In the US, children of Russian immigrants already speak their native language only at a 'kitchen' level
Out of 10,000 children from Russian-speaking families, half enter medical colleges and university faculties. In Massachusetts, perhaps more than anywhere else in America, a good education is valued. Mark Twain wrote that if 'in Philadelphia they ask who your parents are, in New York – how much money you have, then in Boston – what you know.'
The first state-run Russian free school on the East Coast of the US opened last fall in Jacksonville, Florida. The school program for 705 children of immigrants fully complies with American education standards. All subjects at the school, except for daily Russian language and literature lessons, are taught in English. But the most common Russian educational institutions in America are after-school programs and Sunday church schools at Orthodox parishes and synagogues. Additionally, there are various studios and learning centers – ballet, fine arts, theater, and sports – where instruction and communication are exclusively in Russian.
There is also a system of small private Russian kindergartens for eight children. They accept children starting at age two. By law, one teacher can obtain a license to care for only that many children. For a larger number of children, a larger staff of educators is responsible.
Private kindergarten is an expensive thing, like all private American education. Not every immigrant family is ready to pay $1,000 a month for kindergarten education for their child. Therefore, a system of home-based preschool and supplementary education is very common in America. For $15-30 per hour, you can hire any teacher or babysitter.
American children finish school at 18. The education system in the US is mostly public, controlled and funded at the federal level, by state and municipal authorities. The public school system is supplemented by a large number of private colleges and universities. Local authorities set standards for public education and examine students.
School funding by states is often determined by how much their students' performance improves when taking numerous tests. Achieving a maximum of 800 points on the main American Unified State Exam, the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) ability test, is the dream of every parent and ambitious student. The exam is paid and costs $38. Results are known within ten days, and at the applicant's request, examiners can send them to any college or university.
Next, you need to fill out a application form for each college or university (costs $200). This form is more like a multi-page resume for a job application. It includes not only information about exam scores, but also an essay on hobbies and interests, achievements and awards outside of school, as well as several essays on given topics. In addition, the student must provide teacher recommendations.
The final chord in the long and complex process of admission to an American university is an interview with a volunteer, a graduate of that institution. American applicants have the right, within four years after finishing school, to constantly improve their SAT exam scores by repeatedly taking these paid tests on set days at special learning centers.
Oddly enough, the quality of American public school education directly depends on the cost of housing and land in a given city and on parents' willingness to pay taxes for good schools. For America, this connection is absolutely justified and logical. If land is expensive, and the cost of a single-family home owned by a family exceeds one million dollars, federal and state taxes are very high. This means local authorities can spend much more money on teacher salaries and recruit more 'qualified' and expensive educators.
Parents striving to give their children a good education flock to districts where schools have earned an excellent reputation. Home prices rise, and the combination of money and ambition of determined parents pushes schools to an even higher level of educational quality.
The opposite happens in poor urban neighborhoods. During the last Massachusetts gubernatorial election, in a special referendum, residents checked a box on their ballots expressing their desire to increase the state land tax simply because they consider teacher salaries insufficiently high. Such a situation in Russia could only be imagined in a fantastic future.
Putting a child on the 'escalator' – a term used in America to denote parents' desire to start a continuous educational process for their child from kindergarten to university. 'Escalators' come in different directions and lengths. The finale of a long-term successful educational process is a complete renunciation by family members with an annual income below $200,000 of vacations and expensive purchases for four years, since the annual tuition at the college the child entered sometimes amounts to tens of thousands of dollars. It all depends on which college is chosen.
Vladimir MASHATIN.
Novye Izvestia