The United States, Great Britain, And Russia: A Political Assimilation
...in all three countries must have 11 years of public education. These 11 years, grades 1-12 in the United States and grades 1-11 in Great Britain and Russia, are free to every citizen of the country. That is, however, where the similarities end.
In the United States, education for most children begins early (the age of three), with most attending preschool before actual schooling begins with kindergarten at the age of 5. Preschool is basically daycare with an educational twist, and is privatized. It is in preschool that students begin to learn the basics of the English language. They learn basic motor skills as well as basic grammar, with many preschools using reading programs such as "Hooked on Phonics" in corporation with individual help to help the students along in their learning. Performance isn't openly measured, and work-time and playtime are evenly balanced. The learning environment created in preschool is very relaxed. While preschool is recommended for the early development of children's cognitive abilities, many children don't attend. According to a 1997 study done by Elias Lopez, Ph.D ., and the California Research Bureau, there were approximately 650,000 children ages three to five who were in neither preschool nor kindergarten. Fifty-three percent of these 650,000 children were Latino, followed by White children at 23 percent, Blacks with 10 percent, and Asians with 8 percent. Another study performed by the same group revealed that of the students currently attending kindergarten, only 43% of Blacks, 41% of Asians, and 23% of Latinos had attended preschool the year before. Yet another study performed by the same group indicated that in addition to ethnicity, family income is a strong predictor for whether or not a child attends preschool. Two-thirds of the children in preschool come from families with incomes below $30,000/year...
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