Public Education

Public Education in the United States is a government run system offering instruction to children, adolescents and adults through schools and colleges. In contrast to education programs of other industrialized nations, which largely have nationally funded and regulated systems, the public education system in the States relies mainly on administration by individual states and school districts.http://www.theusaonline.com/general/education.htm

A notable aspect of public education in America is the great number of individuals is it serves. As of 1995, 87% of Americans aged 25 to 29 had completed highschool. Of those that completed high school, 62% attended some college, and 28% completed a bachelor´s degree or higher.http://www.theusaonline.com/general/education.htm

Public education can be a controversial topic, and there are continuing debates over the quality of public education over private schools, as well as issues with various public education practices and strategies.http://socyberty.com/education/the-issues-of-public-education-in-us/

A classroom in nineteenth century America looked much different than today. Rudimentary one room school houses served children of all ages and abilities. In rural communities there was not much money to spend on education, and often classes were only in session when the children were not needed to help on their families´ farms. There was only one instructor, normally an unmarried woman. Using only slate, chalk, and a few books, she instructed on literacy, penmanship, arithemetic and manners. Recitation, drilling and oral quizzes were common educational strategies.http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/evolving_classroom/index.html

Public education in contemporary America has greatly expanded from the one room school house. Students attend large schools and are separated by grades. A variety of media are available in the classroom, from all kinds of books to telecommunications capabilities. Instructors are now required to conform to very specific degree requirements before becoming educators. Calsses in session on a regular basis and in some places children attend school year round. Schools also a variety of extra-curricular activities for students as well as events for the community.http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/evolving_classroom/index.html

There are various debates in public education today that reflect the issues affecting the public education system. Some advocate school choice, meaning parents should be able to choose the appropriate public school in their area that their child should attend. This sometimes includes partial vouchers for private schools issued by the government to those dissatisfied with the local public education available. Opponents argue that this method will leave ``underchosen´´ schools poorly funded, and that poor families will not be able to afford public education because vouchers only cover a fraction of the tuition.http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/roots_in_history/choice.html Other issues of debate include standardized testinghttp://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/roots_in_history/testing.html and bilingual education.http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/roots_in_history/bilingual.html