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Public and Private schools
Unlike most other industrialized countries, the United States does not have a
centralized educational system on the national scale. Thus, K-12 students in
most areas have a choice between free tax-funded public schools, or (usually)
privately-funded, private schools.
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 significantly from one district to
another. Generally, schools in more affluent areas are more highly regarded; it
is this fact that is often blamed for what some perceive as lack of social
mobility in America. 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. 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 eight US states - the New York City public school
system is nationally influential in determining standards and materials like
text books.
Lawrence Academy is a private boarding school in Groton, Massachusetts.All
public school systems are required to provide an education free of charge to
everyone of school age in their districts. Admission to individual public
schools is usually based on residency. To compensate for differences in school
quality based on geography, 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 boys and girls chosen. Some magnet schools cater
to gifted students or to students with special interests, such as the sciences
or performing arts. Admission to some of these schools is highly competitive and
based on an application process.
Private schools in the United States include parochial schools (affiliated with
religious denominations), non-profit independent schools, and for-profit private
schools. Private schools charge varying rates depending on geographic location,
the school's expenses, and the availability of funding from sources, other than
tuition. For example, some churches partially subsidize private schools for
their members. Some people have argued that when their child attends a private
school, they should be able to take the funds that the public school no longer
needs and apply that money towards private school tuition in the form of
vouchers; this is the basis of the school choice movement.
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 highly selective. Private schools
also have the ability to permanently expel persistently unruly students, a
disciplinary option not always legally available to public school systems.
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. This investment in
faculty development helps maintain the high quality program that elite private
schools claim to offer.
The United States Department of Education released a statement recently
detailing the average cost per pupil in public and private schools, and found
that the average public school cost was approximately USD$7,200 per student
while the average private school cost per pupil was just USD$3,500. The
Department of Education also stated that less than 25% of private schools are
considered "elite," costing more than $10,000 a year. In contrast, private
schools in East Asia average around USD$1,400 per year.
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