Today more than 56 million Americans are attending a wide variety of1 schools and universities across the nation. One half of all the people in the country between the ages of 18 and 25 attend a university. Schools are expected to meet the needs of every child regardless of his ability and also of society itself. This means that tax-supported free education2 includes courses in such subjects as sewing, typing, radio and automobile repairs as well as3 in the customary school subjects such as mathematics, history, and language. Students can choose among a great variety of subjects depending on their interests, future plans, and level of ability. There are, however, certain basic courses that everyone is required to study, including reading, writing, mathematics, and English. During the 1800's and early 1900's, when millions of people from many countries around the world came to the United States to settle, schools were an important part in “Americanizing” the children, and through them the parents, too.
Throughout the United States, all children are required by law to attend school from the ages of 6 to 16. The great majority of American children attend public schools4. Most of the private schools5 are church-supported.
The local public schools are supported by tax money collected by the state and local governments from all of the people, whether they have children attending public schools or not. When the federal government does give money to education, it does so chiefly in the poorer areas, where there is not enough money locally. Federal government money is usually used for buildings, school bus systems, school lunches, or other purposes that do not affect the educational process itself. Americans do not want the federal government controlling what their children are taught. By having local governments control the schools, Americans feel that they are able to influence the education that is provided to their children to a greater degree.
Consistent with this clear separation of nation and state, there are no national examinations at either the school or university levels. A general entrance examination is given for students who want to attend universities. However, this test is not given by the government but a private organization and universities are not required to use the test results.
Religions and private schools receive little or no support from public taxes in the United States, and, as a result, are usually somewhat expensive to attend. The largest group of religious “parochial6” schools in America is run by the Roman Catholic Church, while religious schools tend to be less expensive than private schools.
When there is free education available to all children in the United States, why do people spend money on private schools? Americans offer a great variety of reasons for doing so, including the desire of some parents to send their children to schools where classes tend to be smaller, or where religions instruction is included as part of the educational program, or because, in their opinion, the public schools in their area are not of high enough quality to meet their needs. Private schools in the United States range widely in size, quality, and in the kinds of programs that are offered to meet the needs of certain students.
The degree to which American parents are active in their children's schools is often surprising to people of other countries. Most schools have organizations consisting of both parents and teachers, usually called P.T.A. for Parent-Teacher Association. They meet together to discuss various matters concerning the school. Parents often give their time to help with classroom or after-school activities. Others work with teachers to help the slower-learning children in the classroom. Both mothers and fathers are expected to attend P. T.A. meeting and to show their interest in the school.
In addition to their regular school work7, students in the United States are offered a wide range of activities in the after-school hours. Called extra-curricular activities8, they are designed to help develop a student's skills, abilities, and attitudes toward life. From nature clubs to musical organizations, school newspapers or sports activities, the student has a large selection of activities from which to choose.
Some of these activities occur during the school day9, but most are held after classes. Although a student is free to join or not to join, after-school activities are considered an important part of the American educational system.
(From VOA)
今天有5600万以上的美国人在遍及全国的各类大、中、小学上学。在18岁到25岁的人群中，有一半在上大学。人们期望学校能满足孩子们的需要，无论他们能力如何，也不考虑社会本身。也就是说，税收维持的免费教育既设立常规的科目如数学、历史、语文，还设有缝纫、打字、无线电与汽车修理等科目。学生可按自己的兴趣、对未来的计划和能力水平在众多科目中自行选修。不过一些基础课人人必修，包括阅读、写作、数学和英语。19世纪至20世纪初期，数以百万计的人从世界各地来到美国定居，学校是使孩子们“美国化”的重要媒介，通过孩子又使孩子的父母也美国化了。
美国法律规定所有6岁到16岁的少年儿童，都必须入学。大多数的美国孩子上公立学校。私立学校多数由教会赞助。
地方公立学校的经费源于州政府和地方政府向全民征收的税款，不管纳税人是否有子女在公立学校上学。联邦政府即使拨款给教育部门，也往往只拔给经费不足的贫困地区。联邦政府的钱通常用于校舍、校车、学校午餐或其他不直接影响教学本身的项目。美国人不希望联邦政府插手子女的学习内容。由地方政府管理学校，他们就能够在更大程度上影响子女们所受的教育。
联邦政府与各州各司其责，界线分明。与此相一致，中学或大学阶段都没有全国性的统考。要上大学的学生一般要经过一次统考。不过这种考试不由政府而由私人机构主持，各大学也不要求采用考试结果。
美国的教会学校和私立学校几乎没有政府税收的支持，因此上这类学校多少有些昂贵。美国最大的教会学校集团“教区附属学校”，是由罗马天主教会举办的。不过，教会学校比私立学校费用要低。
既然美国所有孩子都能获得免费教育，为什么还有人花钱上私立学校呢？美国人这样做理由多多：有些家长想把子女送入人数较少的小班或教育计划内设有宗教课程的学校，或者因为一些家长认为当地的公立学校质量不够好，不能满足他们的需要。美国的私立学校，在规模上、质量上以及在为满足某些学生的需要而设置的课程上，彼此差异很大。
美国家长积极参与子女就读学校里的活动，其踊跃程度往往令其他国家的人咋舌。多数学校都有家长与教师组成的组织，通常称为家长教师联合会，简称P.T.A。他们一起讨论有关学校的各种事务。家长经常抽时间帮助做课堂活动或课外活动。有的家长同教师合作指导学习有困难的孩子。父母通常一起出席家长教师联合会,以表示他们对学校事务的关心。
除了日常的功课，美国的学生还参与在课余时间组织的各种各样的活动，称之为课外活动，目的是帮助学生开发各种技能、才能、培养处世态度。从探索自然俱乐部到音乐协会、从校报到体育活动，学生选择的余地很大。
这些活动有的在教学日进行，但多半是在课后进行。课外活动被认为是美国教育体系的一个重要部分，不过学生可以自主决定是否参与。
1. a wide variety of 各式各样的, 多种的
2． free education 公费教育，免费教育
3． as well as 以及，除．．．．．．之外
4． public school 公立学校，公立中小学
5． private school 私立学校,私立中小学
6． parochial adj． 教区的；地方性的
7． school work 学校作业；功课
8． extra－curricular activities 课外活动
9． school day 上课日；教学日