Chapter Six : A Diverse Educational System (Portrait of the USA)

[SoCalDem]

Stumbled onto this interesting little site from the Clinton Era.. My guess, is that it's supposed to give a foreigner a "Cliff Notes" version of the US..



Chapter Six
A DIVERSE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Structure, standards, and challenges


American education is a complex topic because a single school can draw upon resources from several different public and private institutions. For example, a student may attend a private high school whose curriculum must meet standards set by the state, some of whose science courses may be financed by federal funds, and whose sports teams may play on local, publicly owned fields.

Despite this complexity, however, it is possible to describe the broad contours of American education.

snippppppp....



http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/factover/homepage.htm
Published by the United States Information Agency,
September 1997

Executive Editor: George Clack
Managing Editor: Rosalie Targonski
Editor: Dennis Drabelle
Designer: Barbara Morgan
Photo Editor: Maggie Johnson Sliker
Internet Editor: Suzanne Dawkins

Contributing Writers: Maura Christopher, Anne Cusack, Michael Cusack,
Fredric A. Emmert, David Goddy, Holly Hughes, Norman Lunger,
John Nickerson, Bruce Oatman, Shelley Orenstein,
Richard Pawelek, Ira Peck, Jonathan Rose





http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/factover/ch6.htm

[UL_Approved]

1. Great quote out of chapter 12:

Quote:

"The First Amendment and the political philosophy behind it have allowed the American media extraordinary freedom in reporting the news and expressing opinions. In the 1970s, American reporters uncovered the Watergate scandal, which ended with the resignation of President Richard Nixon, and American newspapers printed the "Pentagon papers," classified documents related to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Press reports of official corruption that in some countries would bring arrests and the shutdown of newspapers are made freely in the United States, where the media cannot be shut down, where government itself cannot be libeled, and where public officials must prove that a statement is not only false but was made with actual malice before they can recover damages."

This brings me to the following thread on DU:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1167021

This talks about how a reporter is getting jailed for not turning over phone records in a case involving "terrorism". You know, the Clinton era lived up to the ideal in this chapter without too many hitches. Bush is going against everything that this country stands for, particularly with regards to a free press and transparency. Looking over our past gets dirty when we look at it, but it also shines if you know where to look.