From: didinsky@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (didinsky garry)
Subject: Math in America, true account...
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 04:01:09 GMT

I have a friend, russian jewish immigrant, who came to this country
12 yrs ago at the age of 11.  I believe he finished only 3-5 years of 
russian school, so most of his education he received here. In high school, 
he was very involved in math competitions, so I asked him to give his 
account of math in America.  This is his reply:

 
 Garry,

     No, I have not been reading soc.culture.soviet, I am not sure what
     the discussion is about but, this is a blabbing reply to what I think
     you are asking.
      I don't know much about how these things are in grades up to
      high school.  I know in the more affluent suburbs there are some math
      competitions among local junior highs at least a few times a year.
      Also, in better junior high schools (typically suburban) there is
      separation done, where the more competent kids are put in separate
      classes in math and science.  There were a few kids in my high school
      that took calculus their first year there, i.e. they had all the
      prerequisite math in the junior highs.  But on a high school level,
      math and science competition can be much more then it is in the
      x-Soviet Union.  As opposed to the soviet system of structure, the
      individual effort system of the states can work much better as well
      as worse.  The more interested students and usually enjoyed wide 
      turnouts because many teachers offered extra credit for each correctly 
      answered question on these.
      There are also inter school competitions (almost every metropolitan
      area has a math league.)  These were about once a weak.  We would go 
      to a local high school which would host five or so schools from the 
      same league, very much like an athletic meet type of an arrangement.  
      These were for predetermined school teams.  There were also regionals 
      which was a state wide math competition where different schools would
      compete for a regions title on a certain day at some university within 
      the region.  Then the best schools would go to the state competition.
      Besides these there were also many other competitions.  AHSME (American
      High School Mathematics Examination) the top thousand or so qualified
      then for by AIME (American Invitational Mathematics Examination) the
      top fifty to a hundred on this test qualified for USAMO (USA
      Mathematical Olympiad) and the top eight on this test made up the USA
      team at the IMO (International Mathematics Olympiad).  There was also
      the ARML (American Regions Math. League) which took the top fifteen
      (from the greater Chicago area in my case) and brought these teams
      together in a big national competition.  (I remember the secret
      service once provided the security for one of these competitions.)  
      There were some similar science competitions.  (Besides the science 
      fairs.)  Some had national structures.  Though, I don't know that much 
      about these because my high school never made it past the local level.
      So I guess the moral of all of this is that there is quite an
     abundance of competitions and involvement possible, but it varies from
     school to school with schools in more affluent neighborhoods having a
     huge advantage over the less fortunate.  Also it helps to have
     teachers that are very involved.

	     -Gary                            

------Garik.

ps.  I am not defending America, I just feel that it is not understood well
by many newcommers.  There is much more here than meets the eye.