Education System in the United States of America

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Education System in the United States of America
An Overview
Martha R. Green, M.Ed. Program Coordinator
Office of International Outreach The Confucius
Institute at Texas AM University
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The United States has a Decentralized System of
Education
The United States has a decentralized system of
education there is no national school system. In
accordance with the U.S. Constitution, the
ultimate authority to create and administer
education policy rests with the 50 states, and
most states have delegated authority to operate
schools to local governments. There are no
national laws addressing a prescribed curriculum,
the establishment and recognition of
institutions, the recognition of degrees or
professions, the governance of institutions, or
the legal status of students or faculty. The
federal government plays a limited but important
role in ensuring equity, supporting state and
local educational improvement efforts, providing
financial support for postsecondary education,
gathering statistics and conducting research, and
helping to make education a national priority.
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Federal Government The United States Department
of Education Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan (Cabinet-level position) National
Education Budget (2007) 972 billion (public and
private funds, all levels) Function Responsible
for federal education policy

• Official Mission To ensure equal access to
  education and promote educational excellence
  throughout the nation.
• Collecting and disseminating information
  educational statistics, research data, best
  practices
• Playing a leadership role by influencing public
  opinion and building partnerships with states,
  communities, educators, parents, and the private
  sector to improve education
• Ensuring equal educational opportunity by
  enforcing civil rights laws. The Department can
  withhold federal funding from any organization
  that is found in violation of civil rights law
• Supporting educational improvement and reform
  by providing grants to states, local governments,
  and individual schools (often targeted to
  disadvantaged groups
• Providing financial assistance to students to
  help pay for postsecondary education.
• No Child Left Behind Policy Requires states to
  conduct annual proficiency tests

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Role of State Governments  
Education policy and administration in the United
States begins at the state level and continues at
the local and institutional levels. Regardless of
size, each state and territory is internally
self-governing and has authority with respect to
educational matters within its jurisdiction.
Education policy is developed by the State
Board of Education and the State Legislature,
while the State Department of Education is
responsible for implementing policy and
overseeing the state's school districts. State
Boards of Education are bodies of citizens that
are either appointed by the legislature or
governor, or elected by the public. Their job is
to conduct oversight of statewide educational
policies and operations, determine budget
priorities, approve new policies and guidelines
including curriculum guidelines and textbook
selection, approve certain professional
appointments, and consider requests from local
education agencies. The Texas State Board of
Education (SBOE) is the policy-making body of the
Texas Education Agency (TEA), which coordinates
all public educational activities and services
except those of colleges and universities.
Texas Education Agency establishes state
curriculum guidelines and mandates a
yearly schedule of testing to assess student
progress (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills)
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State Commissioner of Education

• Responsible for the day-to-day affairs of state
  departments of education and report periodically
  to the state board, the legislature, and the
  governor
• Chartering or licensing institutions to operate
  within their jurisdictions
• Establishing curriculum guidelines
• Setting the minimum number of school days
• Establishing school health and safety laws
• Licensing or certifying school teachers and
  administrators
• Developing policies and regulations governing
  public primary and secondary education
• Designating and appointing agencies and boards
  to oversee public education at all levels
• Providing funding and technical assistance to
  local government agencies and schools.
• Education tends to be the largest expenditure
  item in the budget of every state territory.
• On average, state education expenditures
  account for about 48 of total education spending
  in the United States.
• States do not generally regulate postsecondary
  education as closely as they do elementary
  and secondary education.

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Role of Local Government

• Even though constitutional authority over
  education is ultimately vested in the state
  governments, most states delegate the operation
  and many aspects of policymaking to local school
  districtsAuthority over the curriculum varies,
  with some states prescribing general curriculum
  guidelines, while others require compliance with
  specific requirements. Local school districts
  are governed by a School Board whose members can
  be elected and/or appointed. School board
  selects and hires the District Superintendent as
  the individual responsible for implementing
  policy and managing the day-to-day operations of
  the school district. School districts are
  responsible for the following
• Hiring teachers, principals, and other staff
• Setting teacher and administrator salaries
• Administering teacher in-service training
• Coordinating school bussing
• Allocating budgets among schools and programs
• Overseeing building construction and
  maintenance
• Entering into partnerships with the community.

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Organization and Administration of Local School
Districts
Elementary and secondary education generally
spans 12 academic years, or grades. The
academic year generally lasts approximately 9
months, or 180 days. Classes normally are in
session September to June. The school day for
all but the youngest children lasts from about
800 A.M. to 300 P.M. Ages for compulsory
schooling in the United States vary by state, but
all jurisdictions require school attendance. In
general, school attendance is required between
the ages of 6 and 16. There are about 26
million children in public elementary schools
(grades K-5) and almost 17 million children in
public secondary schools (grades 6-12). Private
elementary and secondary schools enroll another 5
million children.
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School Finance
The funding of public elementary and secondary
schools in the United States is decentralized.
The federal government provides approximately
7 of total funding, while 47 and 46 of funding
comes from the state and the local governments,
respectively. The federal government provides
grants to states and school districts to support
improved educational quality and reforms. The
state governments also provide grants to school
districts and individual schools. In addition,
states generally administer to school districts
those funds granted to the state by the federal
government. In Texas, the state allocates funds
to local districts based on the average daily
attendance of each student.In addition to the
funding received from the federal government, the
state government, and the private sector, local
school districts receive a significant portion of
their budget from local government funds such as
bond issues and local property taxes
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Curriculum Development
There is no standard national curriculum set by
law. The federal government is barred from
establishing curriculum. States establish their
own guidelines and policies for the curriculum
and considerable freedom is often left to local
and school authorities. Elementary education is
not divided into different tracks such as
academic or vocational. Secondary school
students generally have the option to pursue a
university preparationor a vocational-technical
curriculum.
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Structure of the Education System in the United
States

• Primary School Kindergarten to fifth grade
  (Early Childhood Education)
• American children start school at the age of five
  years. It is required of all American children
  enrolled in the American education system.
• Secondary school Grades six through twelve
• Middle School Grades six through eight
• High School Ninth through twelfth grades
• High School Diploma Certificate indicating
  completion of the twelfth grade.In the American
  education system, students must obtain a high
  school diploma before they are admitted into
  college or university.
• Undergraduate Schools Course of study In a
  specific area
• Associate degree (two year degree)
• Bachelors Degree) (four-year degree)
• Graduate School
• Students who obtain a bachelors degree can
  continue their education by pursuing one of two
  types of degrees
• Masters degree (a two-year degree that is
  highly specialized in a specific field).
• PhD degree (three to seven years depending on
  required research)
• Certain courses of study are only available at
  the graduate school level in America law,
  dentistry, and medicine.

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Special Programs in Secondary Education

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act The
  federal law that grants children with
  disabilities the right to receive a free
  appropriate public education.
• Inclusion/Mainstreaming Individual
  Education Plan (IEP)/ Educational Modifications
• Gifted Education Inquiry Academy, Jane Long
  Middle School Harmony Science Academy
• Gifted and talented student means a child or
  youth who performs at or shows the potential for
  performing at a remarkably high level of
  accomplishment when compared to others of the
  same age, experience, or environment and who
• Exhibits high performance capability in an
  intellectual, creative, or artistic area
• Possesses an unusual capacity for leadership
  or
• Excels in a specific academic field.
• Bilingual Education/English as a Second Language
  Programs Every student in the state who has a
  home language other than English and who is
  identified as limited English proficient shall be
  provided a full opportunity to participate in a
  bilingual education or English as a second
  language program
• Alternative Education Programs (AEP) Each school
  district shall provide a disciplinary alternative
  education program in a setting other than a
  student's regular classroom provides that
  students who are assigned to the disciplinary
  alternative education program be separated from
  students who are not assigned to the program
  focuses on English language arts, mathematics,
  science, history, and self-discipline provides
  for students' educational and behavioral needs
  provides supervision and counseling.

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Education System in the United States of
America An Overview
Martha R. Green, M.Ed. Program Coordinator
Office of International Outreach The Confucius
Institute at Texas AM University mgreen_at_ipomail.t
amu.edu http//worldroom.tamu.edu