Abstract
Grounded in analysis of specific features of the federal school reform undertaken in the U.S. in early 21st century, this article demonstrates that the U.S. government attempted to reduce the number of students lagging behind and thus to increase students’ average performance by means of stimulating them to transfer from underperforming to better schools, including from public schools to schools of other types, which offer higher quality of teaching. The article distinguishes three stages of the reform. On the first stage, in late 20th century, new types of schools emerged in the U.S.: in addition to pre-existent public, private and religious schools, as well as home schooling, magnet schools emerged in 1970s, and charter schools emerged in 1990s. On the second stage, during George W. Bush Administration, U.S. government assumed the powers to stimulate transfer of students from underperforming public schools to charter schools, and to stimulate increase in the number of charter schools. On the third stage, during Barack Obama Administration and the first year of Donald Trump Administration, U.S. government faced the impossibility to significantly increase the number of charter schools, to stimulate mass transfer of students from public schools to charter schools, and to significantly improve average students’ performance over short time. Even if U.S. government assumes the powers to stimulate transfer of students also to private schools, as Donald Trump Administration proposed, it will hardly have a positive effect in the short run. The article concludes that the model of school reform applied in the U.S. cannot solve the puzzle, because it concentrates available resources around elite schools, while most students lagging behind concentrate around traditional public schools.
Highlights
In late 20th century, new types of schools emerged in the U.S.: in addition to pre-existent public, private and religious schools, as well as home schooling, magnet schools emerged in 1970s, and charter schools emerged in 1990s
Even if U.S government assumes the powers to stimulate transfer of students to private schools, as Donald Trump Administration proposed, it will hardly have a positive effect in the short run
The article concludes that the model of school reform applied in the U.S cannot solve the puzzle, because it concentrates available resources around elite schools, while most students lagging behind concentrate around traditional public schools
Summary
Как будет показано ниже, в России существует обширная литература по проблематике школьного образования в США, большинство научных трудов, посвященных отечественными учеными американскому образованию, рассматривают в качестве объекта исследования высшее образование (напр., [Генин 2008]). Демократы в Конгрессе выступали резко против предложения президента выделять за счет средств федерального бюджета гранты для детей из общеобразовательных школ с низким качеством подготовки, чтобы эти дети могли оплатить обучение в частной школе, где качество образования выше. Трампа предложила предоставить ученикам школ, не обеспечивающих высокого уровня подготовки, средства из федерального бюджета для перехода в частные школы, хотя это предложение натолкнулось на острую критику большей части американской элиты, и пока нельзя прогнозировать, будет ли оно воплощено на практике. Ведь большинство школьников в США и тогда будут обучаться в общеобразовательных школах, где сосредоточено большинство отстающих школьников, а большинство средств, включая средства федерального бюджета, будет направляться в элитные школы, вне зависимости от того, будут ли это чартерные школы, как предлагал Б. И эти дети окажутся «выплеснуты вместе с водой», которая в изобилии растворена в речах представителей американской элиты, многословно обсуждающих образовательную реформу
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