Education in
I.
Introduction
a. Education is very important to Americans since
the first settlers came to the
i.
Puritans
believed that education was extremely important
1.
ii.
In the
land of opportunity, it is believed that everybody needs a chance at an equal
education system
b. Unlike
i.
Most
education laws are made at the state level
1. Every area has a local “school board.”
ii.
There is a
federal law requiring mandatory education for children under 16 years of age
1. Some states require education until 17 or even
18.
2. Recently, there has been more and more federal
involvement
c. Beyond the public school system, there are also
private schools.
i.
Estimated
12% of students attend private school for primary and secondary education.
ii.
As of
2002, the average private school tuition was $4,689 per year.
iii.
Private
schools may or may not be associated with a religion, however about 4/5 are.
II.
Basic
Organization
a. Elementary/Primary School
i.
Nursery
school/pre-school/day care
1. Starting at age 3 or 4
ii.
Kindergarten
1. Starts at age 5
2. Not usually part of public schools)
iii.
Elementary
school
1. Grades 1-4/5/6
2. Usually starts at age 6
b. Secondary School
i.
Middle
school
1. Grades 5/6-8
2. Usually starts at age 10/11
ii.
OR Junior
High school
1. Grades 7-9
2. Usually starts at age 11/12
iii.
(Senior)
High school
1. Grades 9/10-12
2. Usually starts at age 14/15
c. University System
i.
Associate’s
Degree/Technical Schools
1. Two year programs to prepare someone for a
specific, technical, profession.
2. Example might be IT, or nursing school
ii.
Junior
Colleges
1. Two-year preparatory schools
iii.
Bachelor’s
Degree/Four-year (Undergraduate) colleges/universities
1. Four-year programs.
2. Usually don’t declare a major until the end of
the second year of studies
3. In many cases, must write a thesis to graduate
4. Several types of universities
a. Public/state universities
i.
Might have
as many as 45,000 students
ii.
Most of
the funding comes from taxes
iii.
If you
live in that state, annual tuition is around $5,000.
iv.
Examples
of famous state universities include the
b. Private universities
i.
Large
universities such as the “Ivy League” and “Seven Sisters”
1. Harvard, Yale,
2. Barnard,
ii.
Liberal
arts colleges
1. So called because they require students to take
classes in many subjects.
2. Generally small, maybe 1000-5000 students on
campus
3. Whitman, Oberlin,
iii.
$27,000
per annum average tuition
iv.
1. Non-technical route
a. Master’s Degree
i.
Usually
two-year programs
ii.
May
sometimes be combined with a doctorate program
iii.
Must write
a dissertation.
b. Doctorate (Ph.D.)
i.
Two-four
years additional study after the Master’s Degree.
ii.
Must write
a dissertation.
2. Technical route
a. Law school
b. Medical school
v.
III.
Educational
philosophy
a. Well-rounded development
i.
Diverse
class schedules
ii.
Extracurricular
activities emphasized
iii.
Many must
take after-school jobs and do chores around the house
b. Should be independently driven
i.
Some
programs, like the
c. Critical thinking is emphasized
i.
Students
are taught to question what they read in books or what a teacher tells them
IV.
Problems
in the American education system
a. Inequality
i.
Money
1. Poorer neighborhoods have poorer schools
ii.
Race
1. Affirmative action
2. High school degree holders by race:
a. 84% of whites
b. 72% of blacks
c. 80% of Asians
d. 52% of Hispanics
3. Bachelor’s degree holders by race:
a. 26% of whites
b. 14% of blacks
c. 43% of Asians
d. 10% of Hispanics
b. Rising tuition costs at private schools
c. Low pay for teachers
i.
Starting
income for an elementary school teacher is about $29,500.
ii.
Average
wage for university professor is $60,000.
iii.
Average
wage in US is around $45,000
d. Generally poor elementary education level
i.
Consistently
do poorly on international tests