Education and Social Change in Chile.

Overview & Synopsis

Chapter 1 sets forth some of the salient geographic, economic, political, social, and historical factors of the setting in which the educational system functions. Since present-day problems in education continue to reflect the unsolved problems of the past, chapter 2 discusses some of the major historical landmarks. The educational system is divided into four distinct levels: preschool, elementary, secondary, and higher education with each level embracing schools of different types to satisfy specific characteristics and needs of the school population. Chapters 3 through 8 discuss each level with regards to: administration, organization, enrollment, finance, schedules, courses of study, admissions, grading and testing, teacher qualifications, and criticisms and problems. Chapter 9 concerns Chile's teachers --their preparation, their working conditions, and their problems. Finally, numerous government, quasi-government, and private agencies sponsor educational and related services. Chapter 10 and 11 briefly describe some of the major programs: adult education, social and economic student assistance; and, the nature of the financial and technical assistance received from the United States, agencies of the United Nations, various inter-American organizations, and other governments. (SBE)