Educational standards

EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS

After rising steadily for almost a century, standards of education in the public schools of Europe and North America have come to a standstill. In fact, in the opinion of many parents and employers, they are actually falling. More and more children are leaving school at an early age. Naturally, they have very little knowledge of reading and writing. Thus, the number of illiterate people is increasing, bringing about a social problem once again. With dropout rates of twenty-seven per cent in high schools and fifty per cent in colleges, the American education system is clearly in trouble. In Europe, the number of children who leave school is going up too, though lower than that in the United States.

There are various factors that cause the decrease in educational standards. Some people say that overcrowding and lack of discipline are major factors. Others say that much importance has been given to subjects like art and drama. However, more practical subjects have been neglected. For many teachers, on the other hand, the problem is not of falling standards but of rising expectations of parents and employers. According to these teachers, the demands of parents and employers are getting higher and this is causing the problem.

Whether or not standards in public schools are actually falling, many parents feel that the only way to secure a good education for their children is to send them to private schools, which generally have smaller classes and stricter discipline. The popularity of such schools is growing steadily despite the high tuition. In the United States, for example, eleven per cent of all school children attend private schools; in Europe, over sixteen per cent do so.

A. Mark the best choice.

1. Line 8, illiterate1 means_____________________.

A) leaving school at an early age

B) having very little knowledge of reading and writing

C) becoming an increasing social problem

2. Line 10,'dropout rates' are_____________________.

A) the number of illiterate people

B) a decreasing rate of school leavers

C) the number of children leaving school

3. To neglect (line 21) is________________________.

A) not to give much importance

B) to cause the decrease of

C) to result in overcrowding and lack of disci­pline

4. Line 23, 'expectations' are_____________________.

A) falling standards

B) practical subjects

C) demands

5. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

A) Some knowledge of reading and writing is necessary in European and North American countries.

B) In many countries there are some problems with the education system.

C) In European and North American public schools, educational standards are getting worse.

6. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A) There are too many students in some classes.

B) There are a number of causes of the fall in the standards of education.

C) Some parents and employers demand a lot from schools.

7. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A) Private schools are gaining popularity.

B) In Europe and the U.S.A., some of the school children attend private schools.

C) Private schools are better than public schools.

B. Mark the statements as True (T) or False (F).

___ 1. Most teachers agree with parents about the

causes of the problem.

___ 2. Tuition in public schools is high.

___ 3. In Europe more than sixteen per cent of all

school children go to private schools.

C.

1. Write down two reasons why educational standards are getting worse.

A)_____________________________________

B)_____________________________________

2. Write down two reasons why private schools are becoming more popular.

A)___________________________________

B)___________________________________