Chapter 1:

UNDERSTANDING
THE CULTURE OF
THE UNITED STATES
Session 1:
Before your read + Part of While you read
BEFORE YOU READ

Preview Vocabulary
 A. Discuss the following questions with a partne
Notice the Academic Word List (AWL).

 1. If a country has great ethnic diversity, would you expect to find many people who
speak different languages and have different customs?
 2. Could planning a visit to another country motivate someone to learn a foreign
language?
 3. Should immigrants be required to learn the language of their new country before they
become citizens?
 4. How could you learn about the customs and traditions for a holiday in another
country?
 5. If there are more people in the United States who speak English rather than Spanish,
which is the dominant language in the United States?
 6. Is the climate of a country a significant factor in the daily lives of the people? Why?
B. Find the words in the quotation to write next to its
meaning.

convinced

reveals

culture

job

participants
BEFORE YOU READ

Preview Content
 A. What do you know about the “culture” of a count
Work with a partner and answer the questions.

1. What is the culture of a country? If someone asked you to describe your

country’s culture, which of these would you mention? And anything else?
2. Do you agree with Edward T. Hall? Do people really not
understand their own culture? What aspects of a country’s culture
are the hardest to understand?
 LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES

 A Nation of Immigrants
 Cultural Pluralism in the United States
 Making Generalizations about
American Beliefs
 Group Discussion

 Introduction
 A Nation of Immigrants
 Cultural Pluralism in the United States
 Making Generalizations about American Beliefs
 Introduction
 People are naturally curious about each other, when we meet
people from different countries, we want to know many things,
ranging from some basic questions (easy to answer) to abstract
questions (more difficult to answer):
+ What life is like in their country?
+ What kind of houses do they live in?
+ What kind of food do they eat?
+ What do the people believe in?
+ What do they value most?
+ What motivates them?
+ Why do they behave the way they do?
In order to answer these questions about
Americans, there are TWO THINGS to
remember:
 (1) The immense size of the United States
 (2) Its great ethnic diversity
The immense size of the United
States
Five-day travel from New York to Los
Angeles
Two-day travel from
New York to Florida
 Ethnic Diversity
 The Native Americans with their own languages,
cultures, traditions or even governments)
 First European settlers from 1500s, including:
Spanish, French
 From the 1600s to the birth of the United States in
1776, most immigrants were from northern Europe,
and the majority were from England. It was these
people who shaped the values and traditions that
became the dominant, traditional culture of the
United States.
A Nation of Immigrants
 Peoples in the United States
 Native Americans (own language, culture, tradition, government)
 First European settlers: 16th century – Spain, France
--> 17th century to the birth of the United States in 1776:
Northern Europeans & English people: shaped the traditional values and
dominant culture of the United States.
 Late 19th & Early 20th centuries: Greatest number of immigrants, including
NEW immigrants from all over Europe and Asia
 In order to limit the number of immigrants, the Immigration Act was put
into effect in 1921 and in 1924 it virtually closed the door. During 40 years,
the Act favored immigrants from northern and western Europe with several
exceptions allowing groups of refugees from some countries.
 By the end of the 20th century, the US admitted more immigrants from Latin
America, the Caribbean & Asia to help family reunifications
 Peoples in the United States

 In the 21st century, the numbers of new immigrants have risen as in

the early & end of 20th centuries with different pattern:
 White Americans of European descent decrease.
 Early 21st century: new immigrants from Latin America (Hispanic -
Americans) increase. But in 2010, the number of these new
immigrants declines.
 From 2010, the immigrants from Asian countries rise.
 Minority non-white becomes larger vs. white majority grows smaller
 “Majority minority” – more than half of the population are members
of minority groups.
 Cultural Pluralism in the United
States
 Some critical questions about the new immigrants in
the United States:
+ What role new immigrants will play in their new
country?
+ To what degree will they choose to take on the
traditional American values and culture?
+ How much will they try to maintain their own
language and cultural traditions?
+ Will they create an entirely new culture based on
some combination of their values and those of the
 Cultural Pluralism in the United
States
 In some parts of the country, although the children of immigrants
may have grown up bilingual and bicultural, for a number of
reasons many did not pass on their language and culture.
 However, in parts of the country with established communities
that share a common language or culture, bilingualism and
biculturalism continue. In California, for example, a test for a
driver’s license is given in more than thirty different languages.
 Cultural pluralism is more accepted in the United States today
than it was in the first half of the twentieth century, and some
schools have bilingual programs and multicultural curricula.
 Cultural Pluralism in the United
States
 On the one hand, many Americans try to maintain their ethnic
heritage and their cultural traditions.
 On the other hand, there is an increase in the number of interracial
marriages.
 More and more children are born of mixed race or ethnicity,
resulting in the fact that the color of most Americans will be beige,
or light brown.
 Most Americans are very sensitive to the language used to describe
racial and ethnic groups, and they try to be politically correct (or
“P.C.”). For example, some black Americans prefer the term African-
American instead of black to identify with their African heritage.
Meanwhile, some peoples prefer to be identifies by their country of
origin (Cuban-American, Mexican-American, etc.)
 Cultural Pluralism in the United States

 In spite of all this diversity, there is still a tie that

binds Americans together – that is a sense of
national identity – of being an American. Since
there is no term such as United Statesians in the
English language, people in this country call
themselves Americans without the intention to
exclude people from Canada or Latin American
countries as residents of the American
continents.
Making Generalizations about American
Beliefs
 What can we say about Americans?
 What holds them together and makes them feel
American?
 Is it possible to make generalizations about what
they believe?
Making Generalizations about American
Beliefs
 It is possible to make generalizations about what they
believe, but we must be cautious about generalizations.
 Not all Americans hold these beliefs, nor do all Americans
believe these things to the same degree.
 The ways in which some Americans practice their beliefs
may also differ, resulting in a great variety of lifestyles.
 These cultural values have defined the United States and
caused people from all over the world to embrace the way
of life here and eventually to identify themselves as
“Americans”.
 WHILE YOU READ
Understand Main Ideas
Read the passage and answer the following
questions.
 1. What are two important factors that affect life in the United States?
 2. What is the heading for the section that discusses the history of immigration in
the United States?
 3. What is cultural pluralism?
 4. What is the main idea of the section headed Making generalizations about
American beliefs?
Understand Details

 Write T (True) or F (False) according to the information

in the chapter.
T

T
T

T
Skill Building: Scanning
Scan the reading to answer the questions.

p.5 – CA, NY, NJ

p.11 – 1831

p.6, chart – 14.8%

Scan the reading to answer the questions.

p.8, chart – 308, 745, 538

p.4 - 1908

p.9 – great, great, great grandfather from Ireland

Build Vocabulary: Use Context
Clues
 quota

minority

neutral observer

identity

distinct
 identity

distinct

minority
f

g
j

c
 1. aspect: /one part of an idea that has many parts
 2. category: group of things that all have the same
qualities
 3. concept: an idea
 4. debate: a discussion of different opinions
 5. establish: to start something that will continue
 6. estimate: to judge by calculating and guessing
 7. hypothesis: an explanation that is not yet proven
 8. incidentally: by the way
 9. institution: a large organization
 10. survive: to continue despite difficulties
 11. unique: one of a kind
 12. vary: to be different
Build Vocabulary: Understand
Prefixes
il not
bi two

multi many
im in

out
em
inter between
Build Vocabulary: word partners
g

f
a

d
e
neutral observer

significant factor

working hypotheses
 legal immigrants

industrialized countries

cultural pluralism

dominant culture
Session 2: Expand your
knowledge
Chapter 2
TRADITIONAL AMERICAN VALUES & BELIEFS
 constitution

status

individual

achieve

resources
 benefit
reliant

ethical
foundation

welfare
pursuit

Self-evident

inalienable

endowed
Group discussion

1/ Introduction Paragraphs 1-6

2/ Individualism & Self-reliance Paragraphs 7-12
3/ Equality of Opportunities & Competition Paragraphs 13-20
4/ Material Wealth & Hard Work Paragraphs 21-26
5/ American Values & the State of the American Paragraphs 27-32
Dream
Introduction
 From the beginning of the history of the United States, there has been
great ethnic diversity.
 Most early Americans recognized this diversity, or pluralism, as a fact of
life. The large variety of ethnic, cultural and religious groups meant that
accepting diversity was the only practical choice, even if some people
were not enthusiastic about it, or were even threatened by it.
 However, by time, many Americans came to see strength in their country’s
diversity.
 Historically, the United States has been viewed as “the land of
opportunity”. Americans have nurtured a unique set of values which
represent three traditional reasons why immigrants have been drawn to
America.
 This system of values consists of three pairs of benefits (rights) and price
(cost, responsibilities):
 + Individualism Freedom & Self-reliance
 + Equality of opportunity & Competition
 + Material wealth & Hard work.
Individual Freedom & Self-Reliance
 The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to
establish colonies that were free from the controls by kings and
governments, priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats in
Europeans societies.
 In 1776, the British colonial settlers declared their independence
from England and established a new nation, the United States of
America. They defied the king of England and declared that the
power to govern would lie in the hands of the people.
 The early settlers thus created a climate of freedom where
emphasis was on the individual with the concept of individual
freedom.
Individual Freedom & Self-Reliance
 By freedom, Americans mean the desire and the right of all
individuals to control their own destiny without outside
interference.
 There is, however, a cost for this benefit: self-reliance. Individuals
must learn to rely on themselves or risk losing freedom. They must
achieve both financial and emotional independence from their
parents as early as possible and “stand on their two feet”.
 If adult children return home to live with their parents because of
economic conditions or a failed marriage, most members of the
family expect this to be a short-term arrangement. Although
receiving financial support from charity, family or the government
is possible, it is usually expected to be for a short time, and it is
generally not admired.
Equality of Opportunity and Competition
 Generations of immigrants have come to the United States with the
expectation that everyone has a chance to succeed here.
 In “the old country” from which they came, their place of life was
determined largely by the social class into which they were born. In
America, they would not have to live among noble families who
possessed great power and wealth inherited and accumulated over
hundreds of years.
 Equality of opportunity means that each individual should have an
equal chance for success. Americans see much of life as a race for
success. Equality means that everyone should have an equal
chance to enter the race and win. Equality of opportunity may be
thought of as an ethical rule. It helps ensure that the race for
success is a fair one and that a person does not win just because
he or she was born into a wealthy family, or lose because of race or
religion.
Equality of Opportunity and Competition
 However, the price to be paid for this equality of opportunity is
competition. If much of life is seen as a race, then a person must
run the race to succeed; a person has the responsibility to compete
with others, even though we know not everyone will be successful.
 The pressures of competition in the life of an American begin in
childhood and continue until retirement from work. There are
programs of competitive sports in public schools and community
groups for both men and women.
 The pressure to compete causes Americans to be energetic, but it
also places a constant emotional strain on them. Retirees feel
useless and unwanted in this society. Generally, any group of
people who do not compete successfully – for whatever reason – do
not fit into the mainstream of American life as well as those who do
compete and succeed.
Material Wealth and Hard Work
 Immigrants have traditionally come to the United States to have a
better life – that is, to raise their standard of living. Because of its
abundant natural resources, the United States appeared to be a
land of plenty where millions could come to seek their fortunes.
 The majority of them were eventually able to improve upon their
former standard of living. Material Wealth became a value to
American people.
 Materialism and materialistic are offensive to most Americans.
They do have other values and ideals, rather than only material
possessions.
Material Wealth and Hard Work
 Because American rejected the European system of hereditary
aristocracy and titles of nobility, they need to explain why they use
material wealth as a measure of social status in their society.
 They have paid a price, however, for their material wealth: hard
work. Only by hard work could they converted natural resources
into material possessions. Hard work has been both necessary and
rewarding for Americans throughout their history.
 As the United States has shifted from an industry-based economy
to service-or information-based one, there has been a decline in
high-paying jobs for factory workers. Many of them have to rely on
some outside assistance from the government or other sources.
American Values and the State of the American Dream

In recent years, as the economy has declined, many people have

wondered if the American Dream is really dead.
The American Dream has traditionally meant that by working hard,
parents can enable their children to have a better life when they grow
up. Every generation could be a little more prosperous and successful
than their parents.
The overwhelming majority of American still believe in the ideal of the
American Dream – that is, if they work hard, they and their children
can have a better life. Some who find they are working longer hours
for less money still hope that the American Dream will exist again, if
not for them, then for their children.
 In reality, these ideals are not always put into practice. Equality of opportunity, for
example, some people have a better chance for success than others. Race and gender
may still be factors affecting success. And of course new immigrants continue to face
challenges unique to their situation.
 The fact that American ideals are only partly carried out in real life does not diminish their
importance. Most Americans still believe in them and are strongly affected by them in their
everyday lives.
 These cultural values creates the fabric of the American society. It is this fabric that defines
the American Dream – the belief that if people take responsibility for their lives and work
hard, they will have the individual freedom to pursue their personal goals and a good
opportunity to compete for success. These values are so tightly woven together that if any
one of them is pulled out or even disturbed, the entire fabric is affected and may come
apart.
 These values enable a nation of enormous diversity to create and maintain a national
diversity.
Understand Main Ideas. Complete the outline (p.38).

values

self-reliance
Equality of opportunity and Competition

succeed

The price for equality of opportunity is competition.

Material Wealth and Hard Work

living

The price for material wealth is hard work.

 American Values and the State of the American Dream

happen / come true

almost every facet of American life

Understand Details (p.39)
Skills Building (p.40)
Scan the Chapter to find out the answers to
the following questions.
Build Vocabulary (p.42)
d
f
h
a

g
c
i
k

j
l
e
Use Context Clues (p.42). Choose the best explanation for the
words in bold.
surveys public opinion

control their own destiny

seek their fortunes

 provide a decent standard of living

face challenges
 reliance

emphasize

concept

achieve
reject
Chapter 8
Ethnic & Racial Diversity in the United States
help them succeed

be treated worse

national

likely

teacher
 yes

residential

Continue
speaking native
language at home
no
 Group Discussion
 1/ Introduction
 2/ Establishment of the Dominant Culture
 3/ Assimilation of Non-Protestants & Non-Europeans
 4/ African-American Experience
 5/ Civil Rights Movement
 6/ Diversity in the 21st century
 7/ Universal Nation
 Introduction
 The population of the United States includes a number of
different ethnic groups coming from many races, nationalities
and religions. The process by which these many groups have
been made a part of a common cultural life with commonly
shared values is called assimilation.
 Some have described the United States as a “melting pot”
where various racial and ethnic groups have been combined
into one culture.
 Others are inclined to see the United States as a “salad bowl”
where various groups have remained somewhat distinct and
different from one another, creating a richly diverse country.
 The Establishment of the Dominant
Culture
 It was the white population that had the greater numbers, the
money and the political power in the new nation, and
therefore this majority soon defined what the dominant culture
would be.
 The dominant American culture that grew out of the nation’s
early history was English-speaking, western European,
Protestant and middle-class in character.
 Immigrants with these characteristics were welcome, in part
because Americans believed that these new comers would
probably give strong support to the basic values of the
dominant culture, such as freedom, equality of opportunity,
and the desire to work hard for a higher material standard of
living.
 The Assimilation of Non-Protestants &
Non-Western Europeans
 The degree to which a minority group was seen as different from the
characteristics of the dominant majority determined the extent of that
group’s acceptance, those with significantly different characteristics
tended to be viewed as a threat to traditional American values and way of
life.
 This was particularly true of immigrants from poor nations of southern and
eastern Europe who arrived by the millions during the late nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries. They spoke languages other than English, and
large numbers of them were Catholics or Jews.
 Americans at the time were very fearful of this new flood of immigrants.
They were afraid that these people were so accustomed to lives of poverty
and dependence that they would not understand such traditional American
values as freedom, self-reliance and competition. There were so many new
immigrants that they might even change the basic values of the nation in
undesirable ways.
 The Assimilation of Non-Protestants &
Non-Western Europeans
 American tried to offer English instruction for the new immigrants and citizenship
classes to teach them basic American beliefs.
 The immigrants, however, often felt that their American teachers disapproved of the
traditions of their homeland.
 They also felt that learning about American values gave them little help in meeting their
most important needs, such as employment, food and a place to live.
 Far more helpful to the new immigrants were the “political bosses” of the larger cities of
the northeastern United States, where most of the immigrants first arrived. Those
bosses saw to many of the practical needs of the immigrants and were more accepting
of the different homeland traditions.
 In exchange for their help, the bosses expected the immigrants to keep them in power
by voting for them in elections.
 Many Americans strongly disapproved of the political bosses, partly because the bosses
were frequently corrupt. Perhaps more important to disapproving Americans was the
fact that the bosses seemed to be destroying such basic American values as self-
reliance and competition.
 The Assimilation of Non-Protestants &
Non-Western Europeans
 Many scholars, however, believe that the political bosses performed an
important function in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They helped
to assimilate large numbers of new immigrants into the larger American
culture by finding them jobs and housing, in return for their political
support. Later the bosses also helped the sons and daughters of these
immigrants find employment.
 The fact that the United States had a rapidly expanding economy at the
turn of the century made it possible for these new immigrants, often
with the help of the bosses, to better their standard of living in the
United States.
 As a result of these new opportunities and new rewards, immigrants
came to accept most of the values of the larger American culture and
were in turn accepted by the great majority of Americans.
 African-American Experience
 Of the non-white ethnic groups, Americans of African descent have had the
greatest difficulty in becoming assimilated into the larger culture.
 African Americans were brought to the United States against their will to be
sold as slaves.
 The enslavement of African Americans in the United States was a complete
contradiction of such traditional basic American values as freedom and equality
of opportunity. It divided the United States into two different sections: the
southern states, in which black slavery became basis of the economy, and the
northern states, which chose to make slavery against the law.
 A minority of whites in the North (idealists) demanded that slavery be
abolished since slavery and freedom could not exist together in a free country,
even if this meant war with the South.
 A much larger number of northern whites believed that freedom and equality of
opportunity needed to be protected for white people only, but they were afraid
that black slavery could eventually take away their economic freedom.
 African-American Experience
 Abraham Lincoln was able to become president of the United States by
appealing to both the white idealists who saw slavery as an injustice to African
Americans and to the larger number of northern whites who saw slavery as a
threat to themselves.
 Lincoln believed that basic ideals such as freedom and equality of opportunity
had to apply to all people, black and white, or they would not last as basic
American values.
 A Civil War (1861-1865) between the North and South occurred. When the North
was finally victorious, black slavery ended in the United States.
 Although slavery was abolished in the 1860s, its legacy continued and African
Americans were not readily assimilated into the larger American culture. Most
remained in the South, where they were not allowed to vote and were legally
segregated from whites.
 Although conditions were much worse in the segregated South, blacks
continued to be victims of strong racial prejudice in the North as well.
 Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s

and 1960s
After World War II was over, black leaders began to lead a civil rights movement for
equality with whites.
 The most important of these leaders was Martin Luther King Jr.. King led thousands
of people in nonviolent marches against segregation and other forms of racial
discrimination. King’s goal was to bring about greater assimilation of black people
into the larger American culture.
 Some other black leaders, such as Malcolm X, urged a rejection of basic American
values and complete separation of blacks from the white culture. Malcolm X
believed that American values were nothing more than “white men’s values” used
to keep blacks in an inferior position.
 The great majority of American blacks, however, shared Martin Luther King’s beliefs
and his goal of assimilation rather than separation.
 Largely as a result of King’s activities, two major civil rights laws were passed during
the 1960s. One law made it illegal to segregate public facilities. The other law made
it illegal to deny black people the right to vote in elections.
 Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s

and 1960s
The civil rights laws of the 1960s helped to bring about a significant degree of
assimilation of blacks into the larger American culture. A federal program called
affirmative action required employers to actively seek black workers and universities
to recruit black students.
 As a result of the civil rights laws and affirmative action, the number of African
Americans attending the nation’s colleges and universities, holding elective public
office, and earning higher incomes increased dramatically in the late 1960s and
1970s.
 Today, African Americans are sports and entertainment heroes, university
professors, medical doctors, etc. There is now a sizable black middle class, and
there are a number of wealthy African Americans.
 In 2008, Barack Obama became the first black American president, truly a dream
come true for many who had worked in the civil rights movement.
Diversity in the 21st century
 The civil rights movement benefited not only African Americans, but all
minorities in the United States – American Indians, Hispanics, Asians and
others. Racial discrimination in employment and housing was forbidden
by law. The rights of women were also advanced. Recently, sexual
orientation entered the picture.
 In reality, however, there are still some kind of inequality. Segregation
and discrimination are against the law, but residential patterns create
largely segregated neighborhood schools. Whites are more likely than
blacks and Hispanics to live in the suburbs, where the neighborhood
schools are usually in better condition and offer a better education.
Many blacks and other ethnic minorities in the inner city are trapped in
cycles of poverty, unemployment, violence and despair.
Diversity in the 21st century
 Nevertheless, the American Dream still attracts
immigrants and inspires people of all races and
ethnic backgrounds.
 Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic Supreme Court
Justice, is an inspiring example of the success some
Hispanic Americans have achieved.
 Today, immigrants with all kinds of backgrounds and
skill levels find their way to the United States. What
they are able to earn in dollars and send back to
their countries can support many family members
there.
 A Universal Nation
 The dominant American culture was established by the early settlers whose roots
were in white, Protestant and Western Europe.
 In the late 1800s and early 1900s, millions of immigrants came from eastern and
southern Europe, bringing cultural traditions perceived by the dominant culture as
quite different.
 By the 1920s, Americans had decided to close the borders to mass immigration.
 In spite of worries of those in the dominant culture, the new immigrants did
assimilate to life in the United States. They greatly enriched the cultural diversity of
the nation, and they ultimately did not cause major changes to its traditional values.
 In 1965, the United States allowed many more immigrants from Asia and Latin
America to come here.
 Perhaps the United States will be described not as a “melting pot” or a “salad bowl”,
but as a “mosaic” – a picture made up of many tiny pieces of different colors. If one
looks closely at the nation, the individuals of different colors and ethnic groups are
still distinct and recognizable, but together they create a picture that is uniquely
American.
Dominant American Non-Protestants & Non- African American
Culture Europeans (WHITE & (NONWHITE & FORCED)
VOLUNTARILY)

1/ English Speaking Other languages Against their will

2/ Western Europeans Southern & Eastern Europeans Sold as slaves

3/ Protestant Catholics, Jews - Idealists in the North:

disapprove enslavement
- Majority whites: Freedom
just for the whites

4/ Middle-class Poverty - The South: approve

enslavement
 Understand Details

a
c

b
c

b
a

c
c

e
j

d
abolished

civil rights

inspire

assassination
 legacy

registration

mingled

victims
 mosaic

trickle

obliterate

corrupt
 bias

construction

despite

discrimination
documentation

eliminating

function

inclined

integrated

process

residential

somewhat
Chapter 9
EDUCATION
 Group Discussion

 1/ Introduction
 2/ The Educational Ladder
 3/ Attending an American University
 4/ Educating the Individual
 5/ The Standards Movement
 6/ Inequalities in the American Education System
 7/ The Increasing Responsibilities of Public Schools
 8/ Twenty-first Century Challenges to American Education
 1/ Introduction
 As might be expected, educational institutions in the United States reflect the nation’s basic
values, especially the ideal of equality of opportunity. From elementary school through
college, Americans believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to get a good
education.
 From the beginning, when Americans established their basic system of public schools in
1825, they reaffirmed the principle of equality by making schools open to all classes of
Americans and by financing the schools with tax money collected from all citizens.
 However, some wealthy Americans were afraid that universal education would be a danger
rather than a national blessing.
 Tocqueville at first shared the same fear with these rich Americans, yet eventually he
decided that the tendency of public education to encourage people to seek a higher status
in life was in harmony, not in conflict, with the customs of American society. Also, he noted
that American public education had a strong practical content that included the teaching of
vocational skills and the duties of citizenship.
 Public schools in the United States were expanded to include secondary or high schools
(grades 9-12) and colleges and universities, with both undergraduate and graduate studies.
 2/ The Educational Ladder
 Americans view their public school system as an educational ladder, rising from
elementary school to high school and finally college undergraduate and graduate
programs.
 After high school, the majority of students go on to college. Undergraduate studies
lead to a bachelor’s degree (or “college diploma”). Students may also receive an
associate degree in vocational or technical fields after two years of study at a
community college.
 The bachelor’s degree can be followed by professional studies, which leads to
master’s and doctoral degrees.
 The American public schools are free and open to all at the elementary and secondary
(high school) level, but the public colleges and universities charge tuition and have
competitive entrance requirements.
 The educational ladder concept is a perfect reflection of individual success based on
equality of opportunity and on “working your way to the top”. Individuals may climb as
high on the ladder as they can. The abilities of the individuals, rather than their social
class, are expected to determine how high each person will go.
 4 types of schools
 1. Public schools (the great majority): free for all
(from elementary-high schools)
 2. Religious private schools (about 10%): with
religious instructions, safer, higher academic
education
 3. Charter schools: operated by parents or private
organizations with the permission of states or
federal government
 4. Elitist private schools: very high tuition, good
quality
2 inequalities in the American educational
system.
 1. Elitist private schools for a few
wealthy children
 2. Quality of education in public schools
depends on different states or regions.
 3/ Attending American
Universities
 Both private and public universities cost a lot of money.
 The cost of attending a university is rather high for the
majority of students. Therefore, they need to seek for help
from financial aid programs (loans or scholarships) or work
part-time.
 Other students can attend community colleges in their
hometown with lower tuition (two-year duration with
transfer programs to state universities).
 Education is attached with monetary value, which means
the higher the educational levels are, the more money
people can earn to have high standard of living.
 4/ Educating the Individual

 American schools emphasize both intellectual skills

(critical-thinking skills) and social (interpersonal)
skills.
 In class, students ask questions, express their own
opinions, which illustrates the individual freedom &
self-reliance values.
 At the same time, they need to participate in
extracurricular activities (athletics / competitive
sports or student government) in order to become
responsible citizens in the future.
 5/ The Standards Movement
 In the late 1900s, when compared with other industrialized
countries, the American education was not as high as expected.
 Thus, instead of traditionally being controlled by local schools
(in terms of curriculum & textbook selection), state and federal
government are now more involved in setting national goals for
education as well as designing standardized tests to make sure
that all schools meet the common requirement.
 However, scholars fear that the emphasis on tests may
gradually affect the way individual basic concepts are taught.
Many children are left behind when they receive falling grades.
Special help now should be provided to help ensure the equality
of education for all children.
 6/ Inequalities in the American Education
System
 After the Civil War in the 1860s, the southern states developed a social
and legal system that segregated the former black slaves from the
white population in all public facilities, including schools. Blacks had
separate schools that were inferior to the white schools by almost any
measure.
 The residential patterns resulted in a number of segregated schools in
the North, particularly in big cities. Many public schools in the inner
city were composed predominantly of African-American students, while
those in the suburbs were predominantly white, middle-class.
 The most controversial method used to deal with the unequal
neighborhood schools was the busing of schoolchildren from their
home neighborhoods to schools in more distant neighborhoods in order
to achieve a greater mixture of black and white children in all schools.
 6/ Inequalities in the American Education
System
 In addition to trying to end segregation, the federal government
created assistance programs for the neediest children (special
reading instruction, smaller classes, early childhood programs, some
economic assistance).
 At the college level, during the 1970s there was a growth in
affirmative action programs. All minority students were recruited,
Hispanics as well as blacks.
7/ The Increasing Responsibilities of Public
Schools
 Americans place the weight of many of their ideals, hopes and
problems on the nation’s public school system (especially
problems from the weakening of family ties of children).

 Some of its greatest challenges were to deal with the education of

the new immigrant children. All these children are trying to learn
new concepts at the same time that they are struggling to learn a
new language. These children are going to be at a disadvantage
when taking standardized tests; they may have lower test scores.
In general, during times of economic downturns, there is less
money going to the public schools from the state and local
governments that fund them.
 8/ Twenty-first Century Challenges to American
Education
 Now, in the 2000s, American schools are once again largely segregated, this time not
by law, but because of residential patterns and the love of local neighborhood
schools.
 On the one hand, local schools reflect residential patterns where there is significant
segregation. On the other hand, however, neighborhoods are becoming increasingly
integrated as minorities settle in the suburbs. Another factor is that young people are
marrying other races and ethnic groups at an increasingly rapid rate. More and more
children are born of mixed race / ethnicity.
 Schools need to make the curricula more inclusive for a diversity of racial or ethnic
minority groups.
 There has always been an effort to find a balance between educational standards and
the unique circumstances of local neighborhood schools.
 American public schools have generally served the United States well by educating a
diverse population and working to bring people together. Americans face increased
challenges now as they struggle to find ways to provide all students equality of
educational opportunity. And they are now debating how to bring equality of
achievement to more young people. The future wellbeing of America depends on it.
harmony
erased
statu
s
regard
eventually
means
achieved

seek

conflict
violated

elite
 extracurricular

attainment
zip codes

displace

isolated
 tuition

obvious

facilities
 remove

vocational
 Final Format

 1/ 20 multiple choice questions (4 marks)

 2/ 10 True-False statements (2 marks)
 3/ 10 gap-filling blanks in a short text with words given
(2 marks)
 4/ 2 open questions (2 marks)
E.g.: What is individual freedom? Give ONE example.