Тематический сборник текстов для чтения (английский язык). Соснина Е.П - 128 стр.

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TOPIC 13. EDUCATION AND SCHOOLING
Text 1. Education in the United States
Education in the United States is highly decentralised with funding and curriculum
decisions taking place mostly at the local level through school boards. Educational
standards are generally set by state agencies. The federal government of the United States
through the U.S. Department of Education is involved with funding of some programs and
exerts some influence through its ability to control funding. Accreditation of schools is
accomplished by voluntary regional associations of educational institutions. There are also
non-entreprenurial schools that are are private.
Schools in the 50 states primarily teach in English, while schools in the territory of
Puerto Rico teach in Spanish.
Unlike many other industrialized countries, the United States has not nationalized its
educational system.
Thus, K–12 students in most areas have a choice between free taxpayer-funded public
schools, and private schools, which charge varying rates depending on geographic location
and religious status. For example, some churches will partially subsidize a private school for
its members. Some people have argued that when their child attends a private school, they
should be able to take the funds which the public school no longer needs and apply that
money towards private school tuition in the form of vouchers; this is the basis of the school
choice movement.
Although they are free to all comers, most public K–12 schools are moderately
underfunded by their respective governments, and can only afford to employ teachers with
only bachelor's and associate's degrees. Class sizes vary widely- some states achieve
average sizes of less than 20 students, but class sizes can run as high as 40 or 45 in the worst
cases. It is widely believed that large class sizes contribute to discipline problems and a poor
learning environment (see the Columbine High School massacre for an example of the
worst possible outcome). Meanwhile, the physical infrastructure tends to be in various states
of decay. Teachers often must buy materials for their poorer students out of their own
salaries.
In contras t, private schools usually ma intain high quality facilities and a sufficient
number of teachers to keep class sizes lower than in public schools. Class sizes are generally

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