American Education

first college, Harvard was founded in 1636. In 1865 education

was becoming available to all. The peculiar feature of American education is the absence of national ______________________. Each of the 50 states controls and directs its own school. Most states require that __________________ attend school from the time they reach six or 7 years old until they are 16 or 17. There is no school uniform organization or curriculum throughout the __________________. But certain common features exist. Preschool education is a part of the elementary school. Elementary and secondary schools consist of 12 years of classes, which meet for about ten months a year, five days a week and five hours a day. Almost every elementary school curriculum ____________________English, mathematics, science, social studies, music, art and physical education. Many schools include classes teaching basic computer skills. After graduating from secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to _____________ ______education. American institutions of higher education include: technical training schools, community colleges; and universities which contain one or more colleges and graduate schools ________________ master’s or doctoral degree programmes.

EDUCATE

ADMINISTRATIV

CHILD

NATIONAL



ENCLUDE


HIGH

OFFER

program for children, beginning at the age of 6 and

continuing up to the age of 16 in some of the states, and to 18 in others. The elementary school in the United States is generally considered to include the first six or eight grades of the common-school system, depending upon the organization that has been accepted for the secondary school. It has been called the “grade school” or the “grammar school”.

Wide variation exists also in the
length of the school

day. A common practice is to
have school in session from 9:00 to 12:00 in the
morning and from 1:00 to 3:30 in the afternoon,
Monday through Friday.

The school day for the lower grades is often from
30 minutes to an hour shorter. Most schools require
some homework to be done by elementary pupils.
Elementary Schools, High Schools and Institutions of
Higher Learning.

small.
The high schools are generally larger and accommodate pupils

from four or five elementary schools. A small town generally has several elementary schools and one high school.
In some rural communities the one-room country school house still exists. Here may be found from five to twenty-five pupils in grades one through eight, all taught by the same teacher.

absolutely free. The state colleges and universities charge a fee

for tuition or registration. This fee is higher for those who come from outside the state.
Usually there is no admission examination required by a state university for those who have finished high school within the state. Sometimes a certain pattern of high school studies is necessary.

Institutions of Higher Learning

where students pursue bachelor and master degrees. There are state

and private colleges and universities. They are known as "higher education."
Colleges mainly teach but universities, with their large numbers of graduate students, also place emphasis on research."
There is a distinct group of schools that stands out and is exceptionally desired by both American and overseas prospective students. This is a so called "The Ivy League", elite private schools that give pride and good job opportunities to their graduates.

as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, have rigid scholastic requirements for

entrance, including an examination. It usually takes four years to meet the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
A Master of Arts or Master of Science degree may be obtained in one or two additional years.
The highest academic degree is the Doctor of Philosophy. It may take any number of years to complete the original research work necessary to obtain this degree.

1636, with the principal purpose of providing a literate ministry1

for colonial churches. It was a small institution, enrolling only 20 students in 1642 and 60 in 1660. It soon became more than a theological training school2 and established itself as a liberal arts college.
The next institution of higher learning established in the American colonies was the College of William and Mary, which opened in 1693 at Williamsburg, Virginia.
Other colleges were founded in the next century, but all of them remained small schools for long periods. Students entered at the age of 14 and remained until they were 18, and the curriculum, while rigidly academic and classic was by modern standards rather secondary in nature.
Private colleges and universities were established in various states. The first state university was the University of Virginia, founded in 1819.

an American college or university is to stay at home

and use a computer.

This is the VOA Special English EDUCATION REPORT. This week, we continue our series of reports about how people from foreign countries can attend a college or university in the United States. A copy of this report can be found on the Special English web site at
www.voaspecialenglish.com.

Jones International University University of Phoenix Cardean University

or university is to stay at home and use a

computer. American universities have been offering classes online for a number of years. Students who have taken online classes say they like them.
One reason is because they do not have to travel to a building at a set time to listen to a professor. Professors say they have better communication with students through electronic mail notes than they do in many traditional classes.
Some colleges offer academic degrees online. One is Jones International University in Englewood, Colorado. It offers both bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees.

online since nineteen-eighty-nine. University officials say they try to provide

students with a social experience as well as an educational one. For example, in some programs, groups of the same six students progress through all their classes together. They communicate by computer.

about these schools and others. You can use a search

engine such as Google or Yahoo. Type “online education,” and choose from a list of schools. Each will provide information about its programs and costs. However, experts say you should not send money to any school that says you can get a college degree without doing any work. These are illegal operations. Experts also say that you should find out if such college degrees are recognized in your country before you decide to get an education online. This VOA Special English EDUCATION REPORT was written by Nancy Steinbach