The Educational System in the USA

The Educational System in Great Britain

The educational system and the types of schools vary from region to region as each area or town has its own Local Education Authority. The Local Education Authority is responsible for financing the schools in its area. It employs teachers and other staff, provides and maintains buildings, supplies equipment and material.

Although each school decides its own curriculum, they must include certain compulsory subjects. These core subjects are Mathematics, English, Physical Education and Social Education.

Schooling is compulsory for children from 5 to 16. Primary education includes infant schools and junior schools. At five the child attends infant school. At seven he moves to junior school. In primary schools teachers encourage children to read, write and do basic mathematics.

At eleven the child attends secondary school. In secondary school pupils are taught according to their academic abilities. The most able will follow academic courses, while those of lesser abilities will follow practical courses as well as the main subjects.

At the age of 16 pupils take school-leaving examinations in several subjects. After these examinations the pupil can choose his way: to continue his study or to leave the school for colleges of further education.

There are forty-seven universities in Britain and thirty polytechnics, plus 350 colleges of higher education (some of them train teachers). At the end of the study at higher education establishments the students get the bachelor's degree in Art or Science.

The most famous universities are Oxford and Cambridge. They are famous for their academic excellence.

The American system of education differs from the systems of other countries. There are free, state-supported, public schools, which the majority of American children attend.

Compulsory education in the USA varies, according to the state, between 5 and 7 years of age, 6 being the most common; the age of exit varies between 16 and 18 years of age, the most common being 16. Secondary education in the USA is in grades 7 — 12.

Elementary (primary) and secondary (high) schools are organized on one of two bases: eight years of elementary school and four years of secondary school, or six years of elementary, three years of junior high school and three years of senior high school.

Elementary school children in the USA learn much the same subjects as do children of the same age in other countries. The program of studies includes English (reading, writing, spelling, grammar, composition), Arithmetic, Geography, History of the USA and elementary Natural Science. Physical Training, Music and Drawing are also taught. Some schools teach a modern language, such as French, Spanish or German.

The junior high school is a sort of halfway between elementary and secondary school. It continues some elementary school subjects, but it also introduces courses in Mathematics and Science, and usually gives students their first chance to study a foreign language. It usually comprises grades seven, eight and nine.

The high school prepares young people either for work immediately after graduation or for more advanced study in a college or university. The subjects studied in elementary school are studied in greater detail and in a more advanced form in high school. In addition a student can specialize in Home Economics, Chemistry and Physics, Music, Huma­nities etc.

All states and districts have set the secondary school graduation level as the completion of the 12th grade, and the common name for the secondary graduation qualification is the High School Diploma.

The USA have the shortest school year in the world, an average of 180 days.

Дата добавления: 2017-01-13