State school system in USA
SLIDE 1
In the United States, state and local government have primary responsibility for education. The
Federal Department of Education plays a role in standards setting and education finance, and some
primary and secondary schools, for the children of military employees, are run by the Department of
Defense.
Public school systems are supported by a combination of local, state, and federal government
funding. Because a large portion of school revenues come from local property taxes, public schools
vary widely in the resources they have available per student. Class size also varies from one district
to another. Curriculum decisions in public schools are made largely at the local and state levels; the
federal government has limited influence. In most districts, a locally elected school board runs
schools. The school board appoints an official called the superintendent of schools to manage the
schools in the district.
SLIDE 2
The largest public school system in the United States is in New York City, where more than one
million students are taught in 1,200 separate public schools. Because of its immense size – there
are more students in the system than residents in the eight smallest US states – the New York City
public school system is nationally influential in determining standards and materials, such as
textbooks.
Admission to individual public schools is usually based on residency. To compensate for differences
in school quality based on geography, school systems serving large cities and portions of large cities
often have magnet schools that provide enrollment to a specified number of non-resident students in
addition to serving all resident students. This special enrollment is usually decided by lottery with
equal numbers of males and females chosen. Some magnet schools cater to gifted students or to
students with special interests, such as the sciences or performing arts.
Idependent.....
SLIDE 3
Private schools in the United States include parochial schools (affiliated with religious
denominations), non-profit independent schools, and for-profit private schools.
Private schools have various missions: some cater to college-bound students seeking a
competitive edge in the college admissions process; others are for gifted students, students with
learning disabilities or other special needs, or students with specific religious affiliations. Some
cater to families seeking a small school, with a nurturing, supportive environment. Unlike public
school systems, private schools have no legal obligation to accept any interested student.
Admission to some private schools is often highly selective. Private schools also have the ability
to permanently expel persistently unruly students, a disciplinary option not legally available to
public school systems.
SLIDE 4
Private schools offer the advantages of smaller classes, under twenty students in a typical
elementary classroom, for example; a higher teacher/student ratio across the school day, greater
individualized attention and in the more competitive schools, expert college placement services.
Unless specifically designed to do so, private schools usually cannot offer the services required
by students with serious or multiple learning, emotional, or behavioral issues. Although reputed
to pay lower salaries than public school systems, private schools often attract teachers by
offering high-quality professional development opportunities, including tuition grants for
advanced degrees. According to elite private schools themselves, this investment in faculty
development helps maintain the high quality program that they offer.
Community schools, controlled by the local council and not influenced by
business or religious groups;
Foundation schools and voluntary schools, which have more freedom to
change the way they do things than community schools;
Academies, run by a governing body, independent from the local council
(they can follow a different curriculum);
Grammar schools, run by the council, a foundation body or a trust – they
select all or most of their pupils based on academic ability and there is
often an exam to get in. In fact, Teresa May pushed to allow new
selective schools to open and existing schools to turn into grammar
schools. The political debate surrounding this arose strong opinions from
all sides, forcing May to abandon her plan to expand grammar schools.
