1991年底,本文作者周兰同志作为世界银行贷款九年制义务教育师资培训项目成员,赴美国担任了一年访问学者。在此期间,她访问了美国的八所中学,听取160多节课,与中学师生进行了多次座谈,还参加了几次中学物理教师的学术会议和师资培训工作。一年的访问使她对美国中级教育的多样化、实用化以及其灵活性印象颇深,感慨良多。她认为,虽然美国的中等教育,尤其是物理教育名声并不辉煌,但美国能成为今天这样一个高度现代化的工业大国,其科学教育有着不可磨灭的贡献,自然有其可取之处。为了让广大读者对美国中学物理教育的现状有个比较清晰的了解,我刊特约请周兰同志将她在美国访问其间的所见所闻写成专题文章《美国的中学物理教育》。本刊从1994年第5期开始分期连续刊出,在这一组连载的文章中,周兰同志将对美国的教育体制、中学物理课程的设置、教学方法、实验及实践活动、考试、学校风气、师资培训、教师待遇以及教改趋势等内容进行介绍。 At the end of 1991, Comrade Zhou Lan, a member of the nine-year compulsory education teacher training project of the World Bank Loan, went to the United States as a visiting scholar for one year. During this period, she visited eight secondary schools in the United States, where she learned more than 160 lessons, held several discussions with teachers and students in secondary schools, and participated in several academic meetings and teacher training for secondary school physics teachers. One year’s visit made her deeply impressed by the diversity, practicality, and flexibility of the American secondary education. She believes that although American secondary education, especially physics education, is not famous for its glory, the United States can become such a highly modern industrial country today that its scientific education has indelible contributions and naturally has its merits. In order to give readers a clearer understanding of the current state of American middle school physics education, Comrade Zhou Lan specially asked Comrade Zhou Lan to write a feature article entitled “American Middle School Physics Education” during her visit to the United States. The publication has been published continuously in stages from the 5th issue of 1994. In this series of articles, Comrade Zhou Lan will have an education system, a middle school physics curriculum, teaching methods, experiments and practical activities, examinations, and schools for the United States. The introduction of culture, teacher training, teacher treatment, teaching reform trends, etc.