USA Education Reader. High School and college culture. Книга для чтения

GRADING PERIOD: a number of months included in assigning grades to individual students in a particular class

GRADUATE: a person who has completed a course of study at school or college and has received a degree or diploma in recognition of the completion of a course of study at a school or college

GRADUATE DEGREE: a second or third degree, either master’s, professional, or doctoral degree, earned in graduate study after the baccalaureate, in a specific discipline or field

GRADUATE SCHOOL: an institution of higher learning, usually a university, offering courses in the entire spectrum of arts and sciences at levels higher than those available at four-year colleges.

Successful completion of graduate school studies usually leads to the award of a master’s or doctorate degrees in the arts, sciences and a variety of professions. The first pure graduate school in the United States was the John Hopkins Medical School, separate from the university, but requiring a four-year college (bachelor’s degree) as a prerequisite for admission. Of the 20.5 million students enrolled in institutions of higher education in the United States in 2006, about 3.4.milion 12% were in graduate school.

Source: US Census Bureau, 2006.

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GRADUATION: the action of conferring degree or the ceremony at which students become graduates. The graduation itself is also called commencement.

GRADUATION DAY: in the United States, the day that the graduation ceremony (Commencement) is held in college and university, high school, middle school or even kindergarten and preschool.

At the institutions of higher learning commencement is conducted in accordance with theAcademic Ceremony Guide, keeping core academic ceremony traditions, while at the high school level details vary from school to school, such as color of cap and gown.

At many large colleges and universities degrees are granted at the main ceremony (Commencement) involving all graduates in a sport stadium, parade ground or lawn or other outdoor venue followed by smaller ceremonies (diploma ceremony) where deans and faculty of a college or academic department distribute diplomas to their graduates. It is common for graduates not to receive their actual diploma at the ceremony but instead a certificate indicating that they participated in the ceremony or a portfolio to hold their diploma in.At the high school level, this allows academic administrators to withhold diplomas from students who are unruly during the ceremony.At the college level, this allows students who need an additional quarter or semester to satisfy their academic requirements to nevertheless participate in the official ceremony with their classmates before receiving their degree.

At most colleges and universities in the United States, a faculty memberordeanwillceremoniouslyrecommendthateachclassofcandidates (often by college but sometimes by program/major) be awarded the proper degree, which is then formally and officially conferred by the president or other institutional official. Typically the ceremony includes a procession of faculty and students dressed in traditional academic caps and gowns, singing of the school alma mater or the national anthem and the offering of prayers, followed by the formal award of diplomas.ACommencement address is then presented by an invited honored guest, with shorter speeches by an academic official, and the class valedictorian

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GRADUATION SPEECH: presentation given at Commencement by some of the best students, usually valedictorians are being so honored

KINDERGARTEN: the first year of elementary school or the last year of preschool for children of four or five years old.

Kindergarten students are typically taught the alphabet, numbers, and colors; they study their bodies, their families, and their communities; they listen to stories read aloud; they make art projects; they participate in dramatic productions; and they learn about holidays, plants, animals, and other topics in science and social studies. Some kindergartens also teach introductory reading and mathematical skills.At present there is greater emphasis on learning to read and write and study

LEGACY: a special status given to a student willing to join the fraternity or sorority whose brother/sister, mother/father, aunt/uncle, and/or grandfather/grandmother is an initiated member of a particular fraternity or sorority. Legacies are often granted special consideration in the membership recruitment process but never guaranteed membership. High school graduates whose relatives went to the same college or university are also granted the status of a legacy and some privileges when being considered for admission

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Most daily newspapers have editorial pages that reflect the opinions of the paper’s editorial team, publisher, or owner. The editorial page may include a selection of letters from readers. Readers write letters to the editor to express their own opinions about newsworthy events or about the way stories were covered in previous editions of the newspaper or ask questions concerning the most urgent problems

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LIVE-IN MOTHER’S HELPER: a person hired to help care for the children in the home and also assist with other tasks. This person would reside with the family

LOCKER: a chest, compartment, or closet in which clothing and valuables may be locked for safekeeping. Students usually leave their books, coats, boots, and other personal items in lockers and change their textbooks, etc. between lessons. Lockers are usually situated in the main corridor of the school on both sides. Students are often asked to share lockers

LOSER:anespeciallyoffensivewordforaweakpersonwholacks such qualities as courage, readiness to risk and test oneself, competitiveness; a person who fails to become successful at least in something such as sports, music, art, academics during their school career

LUNCH: noon meal time at high school which has a social significance apart from just eating.At lunch it is easy to notice that students are divided into high school social groups who sit together in certain areas of the lunchroom or other designated areas

LUNCH TICKET: a ticket that is purchased by students for the noon meal, or perhaps given to students from low-income families to provide them with free lunches at school cafeteria, and sometimes even partially subsidized for the children whose families can afford to pay a reduced costs of the lunch

MAGNA CUM LAUDE: one of the three marks of excellence that follow commonly granted degrees in U.S. colleges and universities — B.A or Bachelor of Arts and B.S. or Bachelor of Science both given generally after the completion of a 4 year course of study. These marks of excellence are cum laude – with praise; magna cum laude – with great praise; or summa cum laude – with the greatest praise

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MAJOR: courses of concentrated, specialized study at college. Students normally begin specializing in the junior year and continue in their senior year. During that time they must complete a minimum number of courses in that subject or subject group to earn their degrees and graduate. The number varies from college to college but ranges between 10 and 14 courses at colleges requiring 36 courses for graduation. Many colleges also require a senior seminar or theses in each major to demonstrate the depth of each student’s knowledge

MERIT SCHOLAR: a student with above average performance, outstanding student

MIDDLE CLASS: the section of society between the poor and the wealthy, including business and professional people and skilled workers

MIDDLE SCHOOL: a school for children between the ages of about 11and 14, depending on the school’s location and student population in a certain school district. It serves as a “bridge” between elementary school and high school and comprises grades 6, 7, and 8. Another common model includes grades 5–8. Middle school is often used instead of junior high school in the areas with a growing number of younger students, whereas junior highs tend to only include grades 7 and 8, and sometimes 7, 8, and 9. Middle school is typically housed in a separate building apart from elementary school

MINOR:a secondary study, after a major study has been selected, usually involves far fewer courses than the major (a close Russian equivalent is vtoraya spetsialnost). Thus one might major in Psychology and minor in Sociology or major in American History and minor in Political Science or visa versa

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NATIONAL RANKING: having a position in a countrywide classification or scale of achievement

NCAA DIVISION: the governing body of intercollegiate sports of most majorAmericancollegesand universities.TheNationalCollegiateAthleticAssociation, founded in 1906, has 1,100 member colleges and universities and sets standards and rules for competitive sports in 20 men’s and women’s sports; it compiles and records statistics of results in collegiate sports

NERD: an unstylish, unattractive, or socially awkward person; esp: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic activity, as for example ‘computer nerd’

PARTYSCHOOL: slang expression given to a college or university where the students seem more interested in social activities than academic

PEER: somebody who is the equal to somebody else in a rank, status, age, ability or social class

PEER PRESSURE: a phenomena in school, strong influence of group members on each other to behave in the same way, even if the behavior is not good. Because of peer pressure students of different peer groups do not have close contacts and cannot communicate with each other. Otherwise a student may lose his friends from his peer group

PENNY LOAFERS: casual leather shoe with decorative slotted leather strip over the upper in which a coin may be placed

PEPRALLY: student gathering designed to create enthusiasm, to stir school spirit and boost the morale of the team led by coaches and cheer leaders, especially one held before a sporting event

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PERIOD: a portion of a school day, the length of a single class

PLEDGE: a student who has been invited and has promised to join a fraternity or sorority and who is undergoing a trial period before formal initiation

PLEDGESHIP: trial period before formal initiation that is typically 10 weeks long. It begins on the first Monday of the fall semester. Pledges who are usually freshmen and sometimes sophomores learn about the history, traditions and ideals of the fraternity under the guidance of pledge educators

“POMPAND CIRCUMSTANCE”: March No.1 by Sir Edward Elgar used for ceremonial occasions. In the United States, March No.1 is known as “graduation song”, and is associated with graduation ceremonies. It was first played at such a ceremony on June 28, 1905 at Yale University where the professor of music Samuel Sanford had invited his friend Elgar to attend commencement and receive an honorary Doctorate of Music

PREPARATORY SCHOOL (PREP SCHOOL): private high school that prepares students for entrance to college or university

PREPPY: 1. a student in a prep school. 2. a student or young adult whose manner and dress are traditional and conservative. Preppies are often associated with a certain elite subculture, belonging to the upper classes of society. In the 1980s with the publication of “An Official Preppy Handbook” there appeared a fashion for “preppy” lifestyle.Apart from accuracy and elegance in clothing, the handbook prescribed what accent to talk with, where to shop, what car to drive, and even the breed of the dog that would be appropriate for a preppy

PRESCHOOL: early education of three to five years olds who haven’t entered kindergarten, administered by such institutions as Day Care Centers, Nursery schools, pre-kindergarten. Parents are respon-

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sible for preschool costs. Preschool emphasizes both play and educational activities

PRINCIPAL: the highest ranking administrator in an elementary, middle or high school. The majority of principals at all three levels are males. But there is a growing tendency of hiring female principals, especially in elementary schools. Principals are appointed by the school board with the consent of the school superintendent

PRIVATE SCHOOL: any school not operated or directly funded by a government agency. Private education has expanded greatly in the United States in the early 21 century due to the growing concern about public schools, their educational methods and contents, school violence and other social issues that lead parents to seek alternatives. School vouchers allow parents to take money from the public system to subsidize their choice of private education. Private schools include religious day and boarding schools, nonsectarian (independent) day and boarding schools, military schools and special education schools. About 12 percent ofAmerican elementary and secondary school (high school) students attend private schools, and 24 percent of all elementary and secondary schools in the United States are private. They have much lower student-teacher ratios and, consequently, higher-quality education. The vast majority of private schools are Roman Catholic parochial (elementary) and diocesan (secondary) schools that are operated by religious organizations and churches. Independent schools tend to be the strongest, most academically demanding of the private schools. Though private school children constitute only 12% of all school children, they fill about 40% of the seats at the most selective, academically demanding and prestigious universities — Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Stanford. Education in American private schools is expensive

Arthur G. Powell. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009

PROFESSOR: a tenured faculty member of the highest rank at higher education institutions

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There are now three professorial ranks in U.S. colleges and universities: assistant professor, associate professor and (full) professor. The latter requires a doctorate degree

PROM (PROMENADE): in secondary or higher education, a formal dance party held at the end of the junior year (junior prom), and at the end of the senior year (senior prom). Girls wear stylish and often long dresses, and boys wear tuxedoes. Prom is held in a beautifully decorated high school gym or at a dance floor in a hotel. Students come to prom in couples, but sometimes people go there in groups of friends. There are usually further parties after the prom is over (postprom). It is the privilege for seniors and juniors to come to the prom. Freshmen and sophomores can only come if they are invited by seniors or juniors. Prom is one of the most exciting and memorable events in high school social life

PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM: government funded, not private, system of education comprised of 12 grades of study over 12 calendar years of primary and secondary education before graduation and eligibility for college admission.After pre-kindergarten, there are five years of elementary school. After completing five grades, the student will enter junior high or middle school and then high school to get the high school diploma

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PUNKERS: a social group in American high schools who are punk-rock music fans, wear brightly colored hair, chains, pins, and torn clothing.Also, a slang expression for young men or boys who get into fights and break the law

QUAD: a square open area with buildings all around it, esp. in a schoolorcollege.Itistheheartofanycampus.Itisameetingandeating place. Students gather on the quad during recess, or after classes just to socialize, throw Frisbees, or lie on the grass, or work on the computer

REDNECK: originally referred to poor white people esp. from the Southernstateswhosenecksareredfrombeinginthesunforalongtime. In the United States there exists a certain stereotype of perceiving this socialgroupasuneducated,prejudicedpeoplewithparticularlyracistand sexist opinions, driving pick-up trucks, drinking beer, and always having a rifle at hand. More recently the term has expanded to mean bigoted, or opposed to modern ways. Redneck may also refer to a social high school group coming from the environment that shares such opinions

ROOMAND BOARD: in colleges and universities in the United States, the cost of living and dining in the dormitory. Students can choose a variety of meal plans including one, two or three meals a day.

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