US educational system, controversial problems

Introduction

In the beginning of the project I will briefly present aspects and the structure of the educational system, and then I will debate some present problems that occur nowadays in United States education.

American education is a complex topic, generally reflecting the values and priorities of the society, but also offering vast choices to the international students. Students are generally obliged to attend school starting with kindergarten, and ending with the 12th grade, which is normally completed at age 18, but many states may allow students to drop out as early as age 16. Besides public schools, parents may also choose to educate their own children at home or to send their children to parochial or private schools. After high school, students may choose to attend universities, either public or private.

• Primary school: normally begins at the age of six and the term is generally of five-six years;

• Secondary school: Schools at this level are known as Middle School or Junior High School and High or Senior High School. Completion of this stage is called Twelfth Grade. Completion of a twelve-year elementary-secondary program leads to a high school diploma.;

• Higher education: This diploma and/or an entrance examination provide the basis for admission of U.S. students to UWM. Students are admitted to colleges, instuitutes or universityes for higher education. In general, colleges tend to be smaller institutions which offer only undergraduate degrees, while a university also offers graduate degrees. Colleges and institutes are otherwise in no way inferior to universities;

• Bachelor’s and Associate degrees: The bachelor's degree normally takes four years of post-secondary study (sixteen years of education) to complete, while the associate degree usually takes two years to complete;

• Earning a U.S. Master's degree requires approximately two years of study beyond the Bachelor's degree;

• Doctorate (PhD): Doctoral programs generally require from two to five years of study beyond the Master's degree.

In the United States a bachelor's degree is considered "undergraduate," and a master's and doctoral level study is considered"graduate."

Even if US universities have an international reputation for high quality teaching, research and resources, I will try to mark out some negative aspects in the US educational system, expecially problems implying racial discrimination.

One of the "most disheartening situations" in U.S. education is the achievement gap between black, Hispanic, and Native American students and their white and Asian peers.