SUMMARY

1. When colonists from Europe first arrived in America, they chose the town school as a means which would preserve their cultural heritage. School became an Americanizing agent for the massive numbers of new immigrants who later arrived in great waves.

2. The U.S. Constitution placed the authority over education and the responsibility for organizing and administering it in the hands of the states, agencies and institutions within the states.

3. Education in the United States comprises three basic levels: elementary, secondary and higher education (tertiary).

4. There are no mandatorypublic preschool or crèche programs in the U.S. But all students must attend mandatory schooling starting with 1st grade and following through 12th grade.

5. The elementary school runs from 6 to 12 or 15 years of age, middle school or junior high school, and intermediate school includes grades 5/6/7 through 8. High school runs from grades 9 through 12.

6. In high school, students obtain much more control of their education, and may choose their core classes. Larger schools may offer a selection of courses aimed at three or more levels — academic, vocational and general.

7. Most high and middle schools have classes known as honors classes for motivated and gifted students, where the quality of education is usually higher and much tougher.

8. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, all American states must test their students statewide to ensure that they are achieving the desired level of minimum education. College-bound students generally take college admission tests dur­ing their last two years of high school. These tests are administered by the privately operated Educational Testing Service (ETS) and American Col­lege Testing Program (ACT), and are mostly multiple-choice. The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and ACT are the most common standardized tests that students take when applying to college.

9. Postsecondary education in the United States is known as college or university which consists of achieving a bachelor's degree (4 years of study) and 4 years later master's degree. Three or more years after the completion of a master's degree, students may earn a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or other doctoral degree. Entrance into postgraduate programs usually depends upon a student's undergraduate academic performance as well as their score on a standardized entrance exam like the GRE (graduate schools in general), the LSAT (law), the GMAT (business), or the MCAT (medicine).

10. The United States does not have a nationalized educational system. Students have a choice between free taxpayer-funded public schools and private schools. Private schools charge varying rates depending on geographic location and religious status.

11. American colleges and universities are somewhat status-conscious. But the status ladder is controversial. There is no absolute correlation between prestige and quality of education, and most schools are better in some areas than in others.