The United States does not have a national or federal education system. However, while there are more than fifty independent education systems—each administered by a state or territory, the Bureau of Indian Education, or the Department of Defense Dependents Schools—they share many similarities. Education is provided through public and private schools, as well as by individuals through homeschooling. Educational standards are established at the state or territorial level by a supervisory body; this body typically takes the form of a Board of Regents, a State Department of Education, a State College Board, or a combination thereof. The majority of total funding—amounting to $1.3 trillion—comes from state and local governments, while the federal share of funding stood at approximately $250 billion in 2024, an increase from the roughly $200 billion allocated in previous years.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, regular attendance was not mandatory in most schools across the United States. In many regions, students attended school for no more than three to four months out of the year. Under state laws, education is now compulsory within a specific age range; this range typically begins between the ages of five and eight and concludes between the ages of sixteen and nineteen, depending on the specific state. This requirement can be fulfilled by attending public or state-certified private schools, or through an approved homeschooling program. Compulsory education is divided into three levels: elementary school, middle or junior high school, and high school. As of 2013, approximately 87% of school-aged children attended state-funded public schools, about 10% attended private schools funded through tuition and endowments, and roughly 3% received their education through homeschooling. Between 2012 and 2022, enrollment in public kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools declined by 4%, while enrollment in private or charter schools for the same age group increased by 2%.
Numerous public and private colleges and universities offer a wide range of options for post-secondary education. Post-secondary education is broadly categorized into undergraduate colleges (which lead to a first tertiary degree) and graduate schools. Higher education encompasses public and private research universities—typically private liberal arts colleges—community colleges, for-profit institutions, and various other types of specialized and hybrid institutions. College enrollment rates in the United States have long exhibited an upward trend. Concurrently, student debt has surged to $1.5 trillion. According to rankings compiled by various organizations, the majority of the world's finest universities are located in the United States; this includes 19 of the top 25 institutions, as well as the most renowned university—Harvard University. Total enrollment in U.S. post-secondary institutions declined from 18.1 million in 2010 to 15.4 million in 2021.
In the 2020–21 academic year, total expenditure on U.S. public primary and secondary schools amounted to $927 billion (measured in constant 2021–22 dollars). In 2010, total per-student expenditure on primary, secondary, and post-secondary education in the U.S. exceeded that of any other OECD country (a group comprising nearly all nations classified as "developed" by the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations); furthermore, the U.S. education sector's share of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was higher than that of the average OECD country. In 2014, the nation allocated 6.2% of its GDP to education across all levels—a figure that was 1.0 percentage point higher than the OECD average of 5.2%. In 2014, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked the U.S. education system as the 14th best in the world. According to the 'Programme for International Student Assessment' (PISA), coordinated by the OECD, the overall knowledge and skills of 15-year-old American students—particularly in the fields of reading, mathematics, and science—are ranked 19th globally. In this assessment, the average American student scored 495 points, while the OECD average stood at 488 points. In 2017, 46.4% of Americans aged 25 to 64 had attained some form of post-secondary education. Among Americans aged 25 to 34, 48% had attained some form of tertiary education, which is approximately 4% higher than the OECD average of 44%. Furthermore, 35% of Americans aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or a higher level of education.
Primary education in the United States
In the United States, primary education (also referred to as elementary education) generally encompasses the first seven to nine years of formal schooling in most localities. It is typically provided in elementary schools; this category also includes middle schools. Preschool programs—which are less formal in nature and generally not mandated by law—are typically not considered part of primary education. The first year of primary education is commonly known as kindergarten and begins at or around the age of 5 or 6. Subsequent years are typically designated by grade level—such as the first grade, second grade, and so on. Elementary schools generally extend through the sixth grade, which students typically complete at the age of 11 or 12. Some elementary schools transition students to middle school after the fourth or fifth grade.
In 2016, there were 88,665 elementary schools in the United States (66,758 public and 21,907 private).
Preschool
Some private and public schools offer pre-kindergarten (also known as Pre-K) facilities as part of their elementary school programs. According to the Education Commission of the States (ECS), twelve states—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Vermont—as well as the District of Columbia, offer some form of universal pre-kindergarten.
The first three to five years of a person's life may constitute the most critical phase of their education (referred to as the preschool years). During this period, children's brains undergo physical, intellectual, and emotional development in various ways; this includes aspects such as curiosity, character formation, personality, cognitive abilities, language proficiency, and social skills.
Since 1965, the federal government has promoted state-run programs, such as "Head Start"—a program administered under the oversight of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. By 2020, this program had assisted more than 37 million preschool-aged children and their families; in the 2019 fiscal year alone, it provided services to over one million children. In addition to providing health and nutrition services to low-income families, Head Start places a strong emphasis on the holistic development and education of children.
Elementary school in the United States
Elementary schools are institutions that provide education for grades ranging from Kindergarten (K) or Grade 1 up to Grade 4, 5, or 6. Students may attend four-year, five-year, six-year, or seven-year public or private elementary schools. Upon successfully completing their elementary education, students advance to middle school, also known as junior high school. Depending on the specific school district, some students attend separate middle schools; these schools typically cover grades 6 through 8, after which students proceed to high school—also referred to as senior high school. Additionally, students may have the option to attend elementary schools that encompass all eight primary grades. In such cases, students transition directly to high school, or senior high school.
In most elementary schools across the United States, a single class of students is assigned to a specific teacher and a designated classroom for the entire academic year. These students spend the majority of the school year together in the same classroom, learning from the same teacher; the teacher is expected to supervise their students at all times (with the exception of lunch and recess periods). Schools possessing greater financial resources may employ specialist teachers to instruct specific subjects—such as art, music, and science; in such schools, the primary teacher temporarily hands over the entire class to the specialist teacher for instruction in these subjects, subsequently resuming supervision of the class. This approach stands in stark contrast to the "course model" adopted at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Under the course model, students enroll in different courses each semester; these courses are typically taught by different teachers in different classrooms, necessitating that students move from one classroom to another throughout the school day.
No comments:
Post a Comment