Text «The system of education of the United States». Preschool education and schooling in the usa.

The American system of education differs from the educational systems of other countries. There is по home education in the United States. Each pupil is supposed to attend school. А school provides all the necessary conditions for study.

There are three levels of subsidizing the education:

- federal;

- state;

- local.

Each state makes its own laws for the education system of this area.

The Board of Education which is elected every two years by the residents of the school district, takes control of а school system.

Preschool education.

There is а network of nursery schools and day-care centers where children are looked after while their parents are at work. Preschool education is а part of elementary schools. Preschool education is for the children younger than five.

Schools

There are two kinds of schools in the USA:

- public schools;

- private schools.

The majority of American children attend free public schools. The system of private schools is very popular in the USA. The public schools are subsidized by each state. There is also а number or private schools where а free is charged. The cost for education in such schools varies and not each family can afford it.

The school system has two levels:

- elementary (primary);

- secondary (high).

Children start to go to school at the age of five or six and finish it at the age of seventeen or eighteen. The general pattern of education in the USA is an eight-year elementary school, followed by а four-year secondary school. This traditional system has been varied in many different ways.

Usually schools are organized in one of two bases:

- eight years of elementary school and four years of secondary school;

- six years of elementary, three years of junior secondary school and three years of senior secondary school;

- six-year elementary school followed by а six-year secondary school.

Elementary schools give the basic knowledge about the world around us and people who live in it. Pupils are taught to count, to read, to write, to draw, to sing and to dance. In some schools foreign languages are on schedule.

Secondary schools are usually called high schools and their pupils are called students. Marks which are given for their work are called grades.

Pupils study а lot of subjects. In some schools pupils can choose between some subjects.

А school year usually starts at the beginning of September and finishes in the end of June or in the beginning of July. A school year is divided into three terms or trimesters. Pupils have winter and spring breaks for 2 or 3 weeks and summer vacation for 6 or 8 weeks. They go to school five days а week and get to school and from it by а school bus.

A typical school day in America starts at 7.30 a.m. Children have seven lessons (periods) which last from 30 to 55 minutes. There аге 2-5 minutes break (passing) between the periods and 30 minutes break for lunch.

There is an opportunity for the pupils to meet their specific interests in various fields and to spend their free time together. Schools offer а choice for the pupils willing to go in for sports. They may choose а kind of sport which they are keen on: football, basketball, base-ball, tennis, gymnastics, hockey, swimming, golf, volleyball. Such kinds depend on the size and financial resources of the school.