Educacion en estados unidos

EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES





A BRIEF OVERVIEW




















U.S. Department of Education

September 2005



U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Margaret Spellings
Secretary

First published September 2003. Revised September 2005.

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission toreprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of Education, International Affairs Staff, Education in the United States: A Brief Overview, Washington, D.C., 2005.


To order copies of this report,

Write to: ED Pubs, Education Publications Center, U.S. Department of Education, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398;

or fax your request to: (301)470-1244;

or e-mail your request to: edpubs@inet.ed.gov;

or call in your request toll-free: 1-877-433-7827 (1-877-4-ED-PUBS). If 877 service is not yet available in your area, call 1-800-872-5327 (1-800-USA-LEARN). Those who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a teletypewriter (TTY) should call 1-877-576-7734;

or order online at: www.edpubs.org/webstore/Content/search.asp.This publication is also available on the Department’s Web site at www.ed.gov/international/edus/.

On request, the printed publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print or computer diskette. For more information, please contact the Department’s Alternate Format Center at (202) 260-9895 or (202) 205-0818.


FOREWORD
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From its earliest days, the UnitedStates of America has valued education. Our Founding Fathers believed, as do we, that learning promoted liberty. Pioneer settlers built schools so their children could become productive citizens. Great expanses of land were set aside to create one of the finest systems of higher education in the world.

This tradition continues. Today, the U.S. educates 54 million students from kindergarten tograde 12, and over 17 million in colleges and universities, many of them foreign-born. As we do, we are constantly at work to improve the way we teach and learn.

In 2001, faced with stagnant test scores and an “achievement gap” between rich and poor, President Bush led Congress to pass the No Child Left Behind Act. This revolutionary law committed our nation to providing every single childwith a quality education – something that’s never been done before in the history of the United States.

A revolution in education is taking place in many other nations as well. This is a truly hopeful sign. In this Age of Information, a quality education has never been more valuable or highly sought. It is the key to unlocking opportunity for an individual, a family or a society.

As theworld becomes closer and more competitive, the United States is eager to learn from other nations and cultures, and to share the lessons we’ve learned. That is why we have written this booklet. It details the history of education in America, and the unique leadership role played by states and local governments under our Constitution. It explains the many different types of schools and the greatadvances being made in teaching and instruction. It tells you what we are doing to provide a quality education to all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, family income or place of birth.

I hope you find this information useful and interesting. We invite you to visit our country and see for yourself what education means to Americans. In the end, we want to see all of the world’s childrenreceive a quality education, so that the 21st century is one of hope, prosperity and peace.



Margaret Spellings
U.S. Secretary of Education
CONTENTS
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FOREWORD……………………………………………………………………………………...3

PREFACE……………………………………………………………………………………...….5

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………...6

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