Living In USA

World Leadership
The end of the cold war has brought more violence to the world than when there were two large, stabilizing forces looming at one another in the form of the Warsaw Pact and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Most Americans are uncomfortable with playing the role of the world's policeman, but threats to our own interests as well as a fear of a world without military leadership allow many of us to be persuaded to commit military forces to places like Bosnia and Iraq. Many Americans either distrust the United Nations outright, or else they generally support the UN, but fear that it is ineffective in a crisis. We are, at best, ambivalent about the role of the United States in relation to the rest of the world.

Energy, Water, and the Environment
The American appetite for energy, primarily in the form of oil, promises to pose serious political and economic stress for many years to come. The United States does not produce enough petroleum to satisfy our appetite, making us dependent on foreign sources. We have low gasoline prices and a love affair with large vehicles. Proponents of energy independence are sharply divided on how to proceed. One faction wishes to exploit more oil reserves in the U.S., primarily in Alaska, while others are unwilling to sacrifice national wildlife preserves for what is at best a temporary solution. Unwilling to seriously subsidize mass transit and pedestrian paths and bikeways, the United States spends some 200 million dollars per day on road construction.

The United States has about 4 percent of the world's population, and consumes a quarter of the world's energy. Of course, other highly industrial countries also disproportionately consume energy. For each dollar of gross domestic product, however, the U.S. consumes about 40 percent more energy than Japan or the European Union.

Global climate change has directed our attention to the coming crisis in water allocation. The Southwestern desert has virtually bloomed with agricultural expansion as a result of the dam projects of the last century. But while agricultural use is expected to be reduced, the municipal demand in places like Nevada and Arizona is expected to continue to increase. These hot, dry areas are the fast-growing population centers in the U.S.

Health-care costs have spiraled out of control. Millions of Americans do not have any health insurance, and those who do are largely not willing to give up what they have in exchange for a more equitable system. For the most part, we believe that we have the best health care in the world, and we want to hang onto it at any cost.

Furthermore, the U.S. population is aging. Our medical care system will be crushed along with the national pension system, called Social Security, unless significant structural reform is achieved. By most estimates, the Social Security system will stop generating a surplus around 2020 and will exhaust its trust fund by the year 2034. Many Americans do not rely on Social Security, depending instead on privately funded pension plans. This means that the poor will by far bear the biggest share of this hardship.

Americans, like many people around the world, have a "love-hate" relationship with globalization. Of course we, like many people, enjoy buying high-quality goods at lower prices. Of course we also object when employers close up manufacturing or, increasingly, high-tech facilities and then move those jobs to countries that hire workers at lower wages. We also do not like to see companies fatten their profits by avoiding environmental or safety regulations when they move to other countries. We like to talk about free trade but overlook our own protections on agricultural and other goods. We have faith in the free market but tend to forget that historically, all major economies, including our own, advanced as a result of stiff tariffs and other means of protecting domestic industries.

The power that corporations are able to exert over the political process is staggering. While some hail the collapse of Enron and the financial scandals of other corporations as evidence that the bad guys do get caught, it is more likely that they represent the tip of the iceberg. Corporate influence on the electoral process, and the resulting access to politicians (of both parties), threatens to undermine our treasured democratic ideals.

Americans are more segregated than ever. We are segregated by race and ethnicity, by class, and increasingly, by politics. We are diverse as a country, but we live in neighborhoods with people who are more and more like us. As journalist David Brooks observed, "Block by block, and institution by institution, we are remarkably homogenous."

Because we are such a geographically mobile country, we have frequent opportunities to make choices about where we will live. Progressives and liberals are drawn to Boston and San Francisco, while conservatives might be more likely to choose Texas. The realignments seem to be moving us into more and more politically homogeneous states as well.

Dualism is the idea that there are only two ways to look at any problem, situation, or the world. American culture is, by its very nature, rather dualistic. We tend to see things as either black or white. Either we are friends or we are not. Either something is right or it is wrong. A person is either good or evil. This position does not allow us to accept shades of gray or a middle ground when approaching complex situations.

Pernicious dualism, a term often used by Columbia University Teachers' College professor L. Lee Knefelkamp, refers to the tendency of some people to exploit dualism to their advantage (the word pernicious means "done with evil intent."). [2] Either you support the war or you are unpatriotic. You are either with us, or you are "with the terrorists." Those who oppose the U.S. occupation of Iraq "hate freedom." And pernicious dualists are not always political conservatives; liberals can be just as limiting in their framing of problems. Either you support Affirmative Action or you are a racist. Either you support abortion rights or you are a woman hater. The list on both sides goes on.

However, as linguist George Lakoff has observed, the political right is far more effective in naming issues and programs in order to force a dualistic response. [3] Who could be against a "healthy forest initiative" or against laws with names like the "patriot" act or the "defense of marriage" act? Obviously, only a person who is an anti-marriage, tree-hating traitor could oppose these, never mind that these issues were, respectively, about increasing logging on public land, curbing civil liberties, and denying millions of committed same-sex couples the right to marry. Again, the point here is not that these programs were themselves without any merits, only that in naming them the way they did, their proponents were able to cut short vital debate about their strengths and weaknesses.

If Americans cannot become more comfortable with nuance, complexity, and relativism, we become more likely to fall into the pernicious dualist's trap. We lose the ability to think clearly and creatively about complex problems and will tend to increasingly rely on those with the most extreme positions to define our issues and limit our solutions. This polarization in our thinking, further promoted by our two-party monopoly on national politics, is making us as a country more divided.

United States is a land of religious pluralism. Protestants, Catholic, and other Christian groups have by and large laid the foundation for a society that includes Mormons, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Hindus, Wiccans, and countless other faiths.

Religious fundamentalists (those who believe that their version of their faith has a monopoly on virtue) are increasing both in their numbers and in their influence. Just as Islamic fundamentalists, a tiny fringe of the world's billion-plus Muslims, are increasing in their numbers and influence around the world, Christian fundamentalists are threatening to end the equality of faiths in this country. People of faith, quite understandably, view their religion as the best possible path. But when they begin to view it as the only possible path, taking it to the extreme of using their political, military, or physical power to punish those who believe differently, it threatens everyone.

World sympathy for the United States was genuine and heartfelt in the weeks following 9/11. When the U.S. military dismantled the Taliban in Afghanistan and destroyed the camps used to train terrorists, the world largely supported us. But the U.S. decision to launch a pre-emptive, all-out war in Iraq, despite the reservations of much of the world, has inflamed passions against the United States. Even some of our staunchest allies no longer support us.

This is not to say that George W. Bush made the wrong decision when he opted to invade Iraq without the world's support. The point is that regardless of what any of us thinks about the decision to go to war when we did (and the way we did it), we must accept the fact that much of the world disapproves of our action. This shift in the way the rest of the world views us will have a profound effect on our relationships for many years to come. Within eighteen months of the French newspaper Le Monde's headline, "We are all Americans," an overwhelming portion of the world no longer views us with sympathy, but with fear and distrust.

The torture and other abuses of Iraqi prisoners have further eroded the world's opinions of the United States — and, I daresay, our opinions about ourselves. The claim of moral authority, long suspect to much of the world, is at last being widely questioned at home as well.

The United States of the early twenty-first century faces serious issues. The end of the Cold War has left us with the obligation to seek out a new paradigm. If you make this country your home, even for just a few years, they will become your issues are well.

The Effect of September 11, 2001
For many Americans, perhaps for most of us, the tragic events of September 11, 2001, "changed everything." On that day, foreigners attacked and killed thousands of civilians in our country. Certain aspects of that day are likely to continue to influence our political and social outlook for many years to come. We naively believed that such a large-scale attack was not possible here. We also believed that some people hate us solely because we are Americans. The hijackers all legally entered our country and lived among us, some of them for years.

The fact that we in the United States have lost our innocence is resonating throughout our geopolitical world. Fear is driving our politics, and to some degree, the rest of our lives as well. Most Americans have a great deal of difficulty understanding how one person can hate another because of his or her nationality. After all, we see ourselves as individuals first, and only then as Americans. And as Americans, we believe that while not perfect, we are always well-intentioned. Perhaps most of all, many Americans were shocked that the hijackers entered the country perfectly legally. What many of us found the hardest to believe is that anyone could live among us — some of them for years — and still hate us so much. After all, aren't we a friendly people? Isn't this the land of opportunity? We wonder, "Couldn't they see that for all our corporate scandals and foreign policy mistakes, we really mean well?"

Fear and doubt, then, are driving our national agenda. There is a political voice in this country that asks whether 9/11 is at least partly a result of a country that has gone soft, weak, and too willing to let anyone into this country. Attempts to restrict immigration and to punish those who immigrate illegally are underway. There are, sadly, many Americans who feel that our government is justified in considering all Arabs and Muslims a threat. Juxtaposed to this, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States, spurred partly by the tremendous curiosity many Americans feel about the religion, a curiosity that turns into respect and admiration for a faith practiced by a quarter of the world's population.

Threats to our civil liberties are being accepted on a daily basis, despite the warning, often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, "Those who would sacrifice their essential liberties for a little safety will soon have neither." Government officials continue to appear with disturbing regularity to announce some new vague threat to our lives. Our color-coded Terror Alert System blinks from yellow to orange and back again, despite the fact that almost no one knows what it means.

Not all of the effects of 9/11 are based on fear and doubt, however. A significant segment of society has begun a process of self-reflection to a degree not seen before. Many people are asking themselves questions such as, what policies are we, as a nation, engaged in that could breed such hatred? What liberties are we willing to forgo in order to feel safer and more secure, and which ones are we not willing to give up? And our strong sense of individualism means that most of us are willing, even eager, to assess each individual we meet on his or her own characteristics.

There are many people who do not want to become deeply involved in American activities but who are still interested in learning about the country. If you are among this group, you are welcome to take tours of workplaces. It is easy to watch a nation work when you visit people at their jobs.

If you cannot find out about possibilities through your friends, just call the place of business that most interests you (factory, farm, store, etc.) and ask for the public relations department. They will be able to tell you whether they have tours (some factories schedule them regularly) or whether you can visit on your own. Tell them where you are from and why you are interested. In most cases you will find that people are friendly and pleased to have you visit as their guest, although they may first check with your office to make sure you are who you say you are. Your local Chamber of Commerce and city information center are also good sources.

Since 2001, many places that used to be open for public tours — power plants, water treatment facilities, and the like — are very reluctant to permit public access. In addition, we have in general become more cautious about unexpected visits by strangers, so be sure to make arrangements in advance. This way people know you are coming, and you can know that your visit will be convenient for them. Then, be on time. If you must be late, be sure to telephone. You generally do not tip or pay any fee (except for factories that have become tourist attractions), but a thank-you letter afterward will be much appreciated.

You can visit most kinds of factories and watch men and women working at heavy industry, precision manufacturing, or food processing. You can call on various kinds of schools, watch courts in progress, listen to hearings before government committees, and attend town meetings or meetings of school boards. Rarely are any of these private. Usually the public is admitted, although sometimes only by previous arrangement. Often there are tours for the public "behind the scenes" in such places as department stores, post offices, or newspaper plants. Again, contact the local Chamber of Commerce.

In this country you should not be shy or retiring. A little effort on your part will provide you with a great deal of insight into the American way of life. We welcome guests, we are flattered to have people interested in what we are doing, and we are proud to show them what we have.

Newcomers to the United States often find it difficult to participate in the particular sports they enjoy. Actually, it need not be so. Almost all sports are available everywhere, even in a crowded city such as New York. One of the first places to investigate if you are interested in swimming, tennis, badminton, gym classes, modern dance, or any indoor sports is the nearest Jewish Community Center, YMCA, or YWCA. Most of these are well equipped and provide excellent facilities for reasonable fees. There are fancier and more expensive facilities for all such sports as well, often at clubs or hotels. Also, don't forget that any good bookstore has books on virtually every kind of sporting or recreational (including travel) activity by locality. Some colleges and universities also sell memberships to their indoor sports facilities, which are often of excellent quality.

Swimming
Many swimming pools are open to the public. In addition to those run by the YWCA or YMCA, others are operated by the cities or towns themselves or by hotels or swimming schools. When weather permits, there are often public pools and beaches available within a reasonable distance. Usually these can be reached by public transport — either bus or train — as well as by private car. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Swimming" or "Sports."

Other Sports
Read the newspapers or look in the telephone book under the name of whatever sport interests you: ski clubs; walking clubs; fencing, gymnastics, judo, karate, and aerobics classes; ice skating; squash and racquetball clubs; bicycle clubs; bowling clubs; riding groups; and bird-watching clubs. Golf and tennis are very popular. In addition to private clubs, nearly all cities maintain numerous tennis courts and golf courses, which are open to the public for a fee. Soccer (football) has gained popularity in recent years, especially in programs for children. Cricket, however, is still very hard to find, although not impossible. Ask your local Department of Parks and Recreation for booklets describing its sports facilities or visit the Chamber of Commerce or the Visitors Center.

Those who like baseball need only drift around the parks. Many games will be going on. Employees often form softball or baseball teams connected with different departments and have a full schedule of games. Usually they need, and welcome, additional players. Roller-skating, Frisbee throwing, and kite flying are all popular, especially in parks; one can also find paths for biking, jogging, or walking in these areas. However, it is not wise to visit many parks after dark.

Spectator Sports
Many Americans prefer to watch sports rather than to participate in them. American football, basketball, and hockey all have devoted fans, but baseball is considered the national sport. Soccer has also gained a growing audience in this country.

In addition to the endless seasons of professional sporting events, there are often second-tier events such as minor league baseball, where smaller cities pit their teams against one another. College and even high school sports are enormously popular spectator opportunities as well.

Camping and Hiking
In most locations you will find excellent camping facilities in both state and national parks as well as in nearby private campgrounds.

You can get free booklets and maps describing public camping facilities and park areas by writing to both the individual state parks department and the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. When you write, state your specific interests. Information centers along major highways or in towns also offer booklets or maps of both public and private camping and recreational vehicle facilities. Each state also has a Visitors' Bureau, which you can call or write to request information on recreational opportunities there.

All over the United States, there are thousands of miles of walking trails, all kinds of lodges and huts for hikers, and a great many campsites where you can pitch tents and find water, but you need to know where to find them in order to avoid overcrowded highways and too many people. You need to make reservations months ahead in the most popular public parks such as the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. However, millions of acres of national forest land are available for hiking and camping without prior permission. A parking permit is usually all that is required. Compared with hiking trails in Europe, most of ours remain blissfully uncrowded. For the national parks, check out the highly informational Website at www.nps.gov/, and for the national forests, see www.fs.fed.us/.

Fishing and Hunting
The state and national booklets mentioned above also include information on fishing and hunting. Both activities are highly regulated with regard to location, season, equipment, species, and the number of catches or kills you can make. Check local regulations to avoid problems. Many fishing areas are "catch and release" only. You can always find fellow enthusiasts in your own locality. Talk to your colleagues, read the sports columns in the newspapers, or chat with salespeople in the sporting goods stores. Through such contacts you can find out what clubs there are in the vicinity and then ask about the possibility of joining one. Public-owned facilities are sometimes crowded; joining a group or club gives you access to more private waters and woods. Most clubs have reasonably open membership rules and would welcome your inquiry. They range in price from moderate to high; the lower the price, the more welcoming they are in general, but also the more crowded. The expensive clubs are, of course, likely to be the most exclusive.

If you are a deep-sea fishing enthusiast, there are boats and captains ready to take you out at almost any marina or port. Prices per day are high, but if you form a group and go together, you can divide the cost among many of you.

Bird Watching
Those interested in birds should look up the nearest Audubon Society in the telephone book and ask about groups, activities, or sanctuaries in the area. The local library is another good source of information.

The United States abounds in theater, music, and dance, both professional and amateur. Most large cities have their own symphony orchestras; there is a wealth of experimental music and drama being produced across the country in college theaters, community centers, and small neighborhood theaters. Traditional theater and music are also plentiful. Even if you do not live in New York City, you can see the Broadway favorites. Touring companies produce excellent, professional-quality performances in most large- and medium-sized cities throughout the country. For the fine arts, try to buy season tickets if you will be in the same town for a while. Not only will you save money, you will be sure to have a seat at even the most popular productions.

Tickets are often sold at the box office but also online and usually through agencies such as Ticketron and Ticketmaster. Beware of "scalpers" who sell tickets to sold-out events at inflated prices. Not only is the practice illegal, it often involves fake tickets. Imagine your disappointment when you come to an event, only to find that your tickets are no good! There are some legitimate ticket brokers, who advertise their services in the arts and leisure section of the newspaper. They get around scalping laws by operating in a state other than the one where the event is held. Prices are still inflated, but at least the tickets are genuine.

Movies, of course, are very popular in the United States, and there are many film festivals in medium and large cities. Many universities show foreign films, and this can be one of the few venues available for seeing them in a smaller town.

If your idea of a museum is a dusty row of glass cases or rooms full of badly lit oil paintings, try going to some of the museums in U.S. cities and towns. The art of display itself has become highly developed in this country, so that museums have come alive to an extraordinary degree in recent years.

In addition to many fine art museums, look also for natural history or science museums. Children's museums are sprouting up all over the country and usually offer a wide range of fascinating, "hands-on" exhibits. Photographic exhibits are often a particularly good way to understand the social concerns of a country. Don't miss the many small museums of contemporary crafts, African American history, Native American history, musical instruments, or coins. While at the museum you can often join a group tour or rent a small tape-recorded guide, which will add much to your understanding (rental fees are generally modest). Sometimes they are available in several languages. Those going to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, or San Francisco should plan to spend considerable time at the particularly fine museums in these cities.

Places like Williamsburg, Virginia, Dearborn, Michigan, and Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts, are whole villages, reconstructed as living museums to depict the life of our early settlers. At most times of the year there are live demonstrations of many old crafts, such as candle making, quilting, or the shoeing of horses. There are waterfront museums at Mystic, Connecticut, and the seaports of New York and Baltimore, where one may have the opportunity to board old sailing vessels. The old Spanish missions in California trace the history of Spanish settlements in southwestern United States. Smaller cities almost always have some sort of museum depicting the history of the area; Palm Springs, California, and Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, for example, have desert museums.

Perhaps for a while when you first come to the States, you will want to study English or join an English conversation group in order to gain confidence in speaking. Or perhaps you will have time to acquire some new skills or to take a short course that has always interested you.

Adult education is widespread. Classes are offered in a wide range of subjects: painting, cooking, photography, languages, astronomy, computer programming. One need not necessarily have any particular qualifications to enroll in these classes. Or you may be interested in taking more substantive courses leading to degrees, certificates, or diplomas. Just a few possibilities of subject areas are journalism, interior decorating, fashion design, business administration, accounting, and so on.

Both formal and informal classes are advertised in local newspapers. Look under "Schools" in the Yellow Pages. Jewish Community Centers, YMCAs, YWCAs, and community or neighborhood centers, offer a wide range of classes; the public school systems of most cities sponsor adult evening classes, as do community colleges. Ask for a catalogue of adult courses from the local board of education.

In addition, if you are near any of the nation's 4,000 colleges and universities, you will find they make courses, concerts, and lectures available to the nearby community. Usually these are held in the evening. You can ask to be put on their mailing list for advance notice.

Many Americans attend lectures. If you like to be intellectually stimulated but do not have time for a complete course, you can follow any line of interest on a more casual basis — often free. You may want to explore new fields like oceanography, city planning, or outer space.

In addition to lectures given at colleges and universities, you will find that botanical gardens, civil rights organizations, government and political groups, churches, and museums also offer a great number of lectures, debates, and forums; so do international organizations, business groups, and professional organizations.

Get yourself on mailing lists (usually free for the asking), listen to local radio announcements, or ask your friends'advice. Easiest of all — just read the newspapers.

Perhaps in your home country you already belong to some group such as Rotary International, Lions, an association of university women, or a professional group (of journalists, chemical engineers, doctors, and so on). Perhaps you belong to a sports club — ski, tennis, soccer, or hiking. Many overseas universities have alumni chapters scattered around the United States.

If you are already a member of an organization at home, look for its affiliate here and let them know of your desire to participate. You will get an immediate welcome. If you are interested in (but not yet affiliated with) a group, try to become a member before leaving your own country. You will then automatically be eligible to join activities with your American counterparts on arrival without waiting for membership formalities. Such channels for making new friends will be most useful when you first arrive, so it is good to come with introductions and with memberships already established, if you can.

There are, of course, many sports and activities that anyone can engage in without joining formal organizations. Hunting and fishing enthusiasts can find colleagues here in great numbers, as can climbers, hikers, skiers, bridge players, photographers, chess players, ham radio enthusiasts, birdwatchers, or cellists! Whatever your nationality, you can also find a national group in any large city. Ask at your nearest consulate or look under "Associations" in the Yellow Pages to find the Turkish Society, India House, African Center, or whatever exists locally.

In addition to the time spent on personal pursuits, Americans volunteer a tremendous amount of time for the varied needs of their communities. It has been said that if all the volunteers of the country withdrew, the nation would come to a halt. This would include people working in hospitals, schools, libraries, museums, playgrounds, community centers, welfare projects, clinics, and so on. Why do so many Americans volunteer to work long, hard hours, often at dull and disagreeable work, without pay? What is their motive?

There are several answers. The concept of cooperating for mutual benefit, a sense of interlocking responsibility, and a willingness to work together are all deeply rooted in American history. The original pioneer settlers had to work together to survive. They had crossed dangerous seas and risked all they had in their struggle for political and religious freedom. They helped each other clear land, build homes, and harvest crops. Americans have traditionally valued their freedom and independence, and they still do. Deep-seated distrust of central government still remains in all aspects of American life. People still prefer to do things themselves within their communities rather than give a government agency control or wait for its bureaucratic delays.

Sometimes Americans volunteer because they want to achieve something for which no money is paid. So they come together to contribute their energies — as is also done elsewhere. They may work together to put a new roof on a church, to send parcels to flood victims, to provide summer holidays for underprivileged children, to build a new playground, or to clean up a polluted stream. People will give time after a long, hard day to work on a town zoning commission, school board, or planning committee. They care about their towns.

Hundreds of thousands of so-called leisure hours go into hard, sustained, unpaid work on one or another community need. As you read the local newspapers, you will see that Americans are constantly forming new kinds of citizens' groups for some of the following reasons: to improve the lot of migrant workers, to take action against some form of discrimination, to fight crime, to elect an official, to protect consumers from fraud, to fight against drugs or drunk driving, or to do away with a pesticide that is killing wildlife.

One does not need to be a citizen to join in such activities. Once you settle into a community (even a big city), you will soon be aware of the varieties of volunteer projects going on around you. Anyone who is interested in sharing this side of American life will greatly deepen his or her understanding of the country. You can start by calling a volunteer center or contacting a local church, temple, mosque, synagogue, community center, or other organization. Asking neighbors about what is available often elicits a helpful response. Or if you read about something that interests you in the local paper, contact the organization and offer your time or help. Most people welcome assistance if they do not have to pay for it. This kind of volunteering may open interesting doors to you as well.

Partly because of summer heat but mostly because we began as an agricultural nation, summer holidays are very long. Children and youth get restless if they have nothing to do, especially when they are living in cramped city apartments. As a result, there are thousands of different kinds of summer camps for children. They are run by many organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, YWCA, or religious institutions. There are also many private camps, which, although expensive, provide horseback riding, skilled instruction in various specialties, wilderness trips, and the like.

Older teenagers are more likely to seek summer jobs or go off with their own age groups on camping or other trips. Many go backpacking in the mountains. Anyone living in a city apartment may want to encourage such summer prospects for their young people.

Many teenagers earn a portion of their college expenses by working during the summer at such jobs as deckhand, waiter, clerk, harvester, construction worker, camp counselor, baby-sitter, gas station attendant, telephone operator, or messenger. American teenagers are not concerned with status. Being unskilled, they try to find jobs at whatever level they can, seeking not only money but also experience. They learn work skills, responsibility, and the ability to take orders and to get along with a boss and new kinds of people. As they grow older and more competent, most teenagers get better jobs, probably still unskilled but more closely tied to their fields of interest — in hospitals, political headquarters, newspapers, schools, or wherever. Students from abroad should check carefully into visa regulations, however, if they want to use the long holidays in this way. The dean or foreign student adviser at any school should be able to offer advice here, but the visa question should be raised in one's home country before leaving.

The American system of higher education can be bewildering in its diversity. There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States, about half of which are private rather than public, tax-supported institutions. There are essentially four broad categories of postsecondary educational institutions:

(1) vocational or trade schools,
(2) junior colleges (including most community colleges),
(3) colleges, and
(4) universities.

Trade Schools and Technical Colleges
Trade schools can be public or private and offer courses that are generally not considered to be at the college level. They are similar to the vocational high schools except that they are geared toward adults and may or may not require a high school diploma (or equivalent) for admission.

Junior Colleges and Community Colleges
Junior colleges were once a common element of U.S. higher education, but the rise of community colleges in the last half of the twentieth century has left few of them in place. They were designed to help students bridge the gap between high school and college and to offer coursework that is generally considered to be the equivalent of the first two years at a college or university. Community colleges also offer two years of course work, after which students receive either a two-year (associate) degree or transfer to a four-year college or university. Some junior and community colleges resemble vocational schools, others are very academic in their focus. Careful research is needed to determine the right fit.

Colleges
Colleges are four-year institutions leading to the bachelor of arts (or science) degree and have few if any graduate programs. There are both state and countless private colleges. Some of the most prestigious undergraduate institutions are colleges rather than world-famous universities. For example, Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and Wellesley are generally considered to be of the same caliber as Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford. There are a few colleges that still enroll only women (and even fewer — just two — that enroll only men).

Universities
Universities offer a range of graduate, professional, and research programs in addition to undergraduate degrees. Some of them enroll as many as 50,000 students. Tuition at most private institutions is considerably higher than at state-supported schools, but all have tuition charges that will appear high to people from most other countries. Remember that unless you are a permanent resident or U.S. citizen (or one of a few other immigration categories), most public financial aid is unavailable to you. Some states will offer the in-state tuition discount to all of its residents regardless of citizenship; others will not. Keep in mind, though, that there is considerable merit-based financial aid available from the institutions themselves.

In many countries it is very difficult to get into a university because of competitive entrance examinations but easy to graduate once you are admitted. In the United States, it is relatively easy to gain admission to many colleges or universities but often quite difficult to finish all course work successfully in order to graduate. Universities and colleges rated at the top academically are very competitive, but most high school graduates are able to find a college or university that matches their qualifications.

American children are among the most scheduled in the world. In addition to their academic work, children in the United States are offered a wide range of activities sponsored by the school during after-school hours. These activities, usually called extracurricular activities, are designed to help broaden children's skills and abilities and to give them a chance to practice leadership and assume responsibility, to supplement school courses, and to provide additional stimuli. These activities are another way for you to remain involved in your child's school experiences — adult volunteers are usually in short supply.

There is often a range of activities from which to choose, particularly at the junior high and high school levels. Nature clubs, musical organizations, science clubs, art and drama groups, or language clubs are common, as is a wide selection of sports activities. Virtually every high school has a student-run newspaper, often with a photographic darkroom. Some extracurricular activities take place during the school day, but many are held after classes are over. Even though they are optional, they are considered a part of the American educational experience. Parents encourage their children to participate in those programs that best suit their own special talents and interests. Students learn a great deal during these activities, especially in terms of relationships, social and intellectual skills, and a welltrained body.

Both employers and college admissions officers in the United States carefully consider the extracurricular activities in which students have participated, both during their free time after school and also during the long holidays. These are indicators of a young person's leadership potential, enthusiasm, creativity, breadth of interest, vitality, and personality. These qualities are weighed, together with the student's or candidate's academic record, to assess intelligence, perseverance, and ability to use what he or she has learned.

Most schools have organizations made up of both parents and teachers. They meet together regularly to discuss and confer on various matters pertaining to the school — curriculum, budgets, faculty, salaries, library facilities, and so forth.

Parents often volunteer to help with classroom or after-school activities. They sometimes make costumes for plays, play the piano, bring snacks or cookies for a party, or assist a teacher on a class field trip. Some come at regular times to tutor children in the classroom, under the teacher's supervision. Volunteering at your child's school is a good way to meet people in the area and to learn how the school functions.

In good schools a real effort is made to have the home and the school work together for the child's well-being. You will generally find teachers eager to talk with you about any problems you may have concerning your child — although the larger the class, the less time (understandably) the teachers have. Where size permits, there are often parent conferences — scheduled appointments so that parents can meet privately with one or more of their child's teachers to discuss particular problems or progress. You will also be sent notices of meetings or programs. You may be invited to a "parents' day," where you follow your child's schedule through a full day of classes, or a "parents' evening," an abbreviated version, with ten - to fifteen-minute classes. This is enlightening and enjoyable for most parents. Parent-teacher conferences may be scheduled regularly or at the request of either the teacher or the parents. These conferences are an important way to understand what is expected of your child, and to find out whether he or she is experiencing any academic or social difficulties.

Both mothers and fathers are expected to attend such meetings and to show their interest in the school and their children's education. School functions also provide a good way to meet your neighbors and to make friends in the community. Since Americans enjoy meeting people from other countries, you will probably find your national background a help rather than a handicap in getting acquainted. This is true even if you are having trouble with the language.

An extensive network of private schools parallels the public school system. Some of these schools are closely associated with a church or religious denomination and are called parochial schools. Some of these, such as those sponsored by the Society of Friends (Quakers) and many Catholic schools, are popular among people of all faiths. Private schools receive no financial support from tax funds and are, with the exception of some parochial schools, expensive — some more so than others.

Why do people spend so much money, often to the point of major financial sacrifice, to send their children to private schools? The reasons vary.

1. Classes tend to be smaller with greater individual attention than in public schools. Some children need this kind of supportive individual instruction.

2. Most private schools are highly selective; through interviews, references, and examinations (at least for the upper levels), they seek students of quality. This means that they can usually maintain higher academic standards than the public schools, which have to accept students of all abilities.

3. Discipline is likely to be better and academic standards higher than in public schools, which are often overcrowded and understaffed.

4. Some parents living in crowded or academically disadvantaged areas feel they must send their children to private schools to prepare them for admission to a selective college.

5. A few parents prefer to send their children to schools sponsored by their own religious denomination.

6. Some parents seek a more homogeneous student body than is found in the public schools.

Those interested in finding out about private schools can contact the National Association of Independent Schools at www.nais.org/.

Boarding schools exist mostly for children of high school age (15–18), though there are also a few for younger children. If you happen to settle near a boarding school, you may be able to enroll your child as a day student. Otherwise, these children live in school dormitories and attend classes on the school campus.

You may find private schools teaching in German, Spanish or French, or adhering to a specific educational philosophy such as Montessori or Waldorf. Contact the Council for American Private Education (www.capenet.org/) for more information.

Public Schools
The great majority of American children attend public schools, that is, schools that are tax-supported and free. It is often confusing to newcomers to find that there is no national standardized system for all fifty states. Each state has been free to develop its own model. These vary so widely in quality, facilities, disciplines, and academic standards that people often move in to (or out of) a state because of the quality of available schooling.

To make matters even more confusing, local school districts have considerable decision-making authority within each state framework. City, township, and district schools have their own curricula, boards, budgets, and standards, even though these must follow certain broad guidelines outlined by their states.

School support comes primarily from taxes at state and local levels, rather than from national funds. When the federal government does contribute to education, it does so primarily in the poorer states, where local funds are inadequate. National funds tend to be channeled for buildings, transportation, or other projects that do not affect the curriculum. As previously noted, Americans jealously guard their independence from their own national government. If there is a chance that, as a result of accepting national funds, the government may be able to exert some kind of control, such funds are often turned down by community school boards (elected citizens). There have been heated arguments — even riots and demonstrations at the college level — when citizens have felt that the federal government was exerting too strong an influence on curriculum through support of scientific research programs, for example, or military training, or other specific projects. Since many of our ancestors and many of today's new citizens have come to this country for the express purpose of escaping too much government control, this feeling still runs deep.

In line with this emphasis on local control over education, there are no national examinations at either school or college level as there are, for example, in France, England, or Japan. College Board examinations, which are taken across the country for entrance to colleges and universities, are administered by a private organization, not by the federal government, and no college is compelled to use them. This state and local independence results in substantial variation in the quality of public education, even from one town to the next. In our fast-growing cities, elementary and high schools are nearly all badly overcrowded. In recent years many have been troubled with violence, teacher strikes, and other problems. In suburban areas and small towns, public schools tend to be more settled, with adequate facilities, reasonable ratios between teachers and pupils, and good academic standards.

The pendulum (between state and federal control on one side and local control on the other) does swing, however. There is a national law that requires school districts to implement standardized tests and it requires them all to use the same test. Several states have had a standardized testing program for a number of years.

As a newcomer, you may raise questions and talk as freely as you like about schooling with any Americans you meet. Many people here are deeply concerned about education. They constantly discuss the subject among themselves, and they will be delighted to talk with you about it also. Much is good and much is bad in our current educational establishment. We are in the process of reevaluating and restructuring the whole educational system of this country in order to meet our current needs and the urgent needs of the twenty-first century, including many new pressures from our vast and rapidly changing population.

Vocational Schools
Many school districts offer a distinct curriculum for those students who are not preparing to go on to higher education. In the last two years of high school, they may take courses in cosmetology, automobile or computer repair, or other fields. Vocational schools are aimed at moving their graduates quickly into skilled and semiskilled occupations. Because nearly half the eighteen-year-olds do not attend college or university, vocational education is an important part of the educational system.

Magnet Schools
Many school districts offer schools with specialized curricula, such as an emphasis on arts, science, or foreign languages. Students are admitted to the programs competitively, and unlike other public schools, enrollment is not assigned by the student's address. If your city or school district offers magnet schools, it is worth the effort to learn more about them. Magnet Schools of America (www.magnet.edu/) is a good place to start.

Charter Schools
Somewhere between public and private schools are charter schools, so called because they receive a charter from the state in order to operate. These are publicly funded, privately operated schools that receive extremely high levels of autonomy from state or local regulations governing public schools. In the 1990s, there was a dramatic increase in charter schools, especially in large cities. These schools are funded based on the number of students they enroll. Freed from the burdens of teacher unions and the obligation to educate every student, charter schools evoke heated passions from both supporters and detractors. On the one hand, they generally provide a superior education and attract the brightest and most capable students. On the other hand, they drain limited funding from the larger urban schools, as well as leaving behind those who are most difficult to teach. Some of these schools have curricular emphases such as science or foreign languages. Charter schools offer many of the benefits of private schools without charging high tuition. You can find more information at www.uscharterschools.org/.