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Education in Britain
British education is characterized by a lack of unity. It provides two separate school systems:
state maintained schools
private fee-charging schools
State Education
About 94% of British schoolchildren attend publicly financed state schools.
Compulsory schooling is divided up into: primary education
secondary education
PRIMARY EDUCATION consists of a two-year Infant School and a four-year Junior School.
SECONDARY EDUCATION comprises the years 11 to 16, but may also lead up to the age of 18.
About 95% of all British children attending state schools go to
Comprehensive Schools (corresponds to the German "Gesamtschule". They are attended by children of all abilities and provide all types of secondary education. Ideally, they are non-selective and are attended by all children in a district.
About 5% of schoolchildren attending state schools are selected at the age of 11, according to their total school performance, and move on into three types of selective secondary schools:
. 1. Grammar Schools
. 2. Secondary Modern Schools
. 3. Technical Schools
At the age of 11 schoolchildren had to take the "Eleven Plus" exam at the end of primary education. After strong criticism of ist fallibility the 11+ was abandoned in most areas.
At the age of 16( after 5 years of secondary education)
- Ordinary level of the General Certificate of Education was subject examination
with no compulsory subjects, although English, Maths and a modern language were
normally taken, plus any other subjects up to a total of 8. Five passes were enough
to qualify for a decent job or to enter the Sixth Form.
- Certificate of Secondary Education was a subject exam consisting of a series of
tests, practical work and continuous assessment. It had a lower status than O-level
and provides a leaving certificate for those pupils who wished to leave school at the
earliest age allowed by law.
- General Certificate of Secondary Education run by regional examination groups,
but their syllabuses must be validated by the Schools Council. Grading is from A to
G; grade C is generally considered to be a pass.
At the age of 17 Certeficate of Pre-Vocational Education is intended for those at school who wish to continue full-time education for a year after the age of 16 to prepare either for work of for vocationl courses.
At the age of 18(at the end of the Sixth Form)
- Advanced level: Normally a student takes 3 subjects. The grading system is A to E;
B is usually required by universities
- Advanced Supplementary level: this exam provides an opportunity for Sixth -
Formers to study a wider range of subjects.
- Scholarsip level is an additional paper taken in the same subjects as A-level,
intended for the most able students.
FURTHER EDUCATION
Students who leave school at the age of 16 may continue their education at a Technical College, a College of Art or an Evening Institute.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Sixth-Formers may enter a university, a polytechnic or a College of Education in the age of 18.
UNIVERSITIES
There are appoximately 50 universities in Great Britain. Oxford an Cambridge retain their pre-eminence in terms of academic excellence, social standing and international prestige. The main group in terms of student numbers are the so-called "Redbrick" universities.
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
The open university is a non-residential university which provides study by means of correspondence courses, radio and television programmes and it is "open" to anybody.
Private Education
About 6 % of British children attend independent schools. These schools must be registered and are subject to official inspection.
In private education there are: - PREPARATORY SCHOOLS
- PUBLIC SCHOOLS
PREPERATORY SCHOOLS are intended for children aged 7 to 13. They provide education that "prepares" the future Public Schools boy for the Common Entrance Examination which is the same for all Public Schools.
PUBLICH SCHOOLS
The largest and most important schools of the independent schools are the Public Schools (13 - 18 years). The word "public" derives from the fact that originally students from all over the country could enter the school and not just from the immediate neighbourhood. Most of them are boys' schools, but today some of them also accept girls as Sixth-Formers.
Some of the most famous are: Westminster (1382)
Winchester (1440)
Rugby (1557)
Harrow (1571)
The ideals and values of Public Schools are:
formation of character through practice of sport
emphasis on social behaviour
discipline is regarded as an important feature, but pupils are also encouraged to take responsibility
Special Features of British School Life
Compulsory Schooling covers the age-groups from 5 to 16
It is a dual system consisting of state and private schools.
English schools are all-day schools with school meals provided at lunch time
The school-year is divided up into 3 terms
Education in the United States
Structure of the Educational System
About 90% of American schools are free and public. Most of them are co-educational.
The rest are fee-charging private schools, mostly Roman Catholic parochial schools. Private schools are mostly single-sex schools.
American education comprises three levels: elementary education
secondary education
higher education
Schooling is compulsory from the ages of 5 to 16.
There are several structural patterns in use, depending on the location:
6-3-3 plan: Elementary School: grades 1-6; Junior High School: grades 7-9;
Senior High School: grades 10-12;
8-4 plan: Elementary School: grades 1-8; High School; grades 9-12;
6-6 plan: Elementary School: grades 1-6; High School; 7-12;
All plans lead to high school graduation at about 17 to 18 years of age.
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION is intended for children from the ages of 6 to 12 or 14. They are usually public and co-educational.
SECONDARY EDUCATION comprise either 4 years or 6 year-old children. The six-year High School is divided up into a Junior and a Senior High School.
The American High School offers educational facilities for all children aged 12/14-17
It shows best the egalitarian tendency of American education by making children of all social classes attend th same type of school as long al possible. It is a Comprehensive School which mirrors the American ideals of equal opportunities and equality of social status and serves.
The basic problem of US High School education is whether it should provide vocational or general education.
Therefore all larger High Schools offer a number of different programmes:
The academic curriculum prepares children for college; the basics for High School graduation requirements are English, mathematics, science, social studies, computer science and a foreign language if students go on college.
Commercial classes include typing, shorthand and bookkeeping.
Vocational programmes offer courses in auto mechanics, printing, agriculture, homemaking, cosmetology, marketing and sales skills
HIGHER EDUCATION
Three out of four students graduate from High School and more than half of the High School graduates continue their education. The post-secondary education system in Aberica is complex, as many different types of programmes are offered by the more than 3000 colleges and universities.
It consists of four basic types of institutions:
1. the two-year Junior or Community College;
2. the two-year Technical College;
3. the four-year undergraduate institution
4. the university, which normally comprises a college for undergraduate students
seeking a Bachelor's Degree and one or more graduate schools or professional
schools for those seeking Master's of doctral degrees.
A school in any of these categories might be public or private according to ist source of funding. Although higher education can be expensive in America - most annual tuitions is in the range of $ 3000-9000 - a student can seek funds through scholarships, financial aid or guaranteed government student loans.
CONTROL AND FINANCING OF EDUCATION
Education has been considered a state and local responsibility, rather than a federal matter. Local communities are given broad authority to run schools.
State governments habe their own departments of education which determine school policy and enact educational laws.
The US Department of Educational has little authority and no direct control over education.
EXAMINATIONS
There is no national public examination system. In public elementary and secondary schooling, local districts determine and maintain standards.
Current Issues of American Education
American education is beset by many problems. The most important concerns are
Equal opportunities for all
Racial issues
Bilingual education
Student achievement and curricula reforms
School prayer
Inner-city school problems
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