2.Elementary and Secondary Education

In the United States elementary education begins at the age of six.Classes of students are divided into twelve academic levels called grades.Generally，one academic year（from Sept ember to June）is required to complete each grade.In some school systems，elementary school includes grades from one to eight.The next four years are called high school.In other school systems，there are three divisions：elementary school（grades one to six），junior high school（grades seven to nine），and senior high school（grades ten to twelve）.

Elementary School

At elementary stage，nearly all the teachers are women，mostly married.The atmosphere is usually very friendly，and the teachers have for a long time accepted the idea that the important thing in elementary schools is to make children happy and interested.The rigid and authoritarian method of education were discredited in America rather a long time ago—so much so that some Americans think that they have gone too far in the direction of trying to make children happy and interested rather than giving them actual instruction.

Elementary schools teach reading，arithmetic，and language arts such as creative writing，spelling，and handwriting.Social studies，science，music，art，and physical education are also part of the program.Classes are held five days a week from Monday to Friday.

The elementary teaching profession is not quite so simply arranged in the United States.A teacher who is qualified in one state may not be qualified in another，as each state has its own arrangements for training teachers.Generally speaking，elementary school teachers have often been trained in schools of education，and most of them have normally completed the university degree.

The students go to high schools automatically after finishing their elementary school education.There is no entrance examination.The high schools，junior and senior，have a good reputation in the country.They take their responsibilities very seriously.They have guidance counselors to whom children can go privately if they have any special problems，especially about their careers.Parents are encouraged to share in the school life of their children.In some lower grade classes they actually go into the class during a lesson and help the teacher with plays and class reading，and most schools have highly successful Parent-Teacher Associations.

In high school，subject matter becomes more specialized.English classes stress grammar and literature.Social studies are split into separate courses in American history，American government，and European history.Algebra，geometry，and trigonometry are offered.High school students usually take a one-year general science course，then more detailed courses in biology，chemistry，and physics.Most high school students study a foreign language usually Latin，French，Spanish，German，or Chinese.With the growing prominence of China on the world stage，the number of US students learning Chinese has tripled in recent years.Courses in music，art，and physical education are often required.The high school student’s day may be divided into nine periods，five for academic subjects，one session for physical education，a lunch period，and two study periods.The study periods may be used for visiting the library or participating in an extracurricular activity such as the school orchestra，newspaper staff，or math club.

There were also 33，740private elementary and secondary schools in the US in 2007.They were divided into two categories：parochial and nondenominational.Parochial schools that are religiously affiliated make up the largest segment of private schools.Thirty-five percent are affiliated with the Catholic Church，and the left affiliated with other religious groups.Only 4，483schools were nondenominational in 1991.Average tuition for parochial school students was about＄2，600，and for nondenominational school students at least＄5，000per year in the mid-1990s.The average teacher salary in private schools was＄27，300in 2007-2008，a fraction of the＄43，650 earned by public schools teachers.And male teachers earned substantially more than their female counterparts in both public and private schools.