立体美国--教育制度.docVIP

Chapter 4 American Education Ⅰ.Major Points History American education, like all the other elements of American culture, is rooted in the Old World. Coming to the American wilderness with a belief that education was fundamental to religion and to service for the commonwealth, the settlers began their work in establishing an education system soon after their arrival. By the American Revolution, something of an American pattern of education was emerging. With the achievement of independence, American education came into its own. Among the Founding Fathers of the United States, Thomas Jefferson made the most contribution to American educational philosophy and practice. The Post-Civil War era was marked by the proliferating of compulsory education laws and the rapid expansion of public schools. After the turn of the 20th century, a variety of federal programs exerted great influence on education. Racial segregation in education was declared unconstitutional. Administration Since the US constitution mentions nothing on education, all educational matters are left to individual states. On the state level, educational policy is generally the responsibility of a state board of citizens. Yet there is no uniforms pattern of state administration. Most state boards are appointed, but a few are elected. Local administration, too, varies tremendously. The general pattern is that local schools are governed by local school boards. There are, however, numerous exceptions. Funds for schools come from 3 sources: local property taxes, states, and national government. Two extreme cases are Hawaii and New Hampshire. Most colleges and universities are administered by separate university boards. Public higher education is financed at least two thirds by state and federal grants with the balance paid by students. Private colleges and universities support themselves, and levy high tuition charges. Practices American education mainly falls into 3 categories: elementary education, secondary