In order to enlighten our Hispanic American readers, I will summarize in this article the essential elements that govern the North American educational system.
Education in the US
1. Local Management
In the US, the management of educational institutions, public and private, depends on local and municipal governments. For this reason, there is no uniform educational system for the entire American Union, with the exception of military academies and schools for Native Americans.
The Federal Government, for its part, exercises supervisory functions over the educational regions and must ensure, among other aspects, that equal opportunities are granted to all children residing in each school district, regardless of their immigration status.
2. Resources
The financing of public education, therefore, depends on the taxes collected by local governments, especially the one that depends on the real estate property tax.
By virtue of this decentralization, it is common to observe that the best schools are located in the educational zones where the most affluent neighbors reside, generating a greater volume of taxes than those in the lower income zones.
3. Levels
In the US, education is divided into four basic levels:
- Preschool,
- Primary,
- Middle School
- Higher education
Preschool: Kindergartens, known as “Pre-K” or “pre-kindergarten”, offer education to children between the ages of four and five. The “Pre-K” are financed by the state government and, in addition to being free, almost always include food for the students.
Primary: The primary education program covers from "Kindergarten" to fifth grade. Registration is free and includes school bus transportation.
Secondary: Secondary education begins after the fifth year of primary education and covers from year 6 to year 12. The second cycle of secondary education or "High School" comprises education between grades nine to twelve.
Higher education: In the US, higher education allows students to obtain partial diplomas as they progress in their study program. Thus, after the first two school years of "College" or University, the student receives an "Associate" certificate in various areas of specialization. After two more years of studies, the student will opt for the title of "Bachelor" which is a kind of degree in Latin America.
The “Master” diploma is awarded after two regular years of postgraduate studies and the “PhD” or doctorate after four years of regular postgraduate courses.
All these periods of study can be shortened if the student absorbs a greater number of courses per semester, prior approval of the Study Council of each educational institution.
4. Higher Education Institutions.
The "College" and the "Community College" generally offer basic and intermediate courses that allow the student to obtain the "Associate" degree. In some cases these institutions grant “Bachelor” diplomas in certain disciplines. The advantage of these educational centers is that they are subsidized by the State and are cheaper than private institutes. It is common to observe that a large number of students begin their higher studies in a "College" and after passing the second year they move to a University to apply for a "Bachelor" degree there.
North American universities, for their part, carry out research and development tasks and, in addition to bachelor's degrees, grant specialization post-graduate degrees, Master's degrees and doctorates.
5. Entry Requirements.
In accordance with constitutional norms, the Department of Education has stipulated that all local and state institutions of primary and secondary education are obliged to provide education to students without discriminating as to color, race, nationality, and immigration status. or their parents or guardians.
The requirements to enter the "College" and the University are similar for both types of institutions and include exams such as the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), which measures the student's ability in mathematics and English, and, in the case of foreign students, the "TOEFL" (Test of English as a Foreign Language) which is a test to determine the student's ability to function in English.
6. Costs
While the State guarantees free access for students to primary and secondary education institutes, at the university and postgraduate level the panorama changes.
Although the universities are partially subsidized by the government, the cost of tuition per student can range from US$7.000 to US$20.000 per academic year, at the undergraduate level, and double at the graduate level. To these tuition amounts must still be added the expenses corresponding to housing, maintenance, books and transportation.
Compared to other nations, the American educational system is the one that allocates the greatest financial resources per student. In the US, about 87% of primary and secondary school students receive free education and of the top 10 universities in the world, eight are North American.
As we can see, the study possibilities for foreigners in the US are varied and accessible to the point that there are currently more than 1,13 million foreign students enrolled, most of them in university programs. This figure from the Department of Homeland Security represents a staggering 14% increase over 2014.
If after reading these notes you want to go deeper into the subject, I recommend you visit the websites ed.gov y www.educationusa.state.gov.