Americans place a high value on education. Universal access to quality education has been one of the nation's historic goals.
America's first college Harvard was founded in 1636. In 1865 education was becoming available to all. The peculiar feature of American education is the absence of national administration. Each of 50 states controls and directs its own schools. Most states require that children attend schools from the time they reach six or seven years old until they are sixteen or seventeen.
There is no uniform school organization or curriculum throughout the nation. But certain common features do exist. Preschool education is part of elementary schools. Elementary and secondary schools consist of twelve years of classes which meet for about ten months a year, five days a week and five hours a day. Almost every elementary school curriculum includes English, mathematics, science, social studies, music, art and physical education. Many schools include classes teaching basic computer skills.
After graduating from secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to higher education. American institutions of higher education include: technical training schools, community colleges; colleges offering four-year bachelor degree programmes; and universities which contain one or more colleges and graduate schools offering master's or doctoral degree programmes. The factors determining an institution's prestige are the quality of teaching, quality of research facilities and the number of applicants.