Goal of American Education
Education is all enormous and expensive part of American life.Its size is matched by its variety.
Differences in American schools compared with those found in the majority of other
countries lie in the fact that education here has long been intended for everyonenot just
for a privileged elite.Schools ale expected to meet the needs of every child,regardless
of ability,and also the needs of society itself.This means that public schools offer more
than academic subjects.It surprises many people when t11ey come here to find high schools
offering such courses as typing,sewing,radio repair,computer programming or driver training,along with traditional academic subjects such as mathematics,history,and languages.Students choose their curricula depending on their interests,future goals,and level of ability.The underlying goal of American education is to develop every child to the utmostz of his or her own possibilities,and to give each one a sense of civic and community consciousness。.
Schools have traditionally played an important role in creating national unity and
Americanizingthe millions of immigrants who have poured into this country from many
different backgrounds and origins.Schools still play a large role in the community,especially in the smalltowns.
The approach to teaching may seem unfamiliar to many,not only because it is informal,
but also because there is not much emphasis on learning facts.Instead,Americans try to
teach their children toⅡ1ink for themselves and to develop their own intellectual and
creative abilities.Students spend much time,learning how to use resource materials libraries,statistics and computers.Americans believe that if children are taught to reason well and to reserch well,they will be able to find whatever facts they need throughout the rest of their lives.Knowing how to solve problems is considered more important than theaccumulation of facts.
This is AmericaS answer to the searching question that thoughtful parents all over the world are asking themselves in the fast-moving time:How Can one prepare todays child for a tomorrow that one can neither predict nor understand?