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EDUCATION OVERVIEW
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- Administration and Finance:
The U.S. Education system is characterized by a great deal of decentralization. Unlike many other countries, there is no central controlling authority due to the fact that the U.S. constitution specifically designates education the responsibility of individual states. Consequently, the states and local districts assume a primary role in the organization and operation of U.S. schools. Each state operates its own Department of Education, which, in turn, controls a number of county and city boards. There are more than 1,000 county-level departments of education, and within a county, school districts that represent a larger city or town, or a group of smaller ones. It is the county and city boards that are responsible for implementing the curriculum. Although there are some guidelines and influences from the national or state departments of education, the more than 16,000 school districts are independent.
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- Public education is funded by the national, state and local governments. Most often, funds for education are generated through various tax systems that exist at the state and county levels; income tax and property tax respectively, with some funds coming from the Federal Government for special programs. The only elementary and secondary schools funded and administered solely by the federal government are those established for the dependents of military and civilian personnel serving overseas.
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In the year 2000, government expenditures on education accounted for approximately 7.1% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Of the total GDP, 4.3% was allocated for elementary and secondary education, and 2.8% for post secondary education.
Size:
There are approximately 119,235 elementary and secondary schools, with a total enrolment of 59.9 million students. Of the previously mentioned figure, 58,000 are public elementary schools and 21,000 public secondary schools. At the tertiary level, there are currently 2,819 institutions offering Bachelor or higher degrees, 2,657 institutions offering at least a Associate degree, but less than a Bachelor, and 4,927 institutions offering shorter non-degree programs of less than two years in duration.
Structure:
Education in the U.S. consists of one to three years of optional pre-elementary education, followed by six or eight years of elementary school and six or four years of secondary school (depending on the length of the elementary school). Although elementary education may consist of six or eight grades, the six-grade school is most common. The last four years of the twelve-year sequence is referred to as "high school". Upon completion of either sequence of study a High School Diploma is awarded.
Following high school, formal education continues to two or four-year college or university. Two-year courses lead to Associate degrees and the basic Bachelor degree is four years in duration. Postgraduate education is offered in the form of professional awards, Master's degrees and Doctorates, including the PhD.
Private and Public Education:
Public education is funded by the national, state and local governments. Most often, this is done through funds generated by the income tax system.
Private schools are not supported by public funding and rely on student tuition fees and individual/other funding. Even though these institutions administer their own curriculum, they are subject to state licensing and accrediting regulations established by the state department of education. There are a number of accrediting agencies operating in the United States. These are private, voluntary organizations working with educational institutions.
Academic Year:
At the elementary and secondary levels, the academic year generally begins in September and continues through the first or second week in June. Most states require a school year of 180 days.
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- At the post-secondary level, the academic calendar is more flexible. The norm for a full-time student is two semesters of fifteen to eighteen weeks each per academic year, but many institutions follow differing patterns. Some, for example, adopt a trimester system, which divides the academic year into three segments of fifteen to sixteen weeks, while others adopt a quarter system, with the school year divided into four eleven-week segments. In the latter two systems, the student normally does not attend school the entire year, but two out of three trimesters or three out of four quarters.
Language of Instruction:
English
Teacher Training:
All teachers at the elementary and secondary school level must have completed a four-year Bachelor of Arts or Science degree, with a major in Education. This is complemented by a specialization in either arts or sciences, depending on the intended field of teaching. Some states also require the completion of a higher degree in order to become a licensed teacher.
Revised: May 06, 2004
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Copyright © 2001 World Education
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