Jesús Cuitún 16/01/2023

Who are we?

We are a private school located in Merida, Yucatan offering an outstanding academic program from
preschool through junior high since1990. We also offer high school and university studies on our
neighboring CELA campus. Today we have a teaching staff of more than 150 educators and over
1000 students

We are co-educational and non-denominational, welcoming students from all faiths. Our highly
trained teachers and staff are dedicated to creating an environment of respect, empathy and
equity.

Our program is Bilingual (English/Spanish) and Bicultural, and our English Language Arts curriculum
is widely used in English speaking countries. Our students take the Cambridge Exams for
certification of their English skills and abilities at the end of primary school and junior high.

We pride ourselves on incorporating state of the art educational technology and innovative
methodologies in our classes. Our academic programs meet all the requirements of the Yucatan
Education Department, and we consistently rank among the top schools in Merida on standardized
tests administered annually (PLANEA and CENEVAL).

What Makes Us Special

The Instituto Moderno Americano recognizes the importance of developing the whole child, so we
place an important emphasis on moral values. We promote universal values like: Empathy,
Tolerance, Respect, Responsibility, Justice, Perseverance, Excellence, Generosity and Kindness
promoting a healthy interaction between students and teachers. We have celebration assemblies
throughout the year to recognize our students and teachers for practicing these values.

We are especially proud of being the first school in our community to initiate a program against
violence and bullying through the internationally recognized Second Step curriculum.

In the Second Step program, our students review and act out situations that reflect their own daily
experiences, learning how to solve problems effectively, resist negative peer pressure and change a
negative environment that can occur in social relationships.

Students receive training in three core areas of the program:

Empathy Training

Impulse control and problem solving

Training in anger management

second step

We have also created a "Be Healthy" program that promotes healthy habits for mental and physical
health, including education about nutrition, exercise and addiction prevention for students and
parents.
Jesús Cuitún 16/01/2023

We also hold have activities that give students an opportunity to speak publically and utilize the
skills they have learned in the classroom. We have a range of activities that highlight the strengths
of all our learners including a: Science fair, Dance Festival, Plays and Spelling Bees. Our middle
school students also have the opportunity to participate in travel experiences to London, and a
group of students participates in the British English Olympics.

Our Educational Philosophy

We believe that knowledge and life itself begins and ends in our Creator, and as a result instruction
must reflect moral values

We believe a true education takes into account the whole child as a unique individual and as a
social being. As a result our objective should be the whole child, encompassing mind, attitude,
personality, intellect, individuality and social development.

We believe that learning is a process that involves the child’s participation, the teacher’s dedication
and the support of the parents.

We believe it is our responsibility to guide the child in learning to read, write and speak correctly
and to develop an interest in reading both in English and Spanish.

We believe that the child’s development includes good physical and mental health, good work
habits, a sense of social responsibility, courtesy and tact.

We believe that we need to promote respect for the Earth and make children aware of the
importance of protecting the environment.

We believe that our students should be patriotic citizens that love and respect their state and
country and the world as a whole.

We believe that teaching is sacred. We consider each child to be a unique creation, and we are
honored to share with parents in the formation of their child.

We believe that no matter how well we teach we can always do it better, and as a result we are
constantly working on improving our teaching techniques and utilization of technology.

We believe in loving our students, laughing with them and learning from them.

https://institutomodernoamericano.edu.mx/pages/nosotros/who-are-we.php
Jesús Cuitún 16/01/2023

What Is the Structure of the US Higher Education System?

As an international student, you may be wondering how colleges and universities fit into the larger
US higher education system. Students in America are required to go to school between the ages of
six and 18 in what are called grades, which run from 1st through 12th. (There is also an earlier
option, called kindergarten, for the year before 1st grade, but it is not mandatory in most US
states.)

Primary, or elementary, education lasts until 5th grade, middle school or junior high school covers
6th through 8th grade, followed by secondary education in 9th-12th grades. Secondary education
can cover both college-preparatory curriculum or vocational training.

After 12th grade, students have two options for post-secondary education: vocational training
(typically a year or two, designed for immediate employment in a trade) or higher education
(typically a two-year associate’s degree or four-year bachelor’s degree in an academic program).

For international students in British-style education systems, you may have had 13 years of
education before entering post-secondary studies. Other countries may only have 11 years of pre-
university level studies. Typically, for students enrolled in post-secondary education in the United
States, US colleges and universities require 12 years of education.

What Are the Different Types of Higher Education Institutions in the US?

College vs. University

In many countries, post-secondary institutions are called universities. However, in the US, the
words college and university are often used interchangeably. Some are even called institutes (e.g.,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology). Within larger universities
in the United States, there are different colleges or schools that represent different academic areas
of study (e.g., College of Engineering, School of Business).

State Colleges and Private Colleges

Depending on where you are from, the best colleges or universities may be public or run by the
national or regional/state government. But in the United States, the federal government does not
manage any college or university. Instead, the governments of the individual 50 states, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other US territories have the authority to operate, fund, and (in
some respects) control public colleges and universities within their boundaries.
Jesús Cuitún 16/01/2023

Alternatively, private colleges can operate on their own, without direct control from state or
national governments. For instance, hundreds of private colleges in the US were founded by
religious denominations or churches, such as the University of Dayton (affiliated with the Catholic
church) and University of the Pacific (a Methodist university).

According to U.S. News & World Report, in 2017 there were 4,298 post-secondary colleges and
universities in the United States: 1,626 public, 1,687 private, and 985 for-profit. Among the top
twenty US universities with the most international students (according to the 2019 Open Doors
Fast Facts report), 13 are public and seven are private. So, remember: quality is not determined by
whether a college or university is public or private.

Tech Colleges and Community Colleges

While most international students come to the United States for academic programs, some
students enroll in technical or vocational colleges designed for job training, like flight school or air
traffic control programs.

Additionally, another option in American post-secondary education is community college.

Community colleges offer low-cost education in local communities and provide workforce
preparation or credits toward completing a bachelor’s degree. According to the American
Association of Community Colleges (AACC), there are almost “1,200 2-year, associate degree-
granting institutions and more than 12 million students” enrolled in these colleges. Approximately
100,000 international students currently attend community colleges in the United States.

https://shorelight.com/student-stories/the-us-higher-education-system-explained/
Jesús Cuitún 16/01/2023

Of course, not all countries or regions face the challenges equally, but today we are, nonetheless,
looking at some of the biggest challenges to functioning education today.

In the latest PISA ratings, run by the OECD and based on tests taken by 15-year-olds across the
world the UK is a long way from the top.

The UK is ranked 27th in maths – the lowest we have been ranked since joining the tests in 2000.
The UK has made a slight improvement in our ranking in science (although not in test score)
climbing to 15th place and is ranked 22nd in reading.

It isn’t only when measured against other countries that we are failing.

In secondary schools:

Over 40% of students are not achieving the baseline standards

44% of students leave without gaining at least five GCSEs grade A* to C

One in seven secondary aged pupils suffers from a mental disorder

By the end of primary:

43% of children have not reached adequate levels of reading, writing and maths according to
reports from Centre Forum and research body Education Data Lab

20% of children leaving primary school haven’t even reached the accepted standard in at least one
of the core subjects

One in ten primary aged children suffers from a mental disorder

That’s a quite remarkable failure rate given the hours and years that these children have poured
into these topics. Perhaps it is time to admit that the system itself is broken?

But what is causing it to be broken? Let us take a look at some of the biggest challenges faced by
primary and secondary schools in the UK, and how we could help.

https://www.aimalittlehigher.com/blog/the-biggest-challenges-facing-the-education-sector
Jesús Cuitún 16/01/2023
Jesús Cuitún 16/01/2023

Introduction

Mexico’s new president, the former mayor of Mexico City, Andrés Manuel López Obrador—
nicknamed “AMLO”—took office in December 2018. The election of a leftist populist in the nation
of about 129 million people adds an interesting twist to Mexico’s already strained relations with
the United States during the Trump presidency. If AMLO’s campaign promises become reality, they
could bring about major changes for poor and marginalized social groups in Mexico, a country
marred by wealth disparities where some 7 percent of the population still lives on less than USD$2
per day. AMLO has pledged to alleviate poverty and end corruption. His ambitious promises
include massive railway construction projects, free internet throughout the country, a freeze in
gasoline prices, and the doubling of pension payments for the elderly. Six months into the new
administration, the record on these promises is mixed, and many observers doubt whether they
can be paid for.

Education in Mexico infographic: quick facts about education in Mexico

AMLO has vowed to accommodate the surging demand for education by building 100 new
universities, eliminating university entrance examinations, and allowing “every person access to
higher education.” According to UNESCO statistics, tertiary enrollments in Mexico have more than
doubled, going from 1.9 million to 4.4 million between 2000 and 2017,1 placing tremendous stress
on Mexico’s education system. Despite that growth and recent leaps in educational participation,
the country’s tertiary enrollment rate still trails far behind those of other major Latin American
countries. For example, the tertiary gross enrollment ratio (GER) stood at 38 percent in Mexico in
2017, while it ranged from 50 percent in Brazil to 59 percent in Colombia and 89 percent in
Argentina, per UNESCO.

Two reasons for these relatively low participation rates are capacity shortages and disparities
between the more industrialized central and northern parts of Mexico and the less developed
southern states like Chiapas, Oaxaca, Yucatan, and Tabasco. Mexico is a geographically, ethnically,
and linguistically diverse country that comprises 32 states. Its more than 60 languages are spoken
mostly by indigenous ethnic groups in the south, a region historically neglected by the central
government. It is within these underfunded rural regions that educational participation and
attainment rates are extremely low. Literacy rates in the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, home to the
largest percentages of indigenous peoples in Mexico, are more than 10 times lower than in Mexico
City or the northern state of Nuevo León.

In an attempt to raise education participation rates across the nation, the Mexican government in
2012 made upper-secondary education compulsory for all children by 2020. However, inadequate
funding and administrative obstacles have thus far prevented universal implementation of this
goal, particularly in marginalized rural regions. The new AMLO administration has also vowed to
provide financial assistance to upper-secondary students to reduce high school dropout rates.

Despite the still comparatively low enrollment ratios, Mexico is expected to be one of the world’s
top 20 countries in terms of the highest number of tertiary students by 2035. It will be a key
challenge for the Mexican government to ensure quality of education amid this rapid massification.
The problems Mexico faces in this regard are manifold. The country ranks at the bottom of the
Jesús Cuitún 16/01/2023

OECD PISA study2 and ranked only 46th among 50 countries in the 2018 Ranking of National
Higher Education Systems by the Universitas 21 network of research universities.

Attempts by the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto (in office from 2012 to 2018) to
improve teaching standards are currently in limbo. Nieto had sought to raise standards for the
hiring, evaluation, and promotion of teachers, but the reforms were met with fierce resistance
from Mexico’s powerful National Teacher’s Union (SNTE)—the largest teacher’s union in the
Americas with about 1.5 million members that has been repeatedly charged with corruption. In the
presidential elections, the SNTE supported AMLO, who vowed to end the controversial reforms.
Noting that new evaluation mechanisms for teachers had resulted in a 23 percent enrollment
decrease at public teacher training colleges and increasing numbers of teachers requesting
retirement, the new administration has promised to reinstate teachers that had been laid off
because they had refused to submit to performance exams. Other changes include the dismantling
of the National Institute to Evaluate Education (INEE), an autonomous body under the Ministry of
Education tasked with reducing corruption in teacher-hiring practices, and holding teachers to
account by tying their pay, promotions, and tenure to performance on standardized exams.

Improving Mexico’s education system is critical for addressing pressing problems like high
unemployment rates among Mexican youths, who are unemployed at twice the rate of the overall
working age population. There were reportedly 827,324 young people unable to find
unemployment in Mexico in 2018 —58 percent of whom held an upper-secondary school diploma
or university degree. However, structural problems and severe funding shortages continue to
impede progress. As U.S. News and World Report reported in 2018, “… education spending
dropped by more than 4 percent compared to the previous year, with the textbook budget cut by a
third and funding for … educational reforms … slashed by 72 percent. (…) “Meanwhile, the 2017
budget for teacher training was cut by nearly 40 percent.”

https://wenr.wes.org/2019/05/education-in-mexico-2