Analytical Essay

    A foreign born student, Diann Manjulika, studying in America says, “The American education system offers […] students the widest choice of study options.  Just think of all the products, services, and processes invented in the USA!  This innovation is the result of the American education system which allows a student to study so many different fields.  I am so glad I chose to study in the USA and obtain [an] American education.”  America is the land of opportunity, providing the people living here with endless possibilities, helping them to achieve the life they long for.  A young student in the United States of America, as shown in Figure 1, has the option of attending a public school, a private school, a charter school, among many other choices that will not be discussed in this paper, such as online school, home school, and even boarding school.  After the student has graduated high school, the student has the option of attending technical school, community college, a university, or even immediately beginning work instead of pursuing a higher education.  America’s school system is very complex, offering many different types of schooling, each focusing on different areas of importance, allowing teachers to educate their students in so many different ways, and allowing students to work at a certain pace, hopefully providing them with the best education possible. 

    There are constants in America’s education system despite the diversity in educational methods.  For example, school is required for individuals between the ages of six and sixteen.  Required schooling begins at the age of five or six when one attends Kindergarten, learning very basic things about reading, writing, mathematics, and life skills.  The student then progresses through grades one through twelve, building on the knowledge first introduced in Kindergarten.  By the end of the tenth grade, otherwise known as sophomore year, most students have reached the age of sixteen, no longer being required to attend school.  However, despite the fact that young adults over the age of sixteen are able to drop out legally, only nine percent of students actually took advantage of that opportunity in 2005.  Dropping out of high school is strongly discouraged, especially with today’s economy and the role education plays in achieving success.  Graduation comes after the end of the student’s senior year, or the 12th grade.  At graduation the student has usually reached the age of 18 and then has the option of receiving a higher education or entering the workforce immediately out of high school.  There are many different types of schooling offered in America that influence and prepare the student for the decision they must make after graduation.         

    Public schooling is the most commonly used form of education in America, educating 90 percent of the country’s children.  Public school is funded by the government, making it much more available to those who can not, or are not willing, to pay to send their child to school.  But there is a down side.  Publicschoolreview.com states, “For as many wonderful public schools that exist, there are also those that perform under the bar.”  Students are usually forced to attend the public school that their house is zoned in, causing concern among many parents who are unhappy with the school’s academic reputation, or even the type of people that may attend that particular school.  Class size tends to be larger in public schools because any student, living within the school’s zone, is allowed to attend.  Public school teachers only need to be state certified to teach and can not be terminated unexpectedly without a valid reason.  Public schools offer a very general curriculum with the effectiveness of the curriculum being determined by required standardized testing. 

    Another type of school within the public school system is the charter school, whose popularity is continuously growing.  Charter schools, according to uscharterschools.org, are “nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools.”  A school’s charter, or contract, states what the school’s goals, requirements, purpose, and curriculum are.  The charter is renewed every 3 to 5 years by the school’s sponsor, usually being a local school board.  It is the school’s responsibility to prove to their sponsor that they are successfully educating their students, providing them with the best education possible.  The school’s success is measured by the student’s attendance, test scores, grades, and graduation rate.  Charter schools tend to have smaller class sizes, acting as a viable opportunity for those families who can not send their children to private schools but still want a small, personal, educational environment for their students.  Many charter schools hold higher requirements than a typical public school, and hold the right to ask any student or teacher to leave without a valid reason.  Charter schools act as a compromise between public and private schools, borrowing many qualities from both.

    Private schools differ greatly from public schools, educating only 10 percent of America’s students.  Private schools tend to offer a much more rigorous curriculum, being able to offer special programs and classes to their students because of the tuition required to attend such a school.  The requirements that the student must meet in order to graduate are usually much higher than those of a public school, both academically and socially.  Many private schools require more credits, a better GPA, and a higher number of community service hours, to graduate from their school, than most public schools do.  The class size in a private school tends to be small due to the fact that many people are unable or not willing to pay the high costs of tuition.  Teacher’s who teach at private schools have no need for state certification, but must meet the requirements of the school that they are applying to.  Many of the teachers have majored in the subject that they have chosen to teach, specializing in the area, making them experts on the subject.

    Despite the many different educational options offered to the students of America, they all have one thing in common.  They all do the best they can do to educate the children of America, preparing them for life after high school, whether it is in pursuit of a higher education or in the workforce.  America’s school system is very complex, with many different parts that complete the structure, molding America’s students to be successful and knowledgeable. 

         

         

         

References



USA Study Guide.  (2007). American Education System: Understanding the American Education System.  Retrieved October 7, 2008, from http://www.usastudyguide.com/usaeducationsystem.htm

Child Trends Databank.  (2003).  High School Dropout Rates.  Retrieved October 7, 2008, from http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/indicators/1HighSchoolDropout.cfm

Public School Review.  (2003-2008).  Public School vs. Private School.  Retrieved October 8, 2008, from http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/5

US Charter Schools.  (2008).  Home page.  Retrieved October 8, 2008, from http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home