Public and Private Schools

Before You Read

Discuss

1. In what ways are American schools different from those in other countries?

2. Do you think boys and girls should receive the same education and be in classes together?

3. Should school attendance be required? Why? Until what age?

Guess

Try to answer the questions. Then look for the answers in the reading.

1. What percentage of American adults are high school graduates? Check (\/) one: ____43 % ____63 % ____83 %

2. Who sets guidelines for American public schools? Check (\/) one: ____the federal government ____the 50 state governments

American Education: The First 12 Years

The Goals and Purpose of Public Education

1 American elementary and secondary education is a vast and complex enterprise. From kindergarten through high school, about 72 million students are enrolled in school. To educate this huge number of students, more than 3 million teachers are employed. They are by far the largest professional group in the country.

2 In the U.S.A., everyone has both the right and the obligation to become educated. Even children with physical or mental disabilities are entitled to be educated to whatever extent they can be. A lot of money is spent to provide special services and equipment for students who need extra help. For example, special assistance is provided to children who speak little or no English. In some schools, they attend English as a second language (ESL) classes for part of their schoolday and study other subjects in classes with English-speaking students. In schools where a sizable number of students speak a language other than English, a bilingual program may be offered. In transitional bilingual programs, students study English, but some academic subjects are taught in the native language. Students stay in these bilingual programs until they are fairly fluent in English (usually 1 to 3 years). Some bilingual programs continue to teach students at least one subject in the native language indefinitely to help them maintain fluency and literacy in their native language as well as English.

3 In order to develop an educated population (a necessity in a democracy), all states have compulsory school attendance laws. These laws vary from one state to another, but they generally require school attendance from ages 6 to 16. However, most students attend school at least until high school graduation, when they are 17 or 18 years old. About 83% of American adults are high school graduates.

Public and Private Schools

4 About 86% of American children receive their elementary and high school education in public schools. These schools have important characteristics in common:

• They are supported by state and local taxes and do not charge tuition.

• Most are neighborhood schools, open to students who live in the district.

• They are coeducational, which means that boys and girls attend the same schools and have nearly all their classes together. By providing girls with equal educational opportunity, public schools have helped to create self-sufficient American women.

• They are locally controlled. The individual states, not the federal government, are responsible for education. Public schools are required to follow some state guidelines regarding, for example, curriculum (what students study) and teacher qualifications. But most decisions about a school district are made by an elected board of education and the administrators that board hires. This system creates strong ties between the district's schools and its local community.

• Americans believe in separation of church and state. Therefore, American public schools are free from the influence of any religion. As a result, children of many different religions feel comfortable attending public schools. This secular public school system helps a diverse population share a common cultural heritage.

5 Private schools can be divided into two categories: parochial (supported by a particular religious group) and independent (not affiliated with any religious group). Private schools charge tuition and are not under direct public control, although many states set educational standards for them. To attend a private school, a student must apply and be accepted. Parochial (mostly Catholic) schools make up the largest group of private schools.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16