Living In USA

Overview
Education is an important part of American life, and the wide variety of educational choices is sometimes difficult for visitors from other countries to understand. One-half of all the people in the country between the ages of 18 and 25 are enrolled in a college, university, or technical training institute. All boys and girls up to age 16 are required to go to school. There are three broad categories of education that serve this population: (1) public schools (including charter, magnet, and vocational schools), (2) private schools (including religious, boarding, day, Montessori, and Waldorf schools), and (3) home schooling.

Education here is intended for everyone. Schools are expected to meet the needs of every child, regardless of ability, and also the needs of society itself. This means that tax-supported public schools offer more than academic subjects. It surprises many people when they 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 from a large selection of courses, depending on state requirements, their interests, future goals, and level of ability. The underlying goal of American education is to develop every child to the utmost of his or her abilities and to give each one a sense of civic and community consciousness.

Because our population is so diverse, schools have traditionally played an important role in creating national unity and in "Americanizing" the millions of immigrants who have poured into this country. Schools also play an important role in the community, especially in small towns.

The American approach to teaching may seem unfamiliar to many, not only because it is informal, but also because there is less emphasis on learning facts than is true in the systems of many other countries. Instead, Americans try to teach their children to think for themselves, to analyze, to explore, to develop their own intellectual and creative abilities. Students spend much time learning how to use resource materials, libraries, and computers. Americans believe that if children are taught to reason and to research 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 the accumulation of facts, which often grow obsolete.

Computers are used in many classrooms, frequently starting in kindergarten. If your child does not know how to use a computer, you can help him or her a great deal by providing computer lessons in advance, even while you are still in your own country. To find such classes after you arrive in the United States, consult the school or ask a local computer store where classes are given.

Naturally, when any family moves from one country to another, the question of schooling for their children is always an urgent one. Unless you are in a small town, there will be a variety of schools — public, parochial, or private; day or boarding; coeducational or all-boy/all-girl; traditional or experimental — available to you.