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Understanding the American Education System

The American education system offers a rich field of choices for international students. There is such an array of schools, programs and locations that the choices may overwhelm students, even those from the U.S. As you begin your school search, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the American education system. Understanding the system will help you narrow your choices and develop your education plan.

The Educational Structure

Primary and secondary school.

Prior to higher education, American students attend primary and secondary school for a combined total of 12 years. These years are referred to as the first through twelfth grades.

Around age six, U.S. children begin primary school, which is most commonly called “elementary school.” They attend five or six years and then go onto secondary school.

Secondary school consists of two programs: the first is “middle school” or “junior high school” and the second program is “high school.” A diploma or certificate is awarded upon graduation from high school. After graduating high school (12th grade), U.S. students may go on to college or university. College or university study is known as “higher education.”

Grading System

Just like American students, you will have to submit your academic transcripts as part of your application for admission to university or college. Academic transcripts are official copies of your academic work. In the U.S. this includes your “grades” and “grade point average” (GPA), which are measurements of your academic achievement. Courses are commonly graded using percentages, which are converted into letter grades.

The grading system and GPA in the U.S. can be confusing, especially for international students. The interpretation of grades has a lot of variation. For example, two students who attended different schools both submit their transcripts to the same university. They both have 3.5 GPAs, but one student attended an average high school, while the other attended a prestigious school that was academically challenging. The university might interpret their GPAs differently because the two schools have dramatically different standards.

Therefore, there are some crucial things to keep in mind:

• You should find out the U.S. equivalent of the last level of education you completed in your home country.
• Pay close attention to the admission requirements of each university and college, as well as individual degree programs, which may have different requirements than the university.
• Regularly meet with an educational advisor or guidance counselor to make sure you are meeting the requirements.

Your educational advisor or guidance counselor will be able to advise you on whether or not you must spend an extra year or two preparing for U.S. university admission. If an international student entered a U.S. university or college prior to being eligible to attend university in their own country, some countries’ governments and employers may not recognize the students’ U.S. education.

Academic Year

The school calendar usually begins in August or September and continues through May or June. The majority of new students begin in autumn, so it is a good idea for international students to also begin their U.S. university studies at this time. There is a lot of excitement at the beginning of the school year and students form many great friendships during this time, as they are all adjusting to a new phase of academic life. Additionally, many courses are designed for students to take them in sequence, starting in autumn and continuing through the year.

The academic year at many schools is composed of two terms called “semesters.” (Some schools use a three-term calendar known as the “trimester” system.) Still, others further divide the year into the quarter system of four terms, including an optional summer session. Basically, if you exclude the summer session, the academic year is either comprised of two semesters or three quarter terms.

The U.S. Higher Education System: Levels of Study

• First Level: Undergraduate

"The American system is much more open. In Hong Kong you just learn what the teacher writes on the board. In America, you discuss the issues and focus more on ideas."

Paolo Kwan from Hong Kong: Studying English and Business Administration at Sierra College in California

A student who is attending a college or university and has not earned a bachelor’s degree, is studying at the undergraduate level. It typically takes about four years to earn a bachelor’s degree. You can either begin your studies in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree at a community college or a four-year university or college.

Your first two years of study you will generally be required to take a wide variety of classes in different subjects, commonly known as prerequisite courses: literature, science, the social sciences, the arts, history, and so forth. This is so you achieve a general knowledge, a foundation, of a variety of subjects prior to focusing on a specific field of study.

Many students choose to study at a community college in order to complete the first two years of prerequisite courses. They will earn an Associate of Arts (AA) transfer degree and then transfer to a four-year university or college.

A “major” is the specific field of study in which your degree is focused. For example, if someone’s major is journalism, they will earn a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. You will be required to take a certain number of courses in this field in order to meet the degree requirements of your major. You must choose your major at the beginning of your third year of school.

A very unique characteristic of the American higher education system is that you can change your major multiple times if you choose. It is extremely common for American students to switch majors at some point in their undergraduate studies. Often, students discover a different field that they excel in or enjoy. The American education system is very flexible. Keep in mind though that switching majors may result in more courses, which means more time and money.

• Second Level: Graduate in Pursuit of a Master’s Degree

Presently, a college or university graduate with a bachelor’s degree may want to seriously think about graduate study in order to enter certain professions or advance their career. This degree is usually mandatory for higher-level positions in library science, engineering, behavioral health and education.

Furthermore, international students from some countries are only permitted to study abroad at a graduate level. You should inquire about the credentials needed to get a job in your country before you apply to a postgraduate university in the USA.

A graduate program is usually a division of a university or college. To gain admission, you will need to take the GRE (graduate record examination). Certain master’s programs require specific tests, such as the LSAT for law school, the GRE or GMAT for business school, and the MCAT for medical school.

Graduate programs in pursuit of a master’s degree typically take one to two years to complete. For example, the MBA (master of business administration) is an extremely popular degree program that takes about two years. Other master’s programs, such as journalism, only take one year.

The majority of a master’s program is spent in classroom study and a graduate student must prepare a long research paper called a “master’s thesis” or complete a “master’s project.”

• Third Level: Graduate in Pursuit of a Doctorate Degree

Many graduate schools consider the attainment of a master’s degree the first step towards earning a PhD (doctorate). But at other schools, students may prepare directly for a doctorate without also earning a master’s degree. It may take three years or more to earn a PhD degree. For international students, it may take as long as five or six years.

For the first two years of the program most doctoral candidates enroll in classes and seminars. At least another year is spent conducting firsthand research and writing a thesis or dissertation. This paper must contain views, designs, or research that have not been previously published.

A doctoral dissertation is a discussion and summary of the current scholarship on a given topic. Most U.S. universities awarding doctorates also require their candidates to have a reading knowledge of two foreign languages, to spend a required length of time “in residence,” to pass a qualifying examination that officially admits candidates to the PhD program, and to pass an oral examination on the same topic as the dissertation.

Characteristics of the U.S. Higher Education System

Classroom Environment

Classes range from large lectures with several hundred students to smaller classes and seminars (discussion classes) with only a few students. The American university classroom atmosphere is very dynamic. You will be expected to share your opinion, argue your point, participate in class discussions and give presentations. International students find this one of the most surprising aspects of the American education system.

Each week professors usually assign textbook and other readings. You will be expected to keep up-to-date with the required readings and homework so you can participate in class discussions and understand the lectures. Certain degree programs also require students to spend time in the laboratory.

Professors issue grades for each student enrolled in the course. Grades are usually based upon:

• Each professor will have a unique set of class participation requirements, but students are expected to participate in class discussions, especially in seminar classes. This is often a very important factor in determining a student’s grade.
• A midterm examination is usually given during class time.
• One or more research or term papers , or laboratory reports must be submitted for evaluation.
• Possible short exams or quizzes are given. Sometimes professors will give an unannounced “pop quiz.” This doesn’t count heavily toward the grade, but is intended to inspire students to keep up with their assignments and attendance.
• A final examination will be held after the final class meeting.

Each course is worth a certain number of credits or credit hours. This number is roughly the same as the number of hours a student spends in class for that course each week. A course is typically worth three to five credits.

A full-time program at most schools is 12 or 15 credit hours (four or five courses per term) and a certain number of credits must be fulfilled in order to graduate. International students are expected to enroll in a full-time program during each term.

If a student enrolls at a new university before finishing a degree, generally most credits earned at the first school can be used to complete a degree at the new university. This means a student can transfer to another university and still graduate within a reasonable time.

Types of U.S. higher education

Xujie Zhao from China: Studying Computer Networking at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston

1. State College or University

A state school is supported and run by a state or local government. Each of the 50 U.S. states operates at least one state university and possibly several state colleges. Many of these public universities schools have the name of the state, or the actual word “State” in their names: for example, Washington State University and the University of Michigan.

2. Private College or University

These schools are privately run as opposed to being run by a branch of the government. Tuition will usually be higher than state schools. Often, private U.S. universities and colleges are smaller in size than state schools.

Religiously affiliated universities and colleges are private schools. Nearly all these schools welcome students of all religions and beliefs. Yet, there are a percentage of schools that prefer to admit students who hold similar religious beliefs as those in which the school was founded.

3. Community College

Community colleges are two-year colleges that award an associate’s degrees (transferable), as well as certifications. There are many types of associate degrees, but the most important distinguishing factor is whether or not the degree is transferable. Usually, there will be two primary degree tracks: one for academic transfer and the other prepares students to enter the workforce straightaway. University transfer degrees are generally associate of arts or associate of science. Not likely to be transferrable are the associate of applied science degrees and certificates of completion.

Community college graduates most commonly transfer to four-year colleges or universities to complete their degree. Because they can transfer the credits they earned while attending community college, they can complete their bachelor’s degree program in two or more additional years. Many also offer ESL or intensive English language programs, which will prepare students for university-level courses.

If you do not plan to earn a higher degree than the associate’s, you should find out if an associate’s degree will qualify you for a job in your home country.

4. Institute of Technology

An institute of technology is a school that provides at least four years of study in science and technology. Some have graduate programs, while others offer short-term courses.

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The Education System of the United States of America

Overview and Foundations

• Living reference work entry
• First Online: 29 August 2020
• Cite this living reference work entry

• Paul R. Fossum 3  

Part of the book series: Global Education Systems ((GES))

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Prevailing discourse in the USA about the country’s teachers, educational institutions, and instructional approaches is a conversation that is national in character. Yet the structures and the administrative and governance apparatuses themselves are strikingly local in character across the USA. Public understanding and debate about education can be distorted in light of divergence between the country’s educational aspirations and the vehicles in place for pursuing those aims. In addressing its purpose as a survey of US education, the following chapter interrogates this apparent contradiction, first discussing historical and social factors that help account for a social construction of the USA as singular and national system. Discussion then moves to a descriptive analysis of education in the USA as institutionalized at the numerous levels – aspects that often reflect local prerogative and difference more so than a uniform national character. The chapter concludes with summary points regarding US federalism as embodied in the country’s oversight and conduct of formal education.

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Funding from the University of Michigan’s Horace Rackham Graduate School and the UM’s Life Sciences Values and Society Program supported archival research and reproduction contributing to this work.

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Fossum, P.R. (2020). The Education System of the United States of America. In: Jornitz, S., Parreira do Amaral, M. (eds) The Education Systems of the Americas. Global Education Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93443-3_14-1

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93443-3_14-1

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American Education in 2030

Paul peterson, only if past trends persist is the future dismal.

Simple extrapolations of current trends suggest that public education costs will rise sharply, pupil-teacher ratios will fall, and control over the education system will shift from families and localities to higher levels of government. Courts and collective bargaining agreements will also gain in influence. Meanwhile, high school graduation rates will fall, and learning will stagnate. Fortunately, those trends will be disrupted by an enormous rate of change in curriculum design and information dissemination made possible by technological innovation.   PDF  |  View related video

Grover J. Whitehurst: Curriculum Then and Now

Curriculum then and now.

In 2030 curriculum is at the fore of education rather than serving as it did 20 years ago in the shadow of reform efforts involving teacher performance, choice, standards and accountability, and school governance. Students engage with curriculum in web-based environments that include virtual social agents. The curriculum and its delivery are the products of the field of cognitive technology that marries cognitive science with powerful information technologies. The power of curriculum means that differences among schools and teachers are no longer important determinants of learning outcomes for students.   PDF  |  View related video

Daniel T. Willingham

Classroom teaching in 2030.

It seems self-evident that we can improve schooling if we tune education to the students' minds. But what about teachers? Teachers are expected to write curricula, write lesson plans, cope with enormous student diversity, and improve their teaching although they are given no opportunity to practice. This essay argues that those place unreasonable cognitive demands on teachers and pose a formidable problem in American education.    PDF  |  View related video

Caroline Hoxby

The future of teacher pay and teaching, john e. chubb, equality and technology.

The achievement gap is not quite a thing of the past in 2030. But African American students are now achieving at levels approaching those of white students in the late twentieth century. All but 10 percent are graduating from high school; 25 percent are completing college. Public schools in the inner city have improved sharply, through twenty-first-century innovations-sophisticated technology and better teachers. Follow that progress through the story of Rasheed, an impoverished Philadelphian who faced long odds at birth but just graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.    PDF  |  View related video

Tom Loveless

Time spent on learning.

American students devote more time to learning in 2030 than at any other time in history. Students attend school about seven hours a day, two hundred days a year. Homework averages two hours per night in high school. Private tutors are hired to shore up academic weaknesses, and schools offer Saturday workshops for remediation. The nation has come to realize that more time devoted to learning leads to higher achievement. And higher achievement leads to better lives for children-and to a better nation.   PDF  |   View related video

Williamson M. Evers

Standards and competitive rigor.

In 2030, Americans benefit from K-12 academics that are rigorous, but not stultifyingly uniform. This pluralism emerged in the aftermath of President Obama's ill-fated project of creating a monolithic, inflexible set of national standards. A half dozen rivalrous standards soon evolved from the bottom up out of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Core Knowledge, Common Core, the New Standards Project, state standards from the 1990s and 2000s, and other efforts. States now call on public school districts or schools to adhere to one of these sets of standards.  PDF  |  View related video

Eric Hanushek

An evidence-based world.

Although testing and accountability were contentious issues in the past, the school system of 2030 relies heavily on data. Schools, teachers, and parents all see better data as leading to improved schools. This change reflects the development of better and broader tests and a movement to evaluations based on learning gains by all students. The movement to better uses of information has led to raised student achievement, although U.S. students still lag the best international students.   PDF  |  View related video

Martin R. West

A new education federalism.

The federal government in 2030 foots more of the total bill for public education than ever before. National standards and tests in core academic subjects are used in all but a handful of states; a substantial share of federal money is allocated to states based on student outcomes; and the feds have increased spending on education data gathering and research and development by an order of magnitude. State legislatures, in turn, have shifted power away from dysfunctional school boards and are empowering parents and the public at large to exercise more control over their local schools. On the surface, these changes represent the culmination of a century-long trend toward more centralized control of U.S. public education. Yet this latest round of centralization has yielded more variety in governance arrangements and more responsiveness to local needs throughout the nation's school system. In short, it has revitalized educational federalism.  PDF  |  View related video

Paul T. Hill

Reinvented school districts.

School districts will no longer manage all schools, hire all teachers, and assign students to schools. Instead, "portfolio school districts" will manage the mix of schools to meet the needs of all local students, hiring many different school providers, some from local providers-colleges, teacher groups, museums, and professional school management organizations-and some from statewide or national organizations. Some schools will rely heavily on online instruction and employ few teachers. To promote continuous improvement, portfolio school districts will hold all to the same student performance standards.   PDF  |  View related video

A New Politics of Education

In 2010 the American education system was doing what it did best. It was surviving. For decades, it had been subjected to blistering—and well-justified—criticism for its relentlessly poor performance. But thanks to powerful defenders in politics, it had weathered the storm like a rock, virtually immune to the efforts of reformers to bring about major change.   PDF

The School Finance of the Future

Herbert j. walberg, vouchers thrive.

By 2030, vouchers (publicly or privately funded scholarships awarded directly to families to pay for private school tuition) had substantially displaced many failing public schools. Parents strongly preferred private schools, which provided superior achievement outcomes in the agreed-upon content of standard school subjects, as well as a diversity of additional subject matter, content, and methods of teaching and learning. The competition brought about by vouchers forced traditional public, parochial, and independent schools to improve their offerings, achievement, and appeal to parents.  PDF  |  View related video

Chester E. Finn Jr.

School choice.

In 2030, nearly two-thirds of U.S. children benefit from school choice, up from half in 2010. Charters enroll 5 percent of students, and four more states have voucher programs; but the greatest expansion has taken place in cyberspace (half of all high school courses are now online), in homeschooling (6 percent), and in hybrid institutions. "Catholic charter schools" offer religious instruction early and late in the day. National "brand-name" schools are flourishing, and vastly improved data systems make it far easier to navigate among these options.  PDF  |  View related video

What Can Happen in Twenty Years?

Despite its vast inertia, U.S. education can change dramatically in two decades. Consider these seismic alterations between 1990 and 2010: (1) standards-based reform, (2) major alterations in the federal role, (3) the reinvention of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), (4) the advent and grown of charter schools, (5) enormous expansion of other choices, (6) alternative certification, (7) school governance innovation (e.g., mayors), (8) cyberlearning, (9) finance reforms, (10) greater integration of primary-secondary schooling preschool and higher education as well as data systems that enable individuals' progress to be tracked.  PDF

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Education System in the United States of America - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Education System in the United States of America

Education system in the united states of america an overview martha r. green, m.ed. program coordinator: office of international outreach & the confucius institute at ... – powerpoint ppt presentation.

• Official Mission To ensure equal access to education and promote educational excellence throughout the nation.
• Collecting and disseminating information educational statistics, research data, best practices
• Playing a leadership role by influencing public opinion and building partnerships with states, communities, educators, parents, and the private sector to improve education
• Ensuring equal educational opportunity by enforcing civil rights laws. The Department can withhold federal funding from any organization that is found in violation of civil rights law
• Supporting educational improvement and reform by providing grants to states, local governments, and individual schools (often targeted to disadvantaged groups
• Providing financial assistance to students to help pay for postsecondary education.
• No Child Left Behind Policy Requires states to conduct annual proficiency tests
• Responsible for the day-to-day affairs of state departments of education and report periodically to the state board, the legislature, and the governor
• Chartering or licensing institutions to operate within their jurisdictions
• Establishing curriculum guidelines
• Setting the minimum number of school days
• Establishing school health and safety laws
• Licensing or certifying school teachers and administrators
• Developing policies and regulations governing public primary and secondary education
• Designating and appointing agencies and boards to oversee public education at all levels
• Providing funding and technical assistance to local government agencies and schools.
• Education tends to be the largest expenditure item in the budget of every state territory.
• On average, state education expenditures account for about 48 of total education spending in the United States.
• States do not generally regulate postsecondary education as closely as they do elementary and secondary education.
• Even though constitutional authority over education is ultimately vested in the state governments, most states delegate the operation and many aspects of policymaking to local school districtsAuthority over the curriculum varies, with some states prescribing general curriculum guidelines, while others require compliance with specific requirements. Local school districts are governed by a School Board whose members can be elected and/or appointed. School board selects and hires the District Superintendent as the individual responsible for implementing policy and managing the day-to-day operations of the school district. School districts are responsible for the following
• Hiring teachers, principals, and other staff
• Setting teacher and administrator salaries
• Administering teacher in-service training
• Coordinating school bussing
• Allocating budgets among schools and programs
• Overseeing building construction and maintenance
• Entering into partnerships with the community.
• Primary School Kindergarten to fifth grade (Early Childhood Education)
• American children start school at the age of five years. It is required of all American children enrolled in the American education system.
• Secondary school Grades six through twelve
• Middle School Grades six through eight
• High School Ninth through twelfth grades
• High School Diploma Certificate indicating completion of the twelfth grade.In the American education system, students must obtain a high school diploma before they are admitted into college or university.
• Undergraduate Schools Course of study In a specific area
• Associate degree (two year degree)
• Bachelors Degree) (four-year degree)
• Graduate School
• Students who obtain a bachelors degree can continue their education by pursuing one of two types of degrees
• Masters degree (a two-year degree that is highly specialized in a specific field).
• PhD degree (three to seven years depending on required research)
• Certain courses of study are only available at the graduate school level in America law, dentistry, and medicine.
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act The federal law that grants children with disabilities the right to receive a free appropriate public education.
• Inclusion/Mainstreaming Individual Education Plan (IEP)/ Educational Modifications
• Gifted Education Inquiry Academy, Jane Long Middle School Harmony Science Academy
• Gifted and talented student means a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who
• Exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area
• Possesses an unusual capacity for leadership or
• Excels in a specific academic field.
• Bilingual Education/English as a Second Language Programs Every student in the state who has a home language other than English and who is identified as limited English proficient shall be provided a full opportunity to participate in a bilingual education or English as a second language program
• Alternative Education Programs (AEP) Each school district shall provide a disciplinary alternative education program in a setting other than a student's regular classroom provides that students who are assigned to the disciplinary alternative education program be separated from students who are not assigned to the program focuses on English language arts, mathematics, science, history, and self-discipline provides for students' educational and behavioral needs provides supervision and counseling.

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Facts about the American Education System

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The state of AI in early 2024: Gen AI adoption spikes and starts to generate value

If 2023 was the year the world discovered generative AI (gen AI) , 2024 is the year organizations truly began using—and deriving business value from—this new technology. In the latest McKinsey Global Survey  on AI, 65 percent of respondents report that their organizations are regularly using gen AI, nearly double the percentage from our previous survey just ten months ago. Respondents’ expectations for gen AI’s impact remain as high as they were last year , with three-quarters predicting that gen AI will lead to significant or disruptive change in their industries in the years ahead.

About the authors

This article is a collaborative effort by Alex Singla , Alexander Sukharevsky , Lareina Yee , and Michael Chui , with Bryce Hall , representing views from QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, and McKinsey Digital.

Organizations are already seeing material benefits from gen AI use, reporting both cost decreases and revenue jumps in the business units deploying the technology. The survey also provides insights into the kinds of risks presented by gen AI—most notably, inaccuracy—as well as the emerging practices of top performers to mitigate those challenges and capture value.

AI adoption surges

Interest in generative AI has also brightened the spotlight on a broader set of AI capabilities. For the past six years, AI adoption by respondents’ organizations has hovered at about 50 percent. This year, the survey finds that adoption has jumped to 72 percent (Exhibit 1). And the interest is truly global in scope. Our 2023 survey found that AI adoption did not reach 66 percent in any region; however, this year more than two-thirds of respondents in nearly every region say their organizations are using AI. 1 Organizations based in Central and South America are the exception, with 58 percent of respondents working for organizations based in Central and South America reporting AI adoption. Looking by industry, the biggest increase in adoption can be found in professional services. 2 Includes respondents working for organizations focused on human resources, legal services, management consulting, market research, R&D, tax preparation, and training.

Also, responses suggest that companies are now using AI in more parts of the business. Half of respondents say their organizations have adopted AI in two or more business functions, up from less than a third of respondents in 2023 (Exhibit 2).

Gen AI adoption is most common in the functions where it can create the most value

Most respondents now report that their organizations—and they as individuals—are using gen AI. Sixty-five percent of respondents say their organizations are regularly using gen AI in at least one business function, up from one-third last year. The average organization using gen AI is doing so in two functions, most often in marketing and sales and in product and service development—two functions in which previous research  determined that gen AI adoption could generate the most value 3 “ The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier ,” McKinsey, June 14, 2023. —as well as in IT (Exhibit 3). The biggest increase from 2023 is found in marketing and sales, where reported adoption has more than doubled. Yet across functions, only two use cases, both within marketing and sales, are reported by 15 percent or more of respondents.

Gen AI also is weaving its way into respondents’ personal lives. Compared with 2023, respondents are much more likely to be using gen AI at work and even more likely to be using gen AI both at work and in their personal lives (Exhibit 4). The survey finds upticks in gen AI use across all regions, with the largest increases in Asia–Pacific and Greater China. Respondents at the highest seniority levels, meanwhile, show larger jumps in the use of gen Al tools for work and outside of work compared with their midlevel-management peers. Looking at specific industries, respondents working in energy and materials and in professional services report the largest increase in gen AI use.

Investments in gen AI and analytical AI are beginning to create value

The latest survey also shows how different industries are budgeting for gen AI. Responses suggest that, in many industries, organizations are about equally as likely to be investing more than 5 percent of their digital budgets in gen AI as they are in nongenerative, analytical-AI solutions (Exhibit 5). Yet in most industries, larger shares of respondents report that their organizations spend more than 20 percent on analytical AI than on gen AI. Looking ahead, most respondents—67 percent—expect their organizations to invest more in AI over the next three years.

Where are those investments paying off? For the first time, our latest survey explored the value created by gen AI use by business function. The function in which the largest share of respondents report seeing cost decreases is human resources. Respondents most commonly report meaningful revenue increases (of more than 5 percent) in supply chain and inventory management (Exhibit 6). For analytical AI, respondents most often report seeing cost benefits in service operations—in line with what we found last year —as well as meaningful revenue increases from AI use in marketing and sales.

Inaccuracy: The most recognized and experienced risk of gen AI use

As businesses begin to see the benefits of gen AI, they’re also recognizing the diverse risks associated with the technology. These can range from data management risks such as data privacy, bias, or intellectual property (IP) infringement to model management risks, which tend to focus on inaccurate output or lack of explainability. A third big risk category is security and incorrect use.

Respondents to the latest survey are more likely than they were last year to say their organizations consider inaccuracy and IP infringement to be relevant to their use of gen AI, and about half continue to view cybersecurity as a risk (Exhibit 7).

Conversely, respondents are less likely than they were last year to say their organizations consider workforce and labor displacement to be relevant risks and are not increasing efforts to mitigate them.

In fact, inaccuracy— which can affect use cases across the gen AI value chain , ranging from customer journeys and summarization to coding and creative content—is the only risk that respondents are significantly more likely than last year to say their organizations are actively working to mitigate.

Some organizations have already experienced negative consequences from the use of gen AI, with 44 percent of respondents saying their organizations have experienced at least one consequence (Exhibit 8). Respondents most often report inaccuracy as a risk that has affected their organizations, followed by cybersecurity and explainability.

Our previous research has found that there are several elements of governance that can help in scaling gen AI use responsibly, yet few respondents report having these risk-related practices in place. 4 “ Implementing generative AI with speed and safety ,” McKinsey Quarterly , March 13, 2024. For example, just 18 percent say their organizations have an enterprise-wide council or board with the authority to make decisions involving responsible AI governance, and only one-third say gen AI risk awareness and risk mitigation controls are required skill sets for technical talent.

Bringing gen AI capabilities to bear

The latest survey also sought to understand how, and how quickly, organizations are deploying these new gen AI tools. We have found three archetypes for implementing gen AI solutions : takers use off-the-shelf, publicly available solutions; shapers customize those tools with proprietary data and systems; and makers develop their own foundation models from scratch. 5 “ Technology’s generational moment with generative AI: A CIO and CTO guide ,” McKinsey, July 11, 2023. Across most industries, the survey results suggest that organizations are finding off-the-shelf offerings applicable to their business needs—though many are pursuing opportunities to customize models or even develop their own (Exhibit 9). About half of reported gen AI uses within respondents’ business functions are utilizing off-the-shelf, publicly available models or tools, with little or no customization. Respondents in energy and materials, technology, and media and telecommunications are more likely to report significant customization or tuning of publicly available models or developing their own proprietary models to address specific business needs.

Respondents most often report that their organizations required one to four months from the start of a project to put gen AI into production, though the time it takes varies by business function (Exhibit 10). It also depends upon the approach for acquiring those capabilities. Not surprisingly, reported uses of highly customized or proprietary models are 1.5 times more likely than off-the-shelf, publicly available models to take five months or more to implement.

Gen AI high performers are excelling despite facing challenges

Gen AI is a new technology, and organizations are still early in the journey of pursuing its opportunities and scaling it across functions. So it’s little surprise that only a small subset of respondents (46 out of 876) report that a meaningful share of their organizations’ EBIT can be attributed to their deployment of gen AI. Still, these gen AI leaders are worth examining closely. These, after all, are the early movers, who already attribute more than 10 percent of their organizations’ EBIT to their use of gen AI. Forty-two percent of these high performers say more than 20 percent of their EBIT is attributable to their use of nongenerative, analytical AI, and they span industries and regions—though most are at organizations with less than $1 billion in annual revenue. The AI-related practices at these organizations can offer guidance to those looking to create value from gen AI adoption at their own organizations.

To start, gen AI high performers are using gen AI in more business functions—an average of three functions, while others average two. They, like other organizations, are most likely to use gen AI in marketing and sales and product or service development, but they’re much more likely than others to use gen AI solutions in risk, legal, and compliance; in strategy and corporate finance; and in supply chain and inventory management. They’re more than three times as likely as others to be using gen AI in activities ranging from processing of accounting documents and risk assessment to R&D testing and pricing and promotions. While, overall, about half of reported gen AI applications within business functions are utilizing publicly available models or tools, gen AI high performers are less likely to use those off-the-shelf options than to either implement significantly customized versions of those tools or to develop their own proprietary foundation models.

What else are these high performers doing differently? For one thing, they are paying more attention to gen-AI-related risks. Perhaps because they are further along on their journeys, they are more likely than others to say their organizations have experienced every negative consequence from gen AI we asked about, from cybersecurity and personal privacy to explainability and IP infringement. Given that, they are more likely than others to report that their organizations consider those risks, as well as regulatory compliance, environmental impacts, and political stability, to be relevant to their gen AI use, and they say they take steps to mitigate more risks than others do.

Gen AI high performers are also much more likely to say their organizations follow a set of risk-related best practices (Exhibit 11). For example, they are nearly twice as likely as others to involve the legal function and embed risk reviews early on in the development of gen AI solutions—that is, to “ shift left .” They’re also much more likely than others to employ a wide range of other best practices, from strategy-related practices to those related to scaling.

In addition to experiencing the risks of gen AI adoption, high performers have encountered other challenges that can serve as warnings to others (Exhibit 12). Seventy percent say they have experienced difficulties with data, including defining processes for data governance, developing the ability to quickly integrate data into AI models, and an insufficient amount of training data, highlighting the essential role that data play in capturing value. High performers are also more likely than others to report experiencing challenges with their operating models, such as implementing agile ways of working and effective sprint performance management.

About the research

The online survey was in the field from February 22 to March 5, 2024, and garnered responses from 1,363 participants representing the full range of regions, industries, company sizes, functional specialties, and tenures. Of those respondents, 981 said their organizations had adopted AI in at least one business function, and 878 said their organizations were regularly using gen AI in at least one function. To adjust for differences in response rates, the data are weighted by the contribution of each respondent’s nation to global GDP.

Alex Singla and Alexander Sukharevsky  are global coleaders of QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, and senior partners in McKinsey’s Chicago and London offices, respectively; Lareina Yee  is a senior partner in the Bay Area office, where Michael Chui , a McKinsey Global Institute partner, is a partner; and Bryce Hall  is an associate partner in the Washington, DC, office.

They wish to thank Kaitlin Noe, Larry Kanter, Mallika Jhamb, and Shinjini Srivastava for their contributions to this work.

This article was edited by Heather Hanselman, a senior editor in McKinsey’s Atlanta office.

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American Education System

Mar 29, 2019

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American Education System. Preschool – College Admissions. Pre-School. Pre-School is an optional program for children too young to enter Kindergarten. In pre-school, a child basically learns how to behave and interact with others. Pre-School can last anywhere from 1-3 years. Pre-School.

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American Education System Preschool – College Admissions

Pre-School • Pre-School is an optional program for children too young to enter Kindergarten. In pre-school, a child basically learns how to behave and interact with others. • Pre-School can last anywhere from 1-3 years.

Kindergarten • Literally: “children’s garden” • Kindergarteners are 5-6 years old • Children begin learning how to read and write. They also begin using numbers up to 100. • Children will be able to recognize basic shapes, colors, and concepts (such as months of the calendar).

Kindergarten

1-5 grades • By 5th grade, students should be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide as well as work with fractions and decimals and notice patterns. They should also know basic formulas (volume, area, perimeter). • Fifth graders should know the basic terms and processes of a wide range of sciences. (Basics of biology, physics, earth science, etc.)

1-5 grades • Children can read books and write papers (with decent grammar) efficiently. They should be able to summarize passages. • They should have a general knowledge of the American government, American history, and the geography of The United States. • Art and music classes are also available. There is usually a school play everyone must participate in.

5th Graders

6-8 grades • “Middle School” is a time for children to dig a little deeper into the general basics of math, English, history, science, and reading. • Students will have a more comprehensive knowledge of topics but will not be familiar with the more difficult specifics of an area. • These are the years where students begin joining clubs and doing competitions they are interested in. (Example: spelling bees)

9-12 grades • “High School” is a time for students to begin finding their interests and choosing their own classes. Topics are no longer broad. • Science  biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, earth science • Math  algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, statistics • Social Studies  world history, American history, European history, world religions

9-12 grades • English  composition, literature. • Technical  carpentry, welding, health science • Others  psychology, Spanish, Latin, French, art, theater, choir

9-12 grades • In high school, there are a lot more clubs, sports, competitions, or extracurricular activities students can participate in.The number of clubs/competitions/extracurricular activities you participate and excel in is a HUGE factor in applying for college. • Student who get into elite universities begin as early as possible to boost their applications.

Types of Clubs/Competitions • Health, math, science, language, writing, environment, service, student government, newspaper, yearbook, religious. • Most of these clubs help members prepare for lots of competitions throughout the year.

Extracurricular Activities • Soccer, football, track and field, volleyball, softball, baseball, basketball, tennis, swimming. • Theater, marching band

High School Students

College Admissions • High school is a time for students to begin working on their resumes to turn in to colleges. • Things to do to make your resume look nice: • good grades in challenging courses • high test scores • community service • wide range of extra participation, leadership • summer activities, and good essays.

Challenging Courses • Challenging courses: for every class, there is a harder version offered. Example: pre-calculus, regular calculus, AP/IB calculus. • AP and IB courses are college-level courses offered in high school in which a student can take a test. If they receive a certain grade (changes from college to college) they can ‘test out of’ that course in college and receive credit for it. • . Of course, if you can make good grades in the more difficult courses, that is good for you!

Standardized Tests • ACT/SAT: nationally recognized exams • Along with AP exams, students must take the ACT or SAT to submit their scores to colleges. These tests cover reading, writing, science, and math. Scores indicate how much a student has learned and how well they will do in colleges. • These scores are among the biggest factors of getting into college.

Community Service • A college not only wants a good student, they want an actively engaged citizen. Colleges want to know that you are passionate about something and making a difference in your community. If you are, it makes them think that you will make a positive impact on THEIR campus, too!

Community Service

Wide Range of Extra Participation/Leadership • Colleges want leaders. • A way to show that you’re a good leader is to be the head of a club, president/vice-president/etc. of your class, or a sports team captain. • These are positions you rise into after 3-4 years of dedicated participation.

Summer Activities/Good Essay • A college doesn’t want a student who only does well during the year. They want students who show that they can work hard even outside of school. Doing volunteer work or attending academic camps is a good way to do that! • As always, a unique, amazing essay is key. Of the thousands applying, there are so many students just like you. The one way to stand out is to write an essay no one else has written. It should be totally unique.

Summer College Program!

Benefits of Going to College • Since the economy has been slow, having a college degree increases your chance of getting a job. • The higher the degree, the better your chances. (Bachelor’s, Master’s, M.D., Ph.D.) • Meet new people from all around the world – like you! • Learn new things. • Find your passion.

College Acceptance • If the college likes you and thinks you’re a good fit, you’re in!! • Official college students!! 

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