高等教育机构抑或中等教育机构:美国公立初级学院办学属性考辨

Higher or Secondary Education Institutions:Research on Attribute of American Public Junior College

自19世纪末以来,初级学院在美国教育系统中的办学属性一直备受争议,国内学界长期以来将初级学院视为美国高等教育系统的一部分,美国学界则将初级学院视为介于高等教育与中等教育之间的过渡性机构。从公私立初级学院的发展变迁历史、立法规定、组织与经费管理等方面研究显示,美国初级学院不仅仅是美国高等教育结构转型的产物,也是美国高等教育与中等教育系统关系重组的副产品。其中公立初级学院在性质上基本可以归结为高中教育的延伸,并不属于高等教育的范畴。在各州办学实践中,公立初级学院已逐渐被纳入美国公立学校系统之中,成为中等教育系统的组成部分。

The attribute of the American junior college has been debated since late 19th century.The junior college has been viewed as a part of higher education system in academic circle of China,although the American scholars hold that junior college is a transitional institution between higher and secondary education.In this article,the author argues that the American junior college is not only the product of the structural transition in American higher education,but also byproduct of reorganization between higher and secondary education in terms of the historical development,law regulations and organization and business management.In conclusion,the author claims that the public junior college is not the part of higher education system,but the extension of high school,and has been combined into the public-funded secondary education in U.S.A.