“911-事件”后美国的教育情况.doc

America, its education
---Focus on the Period After “9.11 tragedy”

“911 事件”后美国的教育情况

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课 程： 英美概况（美、澳、新部分）
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Ⅰ
摘 要
对美国而言，教育一直都是其重点关注的问题。美国相信教育是将不同个体紧密相连的纽带，帮助维护社会的稳定。因此，教育的地位不言而喻。
进入21世纪后，特别是“911事件”以来，美国对其教育问题重新进行了审视，以独特的紧迫感，采取切实措施，大力提高了教育的质量以及全体公民的科学文化素质。通过恐怖袭击事件之后，美国吸取教训，对教育系统中存在的漏洞进行了及时的修补，并且更加深入地对自身的教育进行了改革，让美国民众在经历了“911 事件”之后，对恐怖袭击有了更加深入的了解。在美国的一些地方学校，甚至专门为学生开设了针对恐怖袭击的探讨课程。
本课题论文将从三个方面对“911事件”后美国的教育问题进行探讨：1.“911事件”之前美国的教育情况，其中包括美国教育的历史，教育系统的构成以及公众之前对教育的态度。2.“911事件”对美国教育的影响，这部分将从美国教育的弱势和对外国留学生、外语发展状况这几个方面进行探讨。3.美国普及高质量教育的5项改革计划，这是本课题论文的重要部分分别为课程改革的开展、教师队伍的建设、教育管理的改革、全方位服务学校以及教育券制度的发展。

关键词：“911事件” 美国教育 改革计
Ⅱ
Abstract
For America, education has always been a great concern. Americans believe that education can create a common bound among diverse groups that help preserve social stability. Consequently, education plays a curial role in America.
After entering the 21st century, especially since the “911 tragedy”, America begins to have a higher view of education and has been carrying out effective measures with pressured consciousness to enhance qualities of education to train patriotic new personnel and improve the scientific and cultural levels of the whole nation. According to the terrorist attack, American government learns from the mistakes and fixes the bugs found in the American education system. In the same time, government pays more attention to the reforms of American education itself. After experiencing “911 tragedy”, the public in America have a closer knowledge of terrorist attack. In some local schools, there are even opening special discussing courses about terrorist attack for students.
The body of this thesis paper is divided into three parts to discuss education of America after “911 tragedy”: 1. American education condition before “911 tragedy” according the history of American education, the constitution of American education and attitudes of Americans towards education condition. 2. The influence of American education according to “911 tragedy”, which will be discussed by the weakness of American education , the influence on foreign students and the influence of foreign language . 3. the reform programs to popularize education, which is the important part of this thesis paper----(a) The improvement of curricular reform.(b) The development of teacher quality.(c) The reform of education management.(d) Schools providing all-rounded supporting services.(e) The implementation of education voucher.

Key word: “911 tragedy” American education reform programs

Ⅲ
Contents
1 Introduction 1
2 Education Before “911 tragedy” 2
2.1 History of American Education 2
2.2 Constitution of American Education 2
2.3 Attitudes of Americans to Education 3
3 Effects of Education on “911 tragedy” 3
3.1 Weakness of American Education 3
3.2 Influence on Foreign Students 4
3.3 Influence of Foreign Language 4
4 Reforms to Popularize Education 5
4.1 Improvement of Curricular Reform 5
4.2 Development of Teacher Quality 6
4.3 Reform of Education Management 7
4.4 Implementation of Education Voucher 8
4.5 All-rounded Supporting Schools 8
5 Conclusion 10
References 11
Acknowledgements 12
Ⅳ
America, its education
---Focus on the Period After “9.11 tragedy”

1 Introduction
The subject of American education has likewise been popular for scholars during the two hundred years, which has attracted highly laudatory and highly vitriolic comments from countless visitors.
No one can form a shrewd judgment on American education that merely sees what he is bid to see and who refrains from employing his critical focally as well as his organ of admiration. The comparative study of national systems of education is a delicate enterprise.
Recently, people begin to think whether education and terrorism have the connection. Better-off and better-educated people are more likely to support and participate in terrorist or militant acts than their less fortunate peers. In a December 2001 opinion survey of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, for example, 86 percent of adults who had attended high school supported armed attacks against Israeli targets, compared with 72 percent of their illiterate peers. And outright opposition to such attacks was much higher in the ranks of the illiterate: 26 percent voiced opposition, compared with only 12 percent of better-educated Palestinians.
Like all countries, Americans realize that education is a key to individual and collective opportunity in a hypercompetitive globalize world. (Andrew Rotherham, 2006). Especially in the war on terrorism, education is more important than ever.
Although much needs to be done to fight the war on terrorism, Americans must become exposed to and learn about world religions and different cultures. Learning about religion need not involve proselytizing and it’s essential that students understand the important historical and current context. In this way, it is necessary to pay attention to the American education condition after experiencing the terrorist attack ---911 tragedy”.
2 Education Before “911 tragedy”
Before “911 tragedy”, education reform is the most important goal in America. In the 19th the industry of education has been paid much attention to and it becomes the top priority.
2.1 History of American Education
American education has a history that reaches back no more than three hundred years. As early as 1853, the state of Massachusetts passed the first compulsory school attendance law. By 1918, all states had laws requiring children to receive at least primary school education. By the year 2000, about 90% of high school students stay in school longer than the law requires and graduate from high school at the age of 18 or 19. More than half of them go on to receive some college education and close to 30% receive at least a degree of bachelor.
As the 19th century was the Progressive era, the 20th century was inclusive and the idea of education for all. Kindergartens were in most public school programs by 1910. State controlled free public education was the rule. School attendance was mandatory, education was universal. Public schools did not force parents to use the public schools, so parochial schools and other private schools were viable options. All racial, religious and ethnic groups should have access to the same type of education in the same type of setting. Education in the early preschool years flourished with early childhood development programs and on the other end of the spectrum higher education after high school became more attainable for many.
2.2 Constitution of American Education
American schools both public and private consist of 12 years of grades-----basically 8 years of elementary school and 4 years of secondary or high school, although grades 7 and 8, or 7, 8 and 9 may be housed together in a middle school or junior high school.
For public schools, they are administered by local school boards-------groups of people elected by the voters. The board appoints the superintendent and sometimes participates in choosing the teachers, decides how school funds are to be allocated, and has some voice in establishing the curriculum. Local funds for the schools come largely from property taxes paid by residents of the local school districts.
People chose private schools for different reasons, including religion, , and although some private schools do receive public money for certain activities, these schools are not state supported.( Rotherham,2006 ) A fundamental principle of American democracy says that people are free to exercise the faith of their choice, and as a result, there are clear guidelines for public schools about allowing displays of faith. The same guidelines ensure that the rights of all students are protected.
2.3 Attitudes of Americans to Education
Before “911 tragedy”, most of Americans felt unsatisfied with education reforms. Even some politicians thought public school is a failure. In fact, it is because Americans have more expectations towards education. In the same time, more and more Americans felt anxious about it. There are 15,000 school districts in America, so it becomes very difficult to use the same criterion to measure the improvement of education.
3 Effects of Education on “911 tragedy”
In the short term, education is not the top topic of what Americans concern about. Before “911 tragedy”, everyone talked about education, however, after it, politicians especially politicians in the federal government had to focus on dealing with the response of the public to “911 tragedy”. Even education legislations were set aside.
3.1 Weakness of American Education
Education in America is not as effective as it should be because of a number of problems inherent within the system. Because of the way issues of political and social differences have infiltrated educational policy and decision-making, students are not being offered a sound way of dealing with diversity or understanding how to manage differences. Furthermore, in the midst of more large scale debates centering upon sociopolitical questions, there are more concrete problems that are not being dealt with such as the issue of cheating in schools and even the imbalance and potential unfairness of the grading system.
After “911 tragedy”, many Americans including politicians, teachers and students began to realize the weakness of American education. One of the problems with the American education system is that it has yet to form a consensus about the role of religion in the classroom. While this is not a statement meant to argue whether or not religion has a valid place in the public schools, it is fair to state that this is certainly an area of contention as opposing sides attempt to standardize how religion is treated, particularly in textbooks.
The modern American educational system is filled with an assortment of problems. Many students are not learning much at all. Most students are graduating with less knowledge and capability than similar students in other industrialized countries. School violence is rampant, including the many violent incidents we all hear about in the news.
3.2 Influence on Foreign Students
After “911 tragedy”, the number of Saudi foreign students in American felt extremely panicky. The American government exerted its utmost to make them believe that America would make a difference between the Saudi foreign students and religious zealots, which made them feel still welcome in this nation.
3.3 Influence of Foreign Language
Foreign languages are a controversial subject in America. Their place in American education is insecure and problematic. They are the criterion which divides all forms of elementary education. In America they have been pushed towards the extreme periphery of the curriculum of high schools and colleges. In fact they have very often been pushed right off the educational map. There are whole areas and branches of the secondary and collegiate training in which the study of foreign languages is considered completely unnecessary.
According to a U.S. Census Bureau study, 47 million people or 18 percent of the total population speaks more than one language at home - an increase of 14 percent from 1990. After “911 tragedy”, American government paid more attention to foreign language study .It aimed at having a good grasp of the diversion between the cultures and languages of different nations.
4 Reforms to Popularize Education
Under the global development of the world, education reform has become much more part and parcel of the nations. For America, after experiencing the terrorist attack, education reforms were heavily emphasized.
4.1 Improvement of Curricular Reform
It seems like the high school curriculum reform effort in the United States has come full circle. While its development has taken place over time, statistical differentials in academic performance among racial groups makes one question, the adequacy of the modern day high school curriculum in addressing the needs of all segments of society. After all, progress in the evolution of the high school curriculum has been slow and no matter what changes were made to it, there always seemed the need for further development. The early stages of educational reform can be traced back to the early nineteenth century that saw the division of the course of study into different subjects at different grade levels (Kliebard, 1987). The mid-twentieth century marked the National Curriculum Reform Movement which introduced academic rigor to the school curriculum.
One of the bitter ironies of the last few years is the continuous calls issued from the United States, by official and unofficial channels, that school curricula across the Arab worlds has been changed in order to reflect the American view of the world.
Indeed, in the United States, moves to change the curricula spring, not from those who think it too conservative, but from Christian fundamentalists who think it too radical and call for censoring, among other things, science, especially, evolution, and infuse curricula instead with “creationism”. Indeed, attempts to introduce “multicultural” concerns into US curricula precipitated a strong national backlash by religious and secular conservatives alike.
4.2 Development of Teacher Quality
Teachers are the single most important element in fostering student achievement. It is critical to how much students learn from year to year. Every public school student in America should be taught by highly qualified, well-trained and adequately supported teachers. Nowhere is this need greater than in high-poverty, high-minority schools. Nowadays, American government takes various measures to improve the teacher quality. They are the following:
①. Encourage the treatment of teachers as professionals: The federal government should support experiments in the development of enriched career advancement structures that reflect the best practices in other fields. Elements of a restructured teacher compensation system should include: raising starting salaries to recruit well-prepared new teachers; basing a proportion of pay on teacher skills and knowledge and on teacher success in increasing student achievement; and providing incentive pay to work in challenging schools or to teach subjects with serious teacher shortages. Reform of teacher pay is difficult, but it is essential so that the teaching profession can attract and retain America’s most talented young people.
②. Ensure that all education funds are distributed based on student need, beginning with the reform of a Title