Elementary Schools, High Schools and Institutions of Higher Learning

Elementary Schools, High Schools and Institutions of Higher Learning

There are eight years of elementary schooling. The elementary school is followed by four years of secondary school, or high school. Often  the  last two years of  elementary  and  the  first  years  of  secondary  school  are combined into a junior high school.

The school year is nine months in length, beginning early in  September and sometimes a shorter one in spring.  There  are  slight  variations  from place to place. Students enter the  first  grade  at  the  age  of  six  and attendance is compulsory in most states until the age of  sixteen  or  until the student has finished the eighth grade.

The elementary schools tend to be 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.

Admission to the American high school is automatic on completion of the elementary school. During the four-year high school program the student studies four or five major subjects per year, and classes in each  of  these subjects meet for an hour a day, five days a week. In addition, the  student usually has classes in physical education, music, and art  several  times  a week. If he fails a course, he repeats only that course and not the work  of the entire year. Students must complete  a  certain  number  of  courses  in order to receive a diploma, or a certificate of graduation.

Institutions of higher learning  supported  by  public  funds  are  not 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. Working one's way through college is commonplace.

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,  however, and some  state  universities  require  a  certain  scholastic  average,  or average of high school grades.

Private colleges and universities, especially  the  larger,  well-known ones  such  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  academicdegree is the Doctor of Philosophy.It  may  take  any  number  of  years  to complete the original research work necessary to obtain this degree.

Higher Educational Institutions

 It has become common for the college program to be divided  into  broad fields,such as languages and  literature,the  social  sciences,the  sciences and mathematics, and the fine arts.Many colleges require  all  freshmen  and sophomores  to  take  one  or  two  full-year  courses  in  each  of   three fields.Certain Courses,such  as  English  or  history,may  be  required  for all,with some election permitted in the other fields.

Higher educational institutions usually are  governed  by  a  board  of regents or a board of trustees.

The executive head of a college or a university is usually  called  the president. The various colleges or schools which take up  a  university  are headed by deans. Within  a  school  or  college  there  may  be  departments according to subject matter fields,  each  of  which  may  be  headed  by  a professor who is designated as department head or  chairman.  Other  members of  the  faculty  hold  academic  ranks,  such  as   instructor,   assistant professor, associate professor, and professor. Graduate  students  who  give some part-time service may be designated as graduate assistants or fellows.

Professional education  in  fields  such  as  agriculture,  dentistry,  law, engineering, medicine, pharmacy, teaching, etc. is pursued  in  professional schools which may be part of a university or may  be  separate  institutions which confine their instruction to a single profession.  Often  two,  three, or four years  of  pre-professional  liberal  arts  education  are  required before  admission  to  a  professional  school.  Three  to  five  years   of specialized  training  lead  to  professional  degrees  such  as  Doctor  of Medicine, Bachelor of Law, etc.

General Pattern of Education in the USA

The general pattern of education in the USA is an eight-year elementary school, followed by a four-year high school. This has been called 8—4 plan organization. It is proceeded, in many localities, by nursery schools and kindergartens. It is followed by a four-year college and professional schools. This traditional pattern, however, has been varied in many different ways. The 6—3—3 plan consists of a six-year elementary school, a three-year junior high school, and a three-year senior high school. Another variation is a 6—6 plan organization, with a six-year elementary school followed by a six-year secondary school.

American education provides a 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".

There is no single governmental agency to prescribe for the American school system, different types of organization and of curriculum are tried out.

The length of the school year varies among the states. 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.