HISTORY OF AMERICAN EDUCATION

 

Americans have shown a great concern for education since early colonial times. Among the first settlers, in fact, there was an unusually high proportion of educated men. In the Massachusetts Bay colony in the early 1600s there was an average of one university man to every 40 or 50 families - much higher than in Old England. Some of these men, many of them graduates from Cambridge, came together and in 1636 founded Harvard College, 140 tears before American independence. Before the Revolution in 1776, nine colleges had already been opened in the colonies, most of them later becoming universities.

 

From the 1640s on, Massachusetts required all towns with more than 50 families to provide a schoolmaster at public expense. Other colonies also made provisions for free public schools. In the course of the 17^th century, for instance, free schools had been established in a number of places such as New Haven, Hartford, New London and Fairfield. Many academies (schools offering a classical education as well as more practical training) opened throughout the next century.

 

The movement for free public schools gained its greatest momentum in the 1830s, however. By 1850, every state had provided for a system of free public schools open to all and paid for by public taxes. By the same tear, state-supported colleges and universities had already been established in many states.

 

By 1900, There were almost a thousand institutions of higher education in the U.S. Among them were law and medical schools and hundreds of small, four-tear liberal arts colleges. There were many other institutions of higher learning which emphasized everything from the training of teachers to the pulling of teeth.

 

Today, there are some 43 million students in public schools at the elementary and secondary levels, and another 6 million in private schools throughout the country. In other words, 88 percent of American children attend public schools and 12 percent go to private schools. Four out of five of the private schools are run by churches, synagogues, or other religious groups. Any year, about 12 million Americans are enrolled in the over 3, 000 colleges and universities of every type: private, public, church-related, small and large, in cities, counties, and states. Close to 80 percent of the college percent are enrolled in privately supported universities and colleges.

 

Most historians agree that a great deal of the economic, political, scientific and cultural progress America has made in its relatively short history is due to its commitment to the ideal of equal opportunity. This is the ideal of educating as many Americans as possible, to the best of their abilities. There can be little doubt that American education in its aim to provide equality of opportunity as well as excellence has raised the overall level of education of Americans. It has encouraged more Americans than ever before to study for advanced degrees and to become involved in specialized research. The belief that the future of society depends on the quality of its educated citizens is widely held. It explains why a great many Americans are still willing to give more money to education, even during times of economic difficulty.

 

 

Educational Vocabulary

 

state and independent/public/ private institutions

local education authorities

the chief education officer

 

pre-school institutions

nursery school; day nursery; kindergarten; playgroup

 

primary school

the infant/the junior department

elementary school

secondary school

grammar/technical/modern school

eleven-plus examination

comprehensive school

catchment area

high school

special school/special education

boarding schools

day schools

to pay fees

single-sex schools/coed or mixed schools

preparatory school

Common Examination for Entrance to Public Schools/Common Entrance (exam)

 

Further education

higher educational institutions

university/college/polytechnic/academy

manager/governor

head teacher; headmaster/mistress

deputy head teacher

head of the department

parent-teacher association (PTA)

parents’ committee

 

court; council; senate

chancellor; vice-chancellor; registrar; secretary; treasurer; bursar

faculty; faculty board; dean; faculty meeting

department; staff meeting

Chair

external department; extra-mural department

 

admission; to admit

to apply; application; applicant; to apply for admission

to be accepted/ rejected; to get in(to)

to enter/ entrance; entrance requirements

full-time students; part-time students

full-time courses; part-time courses; sandwich courses

 

 

school teacher; head teacher; assistant (teacher)

class/form teacher; form tutor

subject teacher/specialist

teaching staff; to be on the permanent staff; staff meeting

tenure

university teacher/lecturer

academic/teaching staff; the faculty

professor; reader (in); lecturer; senior lecturer; assistant

tutor

 

form; year; grade

stream; streaming; unstreamed classes; classes of mixed ability

band; set; group; house

pupil; student; undergraduate/postgraduate; graduate

academic year; term session

holidays/vacations; to break up (for the holidays); go back to school

sabbatical (year); study leave

 

academic standards/achievements/progress/research/career/awards

compulsory/optional/core subjects

curriculum; extra-curricular/after-school activities

to educate; educator

grant; stipend

humanities

to instruct; instruction

project

scholar; scholarly; scholarship

syllabus

tuition

vocation; vocational

 

⇐ Предыдущая12345678910Следующая ⇒

Поделиться: