Middle professional education

According to the Law of the Russian Federation «About education» the treatment of traditionally existing professional and average special formation is new. Now these both links are considered accordingly as initial and average vocational training. Initial vocational training has the purpose to prepare, as a rule, on the basis of the general education (the basic school), qualified employees on all basic directions of socially useful activity. It can be received in technical training colleges and other types of educational institutions of the given level.

Middle professional education is focused on preparation according to the basis of the basic general, average (full) general or initial professional training including. Middle professional training can be received in a special educational institution (school, college) or in a higher educational institution at the first step of the higher professional education.

High school

The higher school in Russia is the most dynamically developing part of the system of continuous education. It is includes the following kinds of educational institutions: universities (the centers of fundamental scientific researches and carry out preparation of experts on different structures), academies, institutes, conservatories, and the higher professional schools. Reforming of high school is based on introduction of multistage preparation of specialists, which is realized under the maintenance, and terms of training by successive general educational programs. After the end of training on each of steps the graduate receives the diploma, which allows to be engaged in professional work or to proceed to the following stage of formation. Such reorganization of higher education enables to satisfy needs of the country for experts of a different skill level.

Reforms in domestic higher education have begun in 1992 with acceptance of the federal Law "About education". It has legalized concepts that are new to us: a bachelor degree, magistracy, and multilevel system. But, not breaking developed system; it has kept and has included new and old, one-stage system

The levels (or steps) of higher education are determined s by the federal Law accepted in 1996 "About the higher professional and postgraduate education ". According to it the higher education includes three steps:

- The first step: the incomplete higher education with term of training 2 years;

- The second step: the basic higher education (bachelor degree) with term of training 4 years;

- The third step - with it business is more difficultly: the former model is attributed to " the diplomated expert " with term of preparation of 5 years and a new one is "master" with term of preparation of 6 years;

If a student wants to continue training on one of the programs of the third level he has a choice. If he decides to receive qualification " the diplomated expert " it is necessary to study 1 more year (under condition of concurrence of programs actually studying lasts 1 semester, further there is an independent work on the diploma). But the best way for the bachelor to improve his qualification is the magistracy. Studying there lasts 2 years and comes to the end after having writing a final master’s dissertation and, accordingly, getting of a degree of master.

To all educational establishments the right to render additional educational services is given. Additional services can be paid if they fall outside the limits of obligatory educational work with students that are defined by the curriculum of establishment and the program accepted for it as basic.

Private and alternative educational establishments

Since 1991 in Russia it is authorized to open private educational establishments. The Charter of the Russian association of non-state education was accepted. For reception of the sanction to opening of a private school (a kindergarten, university, etc.) which is given out in the Department of education, it is necessary to present a package of obligatory documents (the concept of training and education, the program and the charter of an institution, data on structure of pedagogical collective, the information on means for the maintenance of establishment). On an orientation and the maintenance of work private educational establishments can be divided into some types:

- Exclusive in which for very high payment high quality of formation is provided;

- For children who require special conditions for studying and individual development, badly adapt, hardly transfer a rigid regulation of their behaviour and activity, intensity of a rhythm of educational establishment; gifted children for whom are necessary a special atmosphere for development and the special program of training.

The new tendency in development of educational system of Russia became an occurrence of the so-called non-conventional teaching and educational establishments, alternative mass schools, kindergartens. For non-conventional teaching and educational establishments such attributes, as specificity of the purposes and maintenances of education are characteristic; freedom of choice of establishment of the certain orientation; relative administrative independence; a special atmosphere and moral climate, promoting the best adaptation of the child, his multilateral development.

UNIT 4

EDUCATION IN THE USA

American Schooling

The American system of education differs somewhatfrom the systems of other countries. There are free, state-supported, public schools which majority of American children attends. There are also a number of private elementary and secondary schools where a fee is charged for admission and children are accepted or rejected on the basis of an exam. These include many church-supported schools, usually Catholic, which also charge a fee. Most public schools are co-educational, that is, girls and boys study together, but a lot of church-supported schools are for boys or girls only.

Education is compulsory for every child from the age of 6 up to the age of 16 except in Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania where it’s compulsory to the age of 17 and in Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah where children must go to school until the age of 18.

Elementary (primary) and secondary (high) schools are organized on one or two bases: 8 years of elementary school and 4 years of secondary school, or 6 years of elementary, 3 years of junior high school and 3 years of senior high school.

But often American children go to elementary school when they are 6 and stay there for 6 years. Pre-school is for children younger than 5.

Every class has an American flag in it. Every day they are standing up and saluting the flag. In American schools there are ceremonies for students who have done good work at school. The director gives prizes to the students. Sometimes the prize is money. After school they get diploma.

Elementary school children in the USA learn much the same things as do children of the same age in other countries. The program of studies includes English (reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and composition), arithmetic (sometimes elementary algebra or plane geometry in upper grades), geography, history of the USA, elementary natural science. Physical training, music, drawing are also taught. Some schools teach a modern language, such as French, Spanish or German. At elementary school lessons last 30 minutes. At high school lessons last 50 minutes.

The junior high school is a sort of halfway between elementary and secondary school. It continues some elementary school subjects but it also introduces courses in Math and science and usually gives students their first chance to study a foreign language. It usually comprises grades 7, 8 and 9, although sometimes it’s only grades 7 and 8.

The high school prepares young people either for work immediately after finishing or for more advanced study in a college or university. Although there are some technical, vocational and specialized high schools in the USA, the typical high school is comprehensive in nature. The subjects studied in elementary school are dealt with in greater detail and in more advanced form in high school. In addition one can specialize in home economics, chemistry and physics, music, humanities, automobile mechanics, etc. High school students study 4-5 major subjects a year and classes in each of them meet for an hour a day, five days a week.

The USA has the shortest school year in the world, an average of 180 days.

An important part of high school life extracurricular activities. The student is free to join chorus, band or school orchestra; enter the debating team or participate in sports of all kinds as well as a variety of social activities.

Usually there are two buildings: one for elementary school, another – for junior high school. Schoolchildren have no bags. At school they have boxes for books and notebooks. When they leave classroom they take a pass where the teacher writes his/her name. If the schoolchildren don’t have it, the director expels them for three weeks.

Although education is compulsory in the USA, it’s not compulsory for all children to get their education at school. A number of parents believe that they can provide a better education for their children at home. Children who are educated at home are known as “home-scholars”. There are about 300,000 home-scholars in the USA today. Some parents prefer teaching their children at home because they don’t believe that public schools teach the correct religious values; others believe they can provide a better educational experience for their children themselves. Interestingly, results show that home-schooled children tend to do better than average on national tests in reading and math. However, critics point out that home-scholars miss out on many things. The home-scholar is an outsider who, other people in adult life. Critics also say that most parents aren’t well qualified to teach their children and may pass on their narrow views to their children.

 

Marks in th e USA:

A – excellent – отлично