Organization
The educational system in the United States cannot be
described as one system. It is a highly decentralized system
that shows great variations. The federal government in
Washington does not have the authority to control the
state's educational policy, although there are federal rules
that ensure the provision of education for ethnic minority
groups and people with disabilities. But the federal
government has become increasingly active in education
policy since the 1990s, and educational research is being
prioritized with support. The country is divided into 14,891
school districts (1998/99), which can be very different.
Some states have many school districts, while e.g. Hawaii
only has one school district. Each state has different forms
of governance of its school districts. In addition, each
school district has a school board. There are approx.
 The
local school board has great authority. Within the framework
of the state's laws and regulations, it draws up a budget,
sets the local school tax (usually property tax), hires the
school staff and makes decisions in all important
administrative and professional matters. The Washington
Congress has no direct authority over the state's
educational policy, but it exerts a great deal of influence
through federal grants, amounting to approx. 8% of the total
school expenses. Each state covers approx. 45%, the school
district approx. 47%. Federally, a separate Department of
Education (US Department of Education) was established in
1979. In 2000, the United States used 4.9% of gross domestic
product for education. See TOPSCHOOLSINTHEUSA for TOEFL, ACT, SAT testing locations and high school codes in United States.
The scope of compulsory school provision varies. For
example, Wisconsin has compulsory school for 12 years (6-18
years) while in Arizona it is 8 years (8-16 years). But in
general it can be said that compulsory education lasts from
the children are 7 years to the age of 16.
Primary and secondary education
The formal school structure varies. The primary school
has a duration of 4-6 years. Then there are three different
patterns: either 4-year middle school + 4-year high school,
or 3-year junior high school + 3-year senior high school, or
6-year combined high school. Most systems have three
different curricula at the high school level, one
theoretical, intended to prepare for further academic
studies, one that is more vocational, and a third that is
more generally oriented.
The universities
The universities usually have 4-year college studies
leading to the bachelor's degree, and several departments
for higher education leading to the master's and doctoral
degrees. An American college covers both traditional
academic education and a comprehensive vocational education.
This also applies to the 2-year-old colleagues, who are run
and financed by the local school authorities.
Private schools
Private schools play a significant role in education,
greatest at the college level. A number of the most reputed
universities and colleges are private. About. 11% of
students attend private primary and secondary schools (most
with religious affiliation), over 25% of students at private
colleges/universities.
Public education in primary and secondary school is free.
Colleges and universities pay for tuition and accommodation,
but the rates vary from place to place. The private
universities are the most expensive. There are many
scholarships of various kinds. The federal government also
provides scholarships and student loans.
The length of education varies for the different
population groups. 79% of 17-year-olds take high school.
More and more people are taking higher education. In 2000,
the United States had 15.3 million students. An increasing
proportion of the student population is older students. Of
the adult population, 85% have completed high school, and
27% have higher education at the undergraduate level or
above.
Since the beginning of the 1980s, the concern that the
quality of American schools is too poor and that it will
affect the country's competitiveness has increased. Several
studies and reports have concluded that there is cause for
concern. The best known of these reports, A Nation at Risk
from 1983, described the situation in the United States as
critical.
In 1990, the president and governors of all states set
six national goals for the country's education policy up to
the year 2000, including: that 90% should complete high
school, that the United States students should be the
world's best in science and math, and that all schools in
the United States should be free of drugs and violence in
the year 2000. In 1992, the National Council on Education
Standards and Testing was established. In 1994, the Clinton
administration introduced the National Education Reform
Educate America Act, which adopted eight common education
goals and introduced requirements for national assessment of
student learning. In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act was
introduced by the Bush administration. After that, each
state is responsible for assessing the student's skills in
languages, mathematics and science. The law has four key
elements: visibility of the results of schools,
History
The interest in school and education goes back to the
first immigrants. As early as the 1600s, laws were passed in
the New England colonies which stipulated that education of
the people was a matter for the public. Even before the
revolution, a number of the colonies had thus built their
own college. During the first hundred years of the republic,
a large number of private and state colleges appeared,
especially in the south and west. Important expansions and
reforms of elementary school were introduced in New England,
the Midwest and the Northwest. During and after the
revolution, the church was separated from the state, but
schooling was a public matter at all times. Thomas
Jefferson's goal was that all citizens should be able to
read and write, and higher education should be given to all
those who had prerequisites for public positions.
In the period after 1830, the principle was implemented
with a public common school for all children financed
through ordinary taxes. The development went through three
phases. From about 1830 in the first phase, primary school
was improved, and old private or semi-private academies were
replaced with new public high schools designed for all
youth. Women began to play a greater role in the education
system as both female and female colleagues were created,
and women entered the teaching profession, especially in
primary school. Technical schools were established and adult
education was given to their institutions during this
period.
In the second phase, from the Civil War to the end of the
19th century, elementary and secondary schools were given
greater scope and importance, without really changing their
character. In addition to public schools, Catholic private
schools emerged during this period as a result of
immigration, which in particular increased the Catholic
element of the population. In the southern states, a school
system was organized which was organized according to the
pattern in the north, but with the maintenance of racial
segregation. A number of private institutions were created
for black youth. At the same time, a significant
transformation of higher education took place. Previously,
there had been schools for the education of lawyers and
medical practitioners. Now, certain institutions began to
develop and expand into centers, not only for teaching and
education, but also for research. The old Harvard school,
founded in 1636, and a new one,
In the third phase of the school system's development,
the 20th century, the most important change is that the
objectives from previous periods have been met to some
extent. Although the schools vary in quality, they exist for
everyone, from kindergarten to college level in all regions.
Public schools are an important factor in social
assimilation, and there has been a great fight for the
racial divide in schools. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled
that racial segregation in public schools was contrary to
the Constitution.
|
