High School in the USA
High School in the USA
1. A few statistics on educational attainment
AUSTRIA
|Bildungsstand der Bevölkerung - 2006 |
|Wohnbevölkerung |davon mit höchster abschl. Ausbildung, in % |
|(15 Jahre u. älter), | |
|in 1.000 | |
| |Pflichtschule |Lehre |Fachschule |Höhere Schule2) |Hochschule, Universität3) |
|6.851,66 |27,9 |35,4 |12,9 |14,0 |9,8 | | |
|Q: STATISTIK AUSTRIA, 1971 bis 2001: Volkszählung, 2002 bis 2006: Mikrozensus, Jahresdurchschnitt. - 1) Präsenz- u. Zivildiener sowie Anstalten nicht | | |
|enthalten. - 2) Allgemein bildende und berufsbildende höhere Schulen. - 3) Inkl. hochschulverwandte Lehranstalten. Ab 2004 Inkl. Universitätslehrgänge. | | |
36.70 %
USA
|Educational Attainment of the Population 15 Years and Over, by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2006 (All races and both sexes) |
|Total |% of those with highest attained educational level |
|in 1000s | |
| |9th grade or |10th-12th grade |High school graduate|Some college |Associate degree|Bach. degree|Masters, Prof., or Doctoral |
| |less | | | | | |degree |
|233.194 |5.97 |10.06 |29.82 |18.21 |7.78 |16.01 |8.03 |
79.85 %
A few more facts about American teenagers:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey
|Population 15 to 19 years |19,544,895 |
|HOUSEHOLD TYPE | |SCHOOL ENROLLMENT |
|In married-couple households |62.5% | |Enrolled in school |16,743,441 |
|In male householder, no wife present, family |7.8% | |Public |89.7% |
|households | | | | |
|In female householder, no husband present, family |25.6 | |Private |10.3% |
|households | | | | |
|In nonfamily households |4.1 | |Not enrolled in school |2,801,454 |
|Population 16 to 19 years |15,271,218 |
|Not enrolled in school and not in the labor force |5.1% |
|In the labor force |47.5% |
2. School Choice
There is a commonly held belief that in the American school system "public = bad" and "private = good" and like most stereotypes, this is a crass over-simplification. What most non-Americans don't realize is that religious belief is a major factor in parents' decisions either to "home school" their children (about 3 million now) or to send them to private schools which are often affiliated with churches. In any case, almost 90 % of American kids attend public schools.
Although it is difficult to make comparative value judgments on Austrian and American schools, one major contrast is in choice. The education of all children can be traced back to certain decisions and choices: the most fundamental differences between the systems are 1) what is there to choose from? 2) at what age are decisions made? and 3) who is making the decision? At the foundation of the current "Gesamtschule" discussion in Austria right now is the fact that 10 year-olds are already being separated and diverted into college-bound and not-college-bound paths. Over the last two decades a large variety of alternative paths have arisen (Abendmatura, Berufsmatura, Studienberechtigung . . .) – but the fact remains that children are steered in a certain direction at a very young age and often these decisions are based on many factors that have little to do with a child's potential or intelligence. In contrast, decisions about post- high school education come much later for American kids – basically starting in the freshman (= first) year of high school (age 15). More importantly, the students themselves make more of their own decisions.
Below is a school profile from a fairly representative American high school. Use it to do the tasks and answer the following questions:
1. Compare the course offering to that of your own high school. What are the most striking differences?
2. Look at the graduate requirements. 23 credits means taking 46 courses over 8 semesters (though some courses are one year or two semesters long). Which courses would you choose if you were deciding purely on the basis of interest? Which would you choose if you had a college career in mind?
3. Imagine that you are most interested in geography – what courses are offered in that field?
4. How many foreign languages are students in this school required to learn?
5. How likely is it that two Austrian students in the same class will have reached a similar level of education in the same subjects? How likely is this situation in the United States?
6. After-school activities are a big part of an American student's life. (See "Co-curricular activities".) What type of activities – if any – would you have joined if they had been available to you? What activities were available to you?
Academic Decathlon
AFS
Amnesty International
Art Club
Art Honors Club
Band
Baseball
Battlebots IQ
Boys Basketball
Boys Cross Country
Boys Golf
Boys Soccer
Boys Swim
Boys Tennis
Boys Track
Boys Volleyball
Cardinal News
Cardinal Pennant
Choirs
Class of 2007
Class of 2008
Class of 2009
Class of 2010
Color Guard
FBLA
Forensics
Football
French Honorary
G.S.A.
German Club
German Honor
Girls Basketball
Girls Cr. Country
Girls Golf
Girls Soccer
Girls Softball
Girls Swim
Girls Tennis
Girls Track
Girls Volleyball
H.O.S.A.
Hockey
Human Serv. Coop
Junior Prom
Key Club
Latin Club
Marching Band
Mu Alpha Theta
National Honor Society
Orchestra
Parnassus in Print
Peer Helpers
Pom Pon
Quill & Scroll
Red Arrow
Science Club
Spanish Honorary
Student Council
Sunshine Fund
Tosa East Players
We the People
Wrestling
YCLA (Young Conservative Leaders of America)
School and community
Wauwatosa is a pleasant city of homes and expanding business and industry. A western suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s largest city, Wauwatosa has more than 47,000 residents in its 13 square mile area.
The city supports 13 public schools — two high schools, two middle schools and nine elementary schools. The annual school district budget is more than $70 million. Wauwatosa East High School is a comprehensive, fouryear high school. Enrollment for 2006-07 is 1,167 students in grades 9 through 12.
Wauwatosa East has 95 faculty members; nearly 60 percent have a master’s degree or beyond. The student/teacher ratio is 12:1, and the student/counselor ratio is 260:1. Average class size is about 25.5 students.
Curriculum
East High School offers more than 100 courses in the following subject areas: art, English, foreign languages, human services, information technology, mathematics, music, physical education, science, and social studies.
Advanced Placement courses are offered in art, American government, biology, chemistry, English, math , physics, psychology, and U.S. History. Accelerated/ intensive courses are available in the foreign languages, English, math, and science. Students may also take college level courses, and most departments offer an independent study course for interested students. Workrelated programs include six youth apprenticeships – in business, financial services, health, information technology, manufacturing and printing/graphics, a Career Connections cooperative education program, and a work incentive program.
Co-curricular activities
Wauwatosa East High School maintains a comprehensive, co-curricular program for all students. The program includes twelve sports for boys and eleven sports for girls, as well as many music and drama activities and academic competitions. More than 40 clubs and organizations are available for students to join.
Courses*
Specific courses include:
Art & Theatre
AP Studio/Portfolio Illustration
Art Foundations Independent Study in Technical Theatre
Behind the Scenes Jewelry & Art Metals I
Ceramics & Sculpture I & II Painting
Design Photography
Drawing 2D & 3D Mixed Media
English
Adv. Comm. & Public Speaking Creative Writing
Adv. Comm. in Theatre Context English 9, 10, 11
Advanced Composition 12 English as a Second Language
Advanced English 11 Journalism
AP Language & Composition 12 Literature 12
AP Literature & Composition 12 Media Communication
British Literature 12 Speech Fundamentals
Composition 12 World Literature
Family and Consumer Ed.
Certified Nursing Assistant Introduction to Health & Medical Careers
Chef Foods II & II Parent/Child Development
Human Relations Teaching & Working with Children
Independent Living
Foreign Languages
French - six years Latin - four years
German - six years Spanish - six years
Health
Health
Honors
Challenge Seminar
Business Ed./Information Technology
Accounting I, II & III Graphic Communications/ Web Page Design
Architectural Drafting Business Law
Business & Personal Finance Introduction to Marketing
Cabinetmaking Light Building Construction
Computer Networking I, II, III Microsoft 1 & 2
Computer Programming PC Fundamental I & II
Drafting Engineering Drafting
Mathematics
Advanced Algebra Geometry
Advanced Algebra-Accelerated Geometry-Accelerated
Algebra Math Topics
Algebra A Pre-Calculus
Algebra B Pre-Calculus-Accelerated
AP Calculus Statistics/Discrete Math
College Prep Math Foundations of Math
Music
Chamber Choir Symphonic Band/Wind Ens.
Concert Band Symphony Orchestra
Concert Choir Symphony Strings
Jazz Ensemble I Vocal Jazz
Music Theory Women's Select Choir
Other
Math Emphasis PASS 9
Physical Education
Individual Sports Specially Designed Physical Education
Individual Sports with Weights Team Sports
Personal Fitness Team Sports with Weights
Physical Education 9, 10, 11, 12
Science
Advanced Astronomy - Level II AP Physics
Advanced Biology - Level II Biological Science
Advanced Chemistry - Level II Biology - Level I
Advanced Earth Science - Level II Chemistry - Level I
Advanced Physics - Level II Earth/Space - Level I
AP Biology Physics - Level I
AP Chemistry Technical Science Survey
Social Studies
AP American Government Economics
AP Psychology Global Studies
AP U.S. History Law in Society
American Public Policy Psychology
American Public Policy - Special Emphasis Social Problems
U.S. History
Work-Related Programs
Business Co-op Youth Apprenticeships: Business, Financial Services, Career Connections Cooperative - Health,Information Technology, Manufacturing &
Career Connections Seminar Printing/Graphic Arts
Work Incentive Program
In addition to the courses offered at East, an Art Satellite course is available through the Milwaukee Public Schools and an auto mechanics course through Milwaukee Area Technical College, both on a part-time basis
Graduation Requirements
Graduation requirements include:
4.5 credits English, including Speech (.5)
3 credits Social Studies, 2 credits Science
2 credits Mathematics 0.5 credits Health
1.5 credits Physical Ed. 9.5 credits of electives-0.5 of which must be Financial literacy
Effective for the class of 2006, Wauwatosa will require students to be financially literate. This graduation requirement can be met through one of three electives - Business and Personal Finance, Economics or Independent Living.
Grading
Grades are computed on a four-point scale:
|A = 4.00 |Pass = 0.00 Lowest passing grade - used for students who are not |
|A- = 3.67 |capable of achieving passing standards but who have put forth |
|B+ = 3.33 |maximum effort |
|B = 3.0 |M = 0.00, Medical |
|B- = 2.67 |I = 0.00, Incomplete |
|C+ = 2.33 |N = Audit |
|C = 2.0 | |
|C- = 1.67 | |
|D+ = 1.33 | |
|D = 1.0 | |
|D- = 0.67 | |
All courses are included in a student’s grade point average. There are no weighted grades for intensive or advanced courses. School honor rolls, for those with a 3.33 grade point average or above, are published quarterly. An honors diploma is awarded to students who have a 3.33 GPA or above and who have completed the Challenge Seminar honors course.
Graduates’ Plans
Nearly 93 percent of Wauwatosa East's graduates pursue a post-secondary education. Of the 262 graduates in the class of 2006, 75 percent planned to attend a fouryear college, and 18 percent planned to enroll in twoyear institutions.
© 2006, Wauwatosa School District
3. More School Choice
A lot of experimentation in education is going on through the United States and even within the public school system, there are many alternatives to the standard type of school shown above. 40 states now have charter school laws which allow communities to start up public schools with alternative curricula. There are about 3000 such schools and about 750,000 kids attending them.
(Source: )
The charter school trend has its fans and its critics. Many attempts to run a charter school fail within a few years, but others have been very successful with their students outperforming those from standard schools. A positive example that I know of personally is The Renaissance School of the Arts in Appleton Wisconsin. Look at the homepage at:
Another example of an alternative school that might interest you is the German Immersion School in Milwaukee:
Questions
A) If you had had the choice of attending one of the three schools described above, which would you have chosen and why? (Cost is not a factor here as all three are public and therefore free.)
B) What alternatives were available to you and what factors determined your choice?
C) Which of these statements comes closest to describing your experience?:
I had the chance to choose the education that suited me.
I had to conform or adapt myself to the only education available to me.
-----------------------
* highlighted courses are year long (2 semesters) and "AP" means "advanced placement" – i.e. the highest level courses for college bound students which sometimes earn them college credit.
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