It is well known that the education system in the United States is one of the best in the world. That is why young people from different countries of our planet seek to study at American universities, which occupy leading positions in the ranking of the best universities in the world.
Trying to solve the problems existing in the education system of Russia, many specialists try to apply the positive experience of other countries. But before you introduce any innovation in our kindergartens, schools and universities, it is worth it to carefully read and analyze all its pros and cons.
So, we consider the features of the US education system and compare it with the one that exists in our country.
Studying in America
Modern education system The USA has developed under the direct influence of many economic, social and historical factors. That is why it is characterized by some features that do not coincide with Western European standards. So, in the USA there is no single state education system. In addition, each of the states of America has the right to independently determine its structure.
The entire United States is divided into 15.5 thousand school districts. As a rule, these are small formations attended by up to 50 thousand students. But some of these school districts are simply huge. An example of this is New York. About one million children study in the school district located on its territory. Each of these entities carries out work on the collection of taxes aimed at the needs of educational institutions, on the development and adoption of programs, the recruitment of teachers, etc.
In the modern American system of education there are principles of self-financing, self-government and self-determination. Moreover, its effective interaction with the federal and local authorities is carried out.
To date, the US education system includes:
- preschool institutions;
- comprehensive "all-encompassing" 12-year-old schools providing complete secondary education;
- professional and higher educational institutions.
As a rule, American children begin their education with a preschool class, and then continue it at school for twelve years.
Elementary education
The child receives primary education in the USA at the age of five, while being in the senior group of kindergarten. This is the time when the smooth transition from game to reading and writing begins.
The primary education system in the United States focuses on the child’s experience of his own social experience. In English, this is referred to by such a multi-valued word as experience. This implies that the child acquires the skill of independence, the education in him of a respectful attitude to peers, as well as an adequate understanding of the world around him, which is achieved without much knowledge and excessive theorizing.
The education system in the United States provides that at this stage, a teacher and an assistant work with a group of twenty children. Volunteers also play an important role in educational work. They help organize leisure activities, excursions and activities.
Who are volunteers? These are, as a rule, men and women of mature age who work for free for the public good. In schools and kindergartens, they help teachers and educators, studying with children and giving them the warmth of their souls.
But not only this, the education system in the United States differs from the Russian.While still in kindergarten, each child can visit the library and work on the computer. And those children who have certain communication problems stand out in separate small groups. In each of them, only one teacher works with three students. This allows you to pay more attention to each child and develop individual creative abilities in a small person.
How else is the system of preschool education in the United States different from the Russian? Surprisingly, in kindergartens in America you will not find cots. Children who decide to relax, simply spread a towel on the carpet and sleep while the teacher reads them a fairy tale. Such principles exist in public kindergartens, which are attended by more than fifty percent of five-year-old Americans. But in the US there are also private preschool institutions. They satisfy a wider range of parental requirements.
Class picking
System secondary education in the USA, it includes schools that, unlike the Russian schools, have each of its links (primary, secondary and senior) in separate buildings. This has its pros and cons. On the one hand, inter-age groups do not intersect, which eliminates the likelihood of conflicts. But at the same time, children from the same family, studying in different levels, are not able to go to the same educational institution.
The school system in the USA, represented by an elementary level, includes education from the 1st to the 5th grade. In this link, all classes are conducted by one teacher. Classes are formed purposefully. Children are sent to each of them according to the results of preliminary testing. There are three main groups. The first of them includes the most capable students. Classes with them are held at the most serious level. This is a group of gifted children who have the most serious demands. Every year in this class, the teacher and the composition of the students change.
The reorganization of groups is carried out with the aim of educating the child in individualism, as well as smooth and friendly relations with different people. In this case, American students simply do not have time to establish personal attachments with teachers and classmates. Of course, the relations in such a team are pretty cool, but this allows children not to focus on any one person. The annual change of teachers and classmates allows the American child to remain calm in situations of uncertainty, as well as reduce general anxiety for his future.
The primary education system in Russia and the USA is also distinguished by the fact that in our schools the teacher conducts classes with the same students from the first to fourth grade. In addition, in America less time is devoted to arithmetic. The set of other subjects is practically no different from the one that exists in Russian schools. The length of the school week is five days.
secondary school
In this link, children study from sixth to eighth grade. Moreover, for high school in the United States there are no uniform textbooks and programs. Each of the districts is developing its own recommendations, and the program on the subject is allowed to be made by the teachers themselves. It is worth noting that school teachers in America are people who have graduated from relevant departments in colleges and universities. In other words, their level of qualification in the respective subject is not in doubt. But even after receiving a diploma, they can work with children only with confirmation of pedagogical qualifications.
Basic school subjects
In America, there is a certain list of lessons that should be included in the school curriculum. There is a US education system in English. That is why his study is classified as a compulsory subject.In addition, the school curriculum includes mathematics and science, physical education with hygiene, labor, art and home economics. All lessons last from 40 to 50 minutes.
The changes in the USA are short. Children are given from 3 to 5 minutes just to get notebooks and textbooks from the locker for the next lesson. That is why, unlike Russian schools, in the United States it is impossible to find children who do not know what to do between calls.
In America, students take no more than six lessons per day. In high school, as well as in primary, the school week consists of five days.
If we compare the education system of Russia and the United States, then in America, children with great pleasure play sports and sing. In this country, schools are proud of such groups. Our children also have the opportunity to develop their sports and musical abilities. However, all this is included in the system of continuing education. And the most talented children attend specialized sports and music schools. In the USA, gifted students have the opportunity to develop without leaving the walls of their school. In this country, it is believed that the child should receive intellectual, spiritual and physical development at the same time. That is why there are no divisions on cultural and sporting events and directly training sessions. This is a big plus of the American school, because there is a harmonious development of children without “distortions” either in the area of excessive development of muscles, or in the sphere of artistic separation from the existing reality.
Old school
At this stage of education, children are taught from the ninth to twelfth grade. At this level, such curricula are developed that provide for continuing education in the English language. Among other subjects are social sciences, the study of which takes at least three years. Mathematics and science subjects have been taught to children for two years.
Among the features of the American senior school, we can distinguish the existence of three areas - academic, professional and multidisciplinary. The student has the right to his choice only after an independent computer testing.
One of the students who chose an academic profile can get a good scientific training. She will be needed for further education. A professional profile will allow you to get the skills necessary for direct practical activity. At the same time, children are given a smaller amount of general educational knowledge.
Counselors help schoolchildren to make a reasonable choice of a particular profile of senior school management. Moreover, each child receives the education that he is capable of.
Russian high school students, as a rule, present themselves in the future only as students of prestigious universities. Almost all parents are striving for higher education for their children. As for the American educational system, it, unlike ours, orientates students to the fact that, despite any abilities, they will always find their place in life. This allows children not to be afraid of their future and be more relaxed.
In different countries of the world, training can differ quite significantly. So, the education system in the UK and the USA is different. At the high school level in England, children do not have any compulsory subjects for which they will have to pass exams. Everything here is connected with the requirements that universities put forward in which current high school students will enter. That is, English children make their choice of their future profession in advance in order to pay special attention to a particular subject.
But in Japan, the senior link does not give children the opportunity to choose. There is a large number of compulsory subjects that everyone should know without exception.
School ratings
Assessment of knowledge in the American school provides for the existence of a five-point scale with letter designations. In it, A means excellent, B - good, C - satisfactory, D - bad, and F - unsatisfactory. Often, teachers add plus or minus to the ratings of American children.
In-class control consists of tests and tests. It is held at the discretion of the teacher. There is also in-school control at the American school. It is carried out by the school administration. All this is very similar to the Russian system.
Professional education
This type of training is conducted in secondary schools. It is also carried out by regional professional centers and centers of professional skills. Here, students are encouraged to master a variety of specialties until they reach the level of a skilled worker.
The US vocational education system is very impressive. As a rule, students take at least two to three courses of study. In some schools, almost two-thirds of children attend such a program.
The vocational education system trains not only workers, but also personnel who will be employed in the service sector, office workers, etc.
In order for students to master such skills, specialized schools and departments are formed in secondary schools in America. Workshops work in many educational institutions, and the study of subjects in professional specialization is organized directly in the classroom.
Higher education
Surprisingly, in America such a concept as a university simply does not exist. The higher education system in the United States is considered after school. Moreover, it includes a variety of institutions whose work is based on:
- the flexibility of training programs, as well as their mobile adaptation to various social needs;
- the variety of forms of learning;
- high democratic educational processes;
- freedom of choice by the student himself of the program and form of training.
The system of higher education in the United States includes public and private universities, which play a significant role in the education of students. These are numerous colleges and universities, which represent the final stage of the educational process.
US applicants are given the opportunity to submit documents to several universities simultaneously. This greatly increases the chance of admission.
Colleges offer their students a four-year course of study. Upon its completion and passing the corresponding exam, a bachelor's degree is issued. In colleges, you can get a master's degree. For this, it is necessary to study one or two more years and defend the analytical report of the scientific direction.
The highest stage of higher education is doctoral programs. They are focused on independent scientific work of those students who have a master's degree.
Conclusion
Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the education system in the United States is fundamentally different from the one that exists in Russia. It is adapted to the needs of society. In addition, the American system is distinguished by flexibility and the ability to change for the further development of scientific and technological progress. Of course, she wears out children from the ability to create solutions, offering ready-made answers to the tests. But, on the other hand, such a system trains excellent specialists in their field, even if very narrow. At the same time, the country's economy receives exactly the personnel that it needs.
