Strong Points and Weak Points of American Education
... American education has long history and gained so much prestige. ... But at that time many Americans have lost confidence in their country’s elementary and secondary education----when violence plagues the public schools and too many graduates seem barely able to read and write. ... Many people interested in education get trapped into trying to answer the question,?Which is the better educational system, the American, the British, or some other? ... What are the advantages and disadvantages of the American educational system? ... This thesis about “American education? ... The first is the achievements and the advantages of American education. In the second part I list the problems and disadvantages of American education. ... Chapter One Achievements of American Education 1. Equal Education From the beginning, when Americans established their basic system of public schools in 1825, they reaffirmed the principle of equality by (1) making schools open to all classes of Americans, and (2) financing the schools with tax money collected from all citizens. Those who favor these public schools believes that these institutions would help reduce social class distinctions in the United States by education children of all social classes in the same “common schools,? ... So the American educational system is based on the idea that as many people as possible should have access to as much education as possible. ... Through secondary school and sometimes in post-secondary institutions as well, the American system tries to accommodate students even of their academic aspirations and aptitudes are not high, even if they physically (and in some cases mentally) handicaps, and even if their native language is not English. ... Naturally, an educational system that retains as many people as the American system does is likely to enroll a broader range of students than a system that seeks to educate only the few who seem especially suited for academic work. In the American system, academic rigor tends to come later than it does in most other systems. In many instances, American students do not face truly demanding educational requirements until they seek a graduate (that is, post-baccalaureate) degree. ... American public education has a strong practical content that included the teaching of vocational skills and the duties of citizenship. Thus, public education not only gives Americans the desire to better themselves, but it also give them the practical tools to do so. Moreover, the material abundance of the Unites States provided material rewards for those who took full advantage of the opportunity for a public education. ... Outcome-Based Education Many American schools are trying a new approach to education, emphasizing what a child can do instead of what facts a children memorize. One school administrator said outcome-based education is essentially retooling the school system for the information age. ... Students can engage in those activities, in the American view, just as well as teachers and professors can. ... Chapter Two: Problems of American Education 1. Defects of equal education The American educational system boasts of giving equal opportunity to all. Yet because of its nature and the philosophy of education it represents, the system gives rise to certain problems of its own. The greatest problem that arises from the nature of the American educational system comes about ad a result of trying ton educates everyone together.