Education in the US

▪ The government and education

The federal government provides some money for education through the Department of Education. But state and local governments have direct control and are responsible for the education of students between the ages of 5 and 18, or the years of school called kindergarten, first grade, second grade, etc. to twelfth grade. These years are together referred to as K-12. Individual states have their own Boards of Education, which decide the curriculum and what students must achieve before they can graduate from high school at the age of 18. Most of the money for education comes from taxes. Local governments appoint school boards, which have control over how individual schools are run.

Most school districts have a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) which gives all parents a chance to take part in making decisions about how the school is run. Parents regularly visit schools to meet their children's teachers and discuss their progress.

▪ The school system

Although many Americans attend nursery school, day care or pre-school from an early age, formal education usually begins at the age of 5 when children go to kindergarten. Kindergarten and the next five or six years of education, first grade, second grade, etc., are together usually called elementary school. Grades 7 to 12 are part of secondary school. High school usually covers four years, from the 9th to the 12th grades. Post-secondary education, after 12th grade, isn’t free though state governments subsidize the cost for people who live in the state.

▪ Public or private education

Most educational institutions in the US are public (= run by the government) but there are some private schools which students pay a lot of money to attend.

Vocabulary:

Translate:

1. A school board hires a superintendent, the person in charge of all the schools in a school district, principals for each school, and teachers.

2. Many parents volunteer (= work without pay) in their children's schools to teach the children a skill, take them on trips or work in the school library.

3. School boards are usually made up of people who live in the area, often parents of children in the schools.

4. Although young people must attend school until they are 16, over 80% continue until they are 18.

5. Many private schools have a high reputa­tion and parents send their children there so that they will have advantages later in life.

Questions:

1. What stages of education are there in the US? Speak about each.

2. At what age do Americans usually start to get their education?

3. What is K-12?

4. What does a school board do?