My understanding of American Education 2

My understanding of American Education

American Education is an enormous and expensive part of American life .The widely different educational system is also a good way to understand more about American life. American children are offered 12 years of free public education, and most people can get financial help to continue their studies for many more years. Adults who wish to attend school also find many opportunities. There is no age limit on learning. In addition, American education offers a rich field of choices for the international students.

(一)P urposes of American Education

In America, the first purpose of education was to prepare children to read the Scripture and its intent was religious. Later on the purpose was to enable people to read and write, and to take part in the democratic process. Still later, the purpose became to prepare young people for jobs in a modern society. At no time was the purpose of education to prepare students to become individuals or complete human beings. This aspect of education was left to the home, church, mass media, and the city streets. To a certain large extent, it still remains there. Yet in a society that can easily be foreseen, one in which mechanization will reduce the human factors in industrial production, the purpose of education must once again change. It must begin to educate people to live full and meaningful lives in which "jobs" are at best only incidental, or at least for jobs that are oriented toward human service rather than physical productivity. Now the purposes of American education are as follows. (1)To prepare children for citizenship; (2)To cultivate a skilled workforce; (3)To teach cultural literacy; (4)To prepare students for college ;(5)To help students become critical thinkers ;(6)To help students compete in a global marketplace .

(二)Structures of American Education

Primary and Secondary School:Begins around age six for U.S. children. They attend five or six years of primary school. Next they go to secondary school, which consists of either two three- year programs or a three-year and a four-year program. These are called "middle school" or "junior high school" and "senior high school" (often just called "high school"). Americans call these twelve years of primary and secondary school the first through twelfth "grades."

Higher Education: American higher education can be undergraduate and graduate education. Successful applicants at colleges and universities are chosen on the basis of their high school records, recommendations from high school teachers, the impression they make during interviews at the universities, the scores on the SATS.American system of higher education is complex.

It comprises four categories of institutions:(1)the university for undergraduates seeking a bachelor’(4-year )degree, beyond the bachelor’s degree is to pursue a master’s or a doctoral degree, also called PHD;(2)the four-year undergraduate institution-the college-most of which are not part of a university;(3)the technical training institution;(4)the two-year ,or community college from which students may enter many professions or transfer to four-year colleges or universities.

(三)Effects of American Education

American education can serve as models for many other countries. Some characteristics of American education provides innovative structures and strategies to them.

Such as follows: (1) new ways of perceiving the educational process, for instance the accountability movement; (2) new housing for education, such as open classrooms; (3) new values--humanistic vs. manpower; (4) expanded participation in the educational decision-making process by students, professionals, parents, and other interest groups; (5) variety in instructional level organization, including the nongraded approach; (6) learning how to learn; (7) examination of the process of educational change itself. The output of American education is no longer being absorbed by the society. More emphasis on humanistic programs could counteract this situation. Human experience with educational problems should be incorporated into a world information pool on education strategies。

In a word, American education is just like the key to success for Americans and America as well. Not only does it affect almost everyone in America, but also it has provided advanced education to other nations.

Bibliography:

1.朱永涛.Essentials of British and American Culture.北京:外语教学与研究出版社，

2008。

2.王奇民.British-American Society and Culture.北京：科学出版社，2008.