded in1861

• Cambridge, Massachusetts

• the best university in the world (QS ranking)

• strong emphasis of scientific and technological research

• collaborated with Thomas Edison

• associated with TT research, electronics and cybernetics

• renowned physics, astronauts

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECH (CALTECH)

• Pasadena, California

• founded in 1891

• 10^th university in the world

• associated with physics (Richard Feynman) and astronomy

STANFORD UNIVERSITY

• founded in 1891

• Stanford, California (Silicon Valley)

• prominent TT researchers

• notable students: Condoleezza Rice, Francis Fukuyama, John Steinbach

• founders of Hewlett-Packard, Nvidia, Yahoo!, Google, Nike, PayPal

BERKELEY UNIVERSITY

• Berkeley, California

• founded in 1868

• public university

• highly awarded students and faculty

• Manhattan Project (atomic bomb)

• prominent people: Steve Wozniak, Irving Stone

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

• Baltimore, Maryland

• founded in 1876

• first research university

• specialized in medicine and humanistic research

• famous of lacrosse teams

DUKE UNIVERSITY

• Durham, North Carolina

• formed in 1838

• very selective: known for its medical department

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

• formed in 1890 (J. D. Rockefeller)

• the largest press in the country (style guide)