PART lssues and Perspectives of Elementaryand Secondary Education
Chapter 3. Elementary and Secondary Education in Selected Countries
2. The United States of America
The decline of academic achievement and the loss of discipline
are the most serious issues in the United States. The average score of the Scholastic
Aptitude Test, for example, kept lowering until the beginning of the l98O's.
Moreover, drugabuse and premarital pregnancies among the youth have become widespread
and proved to be the main cause of high school dropout. As measures to improve
educational content and method, common core curriculum and the tightening of
high school graduation requirements such as the increase of the required amount
of study are being introduced. Concerning the improvement of the civic competence
of students, the introduction of public service activities is attempted. Also
for the improvement of the quality of teachers, various attempts are introduced
at various states, including the more rigorous entrance requirement of teacher
training courses, the improvement of the contents of courses, the introduction
of minimum competency tests for teachers, and the experiment and the introduction
of merit pay for teachers.