Transcript Diapositiva 1 - Home Page | Istituto di istruzione

The american school year usually starts on August or
September. It’s compulsory for american guys to
attend the school, although the age range for which
school attendance is required varies from state to
state.
The American system of instruction is very similar
to the British system. Before the beginning of the
school year you can choose the subjects you want to
study: Spanish, political economy, art classes etc…
In some school in the US, kids can study sex
education (sex Ed.).
This subject is very controversial and that’s why not all
schools are teaching it today. It is meant to teach the
kids things like how to use the birth control and other
contraceptives.
The former President of the United States of
America George W. Bush, whose politics are pretty
conservative, pushed many schools to back away
from teaching sex ed.
Another very important subject is Physical Ed. (PE).
It’s important for the final valuation at the end of
high school, but it can also guarantee some kids,
who are very good at a certain sport, the access to
good colleges.
For some kids it’s less important to get better grades
in humanistic and scientific subjects than to
practice a lot of sport. In fact Colleges are constantly
looking for guys who excel in sports like basketball
or football.
Every day after school hours there are many
activities going on, such as sport practices, drill
teams, bands and many different clubs. Teachers
usually help with clubs and other extra-curricular
activities.
The American educational system comprises 12
grades and is divided in different sub-systems. The
first one is pre-school, which comprises prekindergarten (for children between 3 and 4 years)
and kindergarten (for children between 5 and 6
years).
Elemetary school in Japan
Following there’s the “elementary school” or
“grammar school”. This kind of school corresponds
to our “scuola primaria” and includes 1st to 5th
grade; it is attended by children between the age of 6
and 11.
When kids are 12, they start attending “middle
school” until 14 years. From 15 to 18 they attend “high
school” and if they successfully complete it they may
receive a high school diploma.
After high school, young adults can finally attend a
college in order to complete their course of
education.
In the USA there are 4,352 Colleges; a person who
completes the first four years of college education
receives an “undergraduate degree”. After that it’s
possible to continue studying to get a master.
The school system in the United States of America is
both public and private. Public schools are
economically supported by each state, but also by
the property taxes that residents of certain cities
have to pay to live in that specific area.
The wealthier the city, the higher the taxes people
have to pay to live there and therefore the more
money available to support the local schools.
Schools located in smaller, richer communities are
usually well-maintained, well-equipped and also
hire better teachers.
Schools located in poor communities or very big
cities don’t receive much money and might be
inefficient; they can lack good teachers and
necessary equipment. Private schools are very
expensive to attend, and they are usually religious
schools.
Although private schools’ standards are higher than
some public schools, in general private education
and public education are both valuable in the US.
The American literacy rate is very high and
corresponds to 99%, even if in some rural
communities (especially in the South) literacy rate is
lower than average.