educational system essay

Giving Children Homework

by Miku (tokyo)

Some people believe that school children should not be given homework by their teachers, whereas others argue that homework plays an important role in the education of children. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. Homework has been given in large number of schools so far. However, there are agreement and disagreement in some people. This essay will indicate the both views how homework affects positively to educated students. I believe that doing homework leads their better education and it is highly likely to achieve their lives. Firstly, no homework can save students’ time and it is possible to develop their skills in the other interests. Younger generation have tons of opportunities and flexible mind and also some people do not actually use school subjects in their entire life. For example, many famous entertainers such as singer or dancer are absorbed their artistry in their childhood. So instead of doing homework, skilled person should experience and spend their time what they exactly want to do. On the other hand, to do homework still plays a significant role in teenager’s life. It is because there are only few people can be skilled person and the other ones would fail or suffer in a difficult situation before achievement. Furthermore, the mind of youngsters is changing easily. Moreover, making effort and handling a lot of tasks in schooling will even build a strong personality. Therefore, homework should be given to all students. In conclusion, it depends on the situation and people how they would like to advance their life. However, to manage school homework could be the momentous effect in any work environments. Thus, I will believe that being given homework is much important than without homework in school. [email protected] Thanks

Online Learning Essay

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, most schools have had to switch to teaching online. Some people think that online teaching is as effective as in-person instruction, while others think online teaching is inferior. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. It is considered by some that having online classes are as good as face-to-face classes, while there are others who think having face-to-face classes are better than having online classes. In my opinion, I believe that face-to-face classes are better for practical courses, while online classes are similar to face-to-face classes for theoretical courses. On the one hand, many think online classes are comparable to face-to-face classes. In other words, they think online classes could provide students the same standard of teaching and feedback. Nothing changes except for the medium to deliver the classes. Students would still need to finish assignments, do presentations and sit for examinations. On the other hand, some think online classes are lower in quality. Teaching staffs might not use to deliver lectures or classes through online platforms and ignore some questions from students. Consequently, some students need to spend extra time to email lecturers or teachers to answer their enquiries. Finally, in my opinion, whether face-to-face classes are better or equally efficient as online classes, depends on the major of the students. For example, face-to-face classes are better for students who are studying arts, physical education and chemistry, which required certain practical skills to succeed in their relevant fields. In contrast, online classes are as high quality as face-to-face classes for students who study law, accounting, cultural studies, which required more theoretical knowledge than getting their hands dirty. In conclusion, both teaching methods, either online or in person, could help students to achieve in their studies. It just depends on what students are studying to determine which method delivers better learning quality and experience.

IELTS Essay - Choice of School Subjects

by Ali Almasi (Esfahan, Iran)

Schools should only offer subjects that are beneficial to students’ future career success. Other subjects, such as music and sports, are not important. To what extent do you agree or disagree? It is generally thought that students should only study subjects which are beneficial to their successful future career and other topics like music and sports are not of importance. Personally, I am of the opinion that schools should provide, pupils with a marvelous opportunity to learn different subjects. There are many positive points if schools incorporate are lessons into their curriculum. One of the most important advantages with respect to this view is that it can significantly contribute to the enhancement of children’s creativity. Scientifically speaking, it has been proven that music and sports lessons may afford students the opportunity to develop their efficiency, performance and innovation. As a result, it can be particularly beneficial for them if they have an acquaintance with this type of subjects. Another merit can be ascribed to the fact that music can provide students with assistance to recall satisfactory memories and sports lessons may mitigate the risk of suffering from the infirmities and frailties of old age. Therefore, the more children study art topics during their studies the more they become successful in their occupation in the future. Another benefit in support of this view stems from the familiarity with expressing emotions. In other words, music and sports can boost children’s ability to explain their emotions and display their affection towards each other. Hence, they are competent in leading a tranquil lifestyle fraught with composure. By contrast, there is no doubt that subjects, such as math, chemistry and physics have played a significant role in the future career of children. This is because these subjects are rooted in reality and have a direct impact on all facets of children’s existence. It is true, though, that the brain of students is growing and needs to become acquainted with other courses. There are a large number of illustrations which indicate that children should be at liberty to opt their favorite discipline themselves to become successful, such as Elon Mask and Taylor Swift In conclusion, although educational systems consider subjects in the curriculum that would be useful for future job success of students, other topics like music and sports are of immense significance for them.

IELTS Essay - Compulsory Sport at School

by zaid khan

It is generally accepted that exercise is good for children and teenagers. Therefore physical education and sport should be compulsory for all students in all schools. What is your opinion? Although physical training is beneficial for children and teenagers alike, making it compulsory for all students in all schools is not a good idea. Rather it is the duty of each and every child's parents to ensure that their children get the required fitness education. In today's world, there are many types of schools including those for specially abled children where some pupils may not be able participate in sports due to some disability. Also there are a plenty of games that all played today and it is not feasible for any school to train their pupil for every one of them. For the sake of argument, if we make physical education as a mandatory subject in the curriculum then people will next argue which sport to make as obligatory in schools and that will be a never ending debate. Also, each sport has their specific requirements such as hiring qualified trainers, high-end equipment, open spaces, and quality time which would add to the expenses of institutions and shift the focus from their fundamental duty of imparting scholastic knowledge. Rather, It is the duty of each parents and not the schools to facilitate recreational activities for their children. Every parent should try to encourage their child to be sportive and should try to find which sport interest their child the most. They can then, enroll their offspring to master in his or her favorite play at sport-complexes which are designed for making champions which can never happen in a school. Also some games such as boxing involve a high risk of injury and should only be trained at premises where immediate medical help can be given which again cannot be expected in a school compound. In conclusion, although sports education is good for a child but it should not be made compulsory in a school. Instead parents should take the responsibility of their child's physical fitness and let schools pay attention on children's curricular activities. 329 words 1,939 characters

IELTS Essay - Investing in Computers or Teachers

by Shatha Salman (Jordan)

Computers or Teachers?

Some believe that money for education should mainly be spent on better computers while others believe it would be better spent on teachers. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. There is no doubt education play a crucial role in people’s lives. However, while some think investments in teaching should be towards enhanced technology and up to date computing machines, I would agree with those who argue that it will be a well spent fund if spent on tutors. Opponents point out that increased technology capabilities are important in students’ life cycle. This is because nowadays market requirements are all evolved on acquiring better computer skills. For instance, a student who has dealt earlier years in his education with advanced soft wares will somehow surpass the other. If, in contrast no funds were allocated for such valuable tool, a huge gap will arise later in students’ career. Meanwhile attracting talented tutors with a rich experience and knowledgeable resume will somehow comes in favor of students. In other words these teachers will inherit their lessons and expand learnings if they were paid the salary they deserve and by that they will be motivated to achieve their objectives and deliver the value to students. For example, some teachers connect spiritually with their students and encourage them to unleash the potential inside of them by the skills they already have throughout life. In order to have high maintained educational system, good talents with high level of experience to expand should be first on demand. In conclusion, although developed computers could contribute positively in education process and readiness, in my opinion investing in teachers are more vulnerable.

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Essay on Education System

• Updated on  
• Jun 20, 2024

The future of a country is shaped by its classrooms. Implementing a sound education system based on a holistic approach to learning is quintessential for ensuring that every student gets the best learning environment to flourish. As education is the most important and basic right, everyone should have, it is our moral duty to facilitate the perfect learning environment for our students.

With the educational journey playing the foundation role in one’s career, there are contrary views concerning the type of education system and approaches we need to take. Hence, it has become a frequently asked topic under the essay writing section in school tests as well as competitive exams. To help you with this topic, we have curated a complete guide on how to write an essay on education system, with useful tips and tricks as well as reference samples. 

This Blog Includes:

How to write an essay on education system, essay on education system in india in 100 words, essay on education system in india in 200 words, sample essay on education system in 300 words, essay on new education system, essay on education system in india during covid-19, essay on education system in india: good or bad, how can we improve the indian education system, list of best education systems in the world.

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Generally, the essay topics on education system revolve around analysing a specific education system, its strengths and weaknesses as well as suggesting the solutions for its improvement. You might also be asked about writing an essay on the Education system of India in which you must mention the characteristics of the history of our educational apparatus from the Gurukul Education System to the Current education system in India . You can also take notes from our exclusive blog on the New Education Policy formulated by India with a unique approach to academics. Further, your essay on education system must also imperatively elucidate the key aspects of the system and its salient features as well as an unbiased analysis of its strong characteristics as well as a critical overview of its weak areas where improvement is needed.

• Format – Before drafting an essay on education system, you must know about the format of essay writing. Take a look at the following pointers which elaborate upon the general format of writing structured and impressive essays
• Introduction -The education system essay introduction should provide an overview of the given topic in the introduction, i.e. highlight the recent instances or questions related to the concerned education system. When it comes to the writing style, the introduction as the first paragraph will set the tone of the whole essay thus make sure that it covers a general outline of your topic
• Body of Content – After the introduction, you can start elaborating on the topic of the education system, its role in the development of a country, its key objectives, salient features (if a specific education system is given as a topic) as well as highlight its strong and weak areas. Then, you can further assess how the education system has evolved from earlier times. For example, talk about the history of the education system, and the prominent measures that contributed to its growth, amongst others. Analyse the major points thoroughly according to the essay question and then move towards the next section
• Conclusion – The conclusion is the final section as you wrap up your essay underlining the major points you have mentioned. Avoid ending it abruptly, either go for an optimistic touch to it or just summarize what has been mentioned above

The education system in India comprises four levels: pre-primary, primary, secondary and senior secondary system; all these levels are well-structured and developed to systemically introduce students to the subject matter, develop their language and cognitive skills and prepare them for higher education. The Indian education system gives equal value to knowledge-based learning as well as co-curricular. Countries are now rigorously working on providing free access to education. Nowadays, being in school isn’t the same thing as before. Every individual is skilled in different fields and interests with a due focus on the set curriculum. We need a society that is more elevated towards balanced personal and professional growth . 

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For a nation to have harmony, the education system must focus on a holistic learning approach, i.e. provide equal educational opportunities to everyone, emphasize a wholesome curriculum as well and incorporate educational technologies to make learning a fun and interactive process. When it comes to the education system in India it is not only focused on rote learning and also pushes students towards sports , building interpersonal skills , etc. When schools were shut due to a global pandemic, Indian schools adopted online learning as the new method. There are a few drawbacks as well that the grading system starts from elementary classes and students are under the constant burden to score and pass the exams. Instead of learning something, new students become competitive to score better than the other students. The constant competition and comparison affect the mental health of all students. 

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The need for a well-balanced education system has become a necessity for every country as it plays a significant catalyst in its growth and development. As we know irrespective of one’s background, or family income the right to education is a necessity for everyone. Thus, the government of a nation shall work to make the system more accountable to every citizen. It should aim to enhance the features and policies as per the needs of the country so that it can contribute to the overall development as well as the growth of the economy.  Every child should get an opportunity to attend school and get educated as it is rightly said that “educated people make an educated nation”. The teachings of a sound education system help us to improve our lives in every way. For individuals, education raises self-confidence and opens opportunities for earning. On a country-wide level, it reduces the level of poverty and develops long-term economic growth.

The lack of diversity and engaging recreational activities is one of the biggest problems leading to the global crisis of illiteracy. For the developing nations, it is necessary to have ample knowledge regarding who is learning and what they are learning, so that they can mould their system in a more efficient way and hence, the future. The need for making the system reliable for children is very specific. It should aim to promote comprehensive growth which will ultimately help them in almost every aspect of life. The school and the teachers together shall prepare the children for future times. The children must know the practical aspects of what they are learning in the class. It can be easily said that students nowadays lack the ability to perform efficiently when given fundamental tasks. Thus, an education system must aim to penetrate creativity, decisiveness, communication, collaboration leadership and the spirit of teamwork.

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Rooted in the ancient learnings of Vedas and Puranas, the Indian education system has come a long way from the old-school Gurukuls to the new-age hi-tech academic institutions. The students in schools and colleges are not just tested based on their learning abilities but also on their acquired knowledge and skills as well as their performance in extracurricular activities . This system is implemented in order to emphasize the importance of the overall growth of the child to broaden their horizons. The academic institutions in India, be it primary, secondary, or higher education, are embracing advanced technologies in facilitating learning and bringing a revolutionary change to the same-old classroom teaching. Many schools have brought tablets into their traditional classrooms to make learning an engaging and interesting process by teaching kids through digital applications .  

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Covid-19 has affected the world of education leading to a major shift from traditional four-walled classrooms to online classes. Online classes for online courses definitely lack the ‘personal’ touch and one-to-one interactions between teachers and students. On the contrary, traditional classrooms are less flexible and accessible to many students, especially in underprivileged communities. Attention and interaction are objective to every individual and can’t be attributed to any platform or mode of learning . Teachers and students have enhanced interaction and creative learning by using chatboxes, screen-share, whiteboards, etc. Which are useful for the presentation of images or PPTs. online classes becoming the new normal also gave the world the opportunity to make learning more flexible and accessible on a global level. It is also cost-effective since a good internet connection and a working computer is all you need to teach your class. 

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The Indian education system is one of the oldest, most diverse learning systems in the world. The Indian educational system is designed to ensure a well-developed and uniform curriculum across different states for different grades in the subcontinent. Education is given utmost importance in India with schemes like free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 to 14, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign and Mid-meals in government schools to encourage students to attend school. Under the system, sports and performing arts are given the utmost significance and all students are encouraged to take part and develop a skill or expertise that will help them in the future. The Indian education system also focuses on practical learning and group activities to provide exposure and teach students the importance of teamwork and communication . The Indian education system focuses on the overall development of each student by introducing them to the basics of all the subjects from the start till the secondary level.

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With the rise in a lot of problems in the Indian Education System, we need a proper solution that will be effective. There is a requirement for improvement that creates a brighter future for the candidate. We can initiate a focus on skill development at the school level. Students and parents must understand that not only the ranks and grades but also the analytical and creative skills are also important. The subject taught in school must have both theory and practical teaching methods. Time-to-time syllabus update is necessary with changes with time.

This is also a high time for the government and private colleges to increase the payroll of teachers. The teachers who are working hard for the future of the students deserve more than what they are offered. The schools must hire teachers qualified teachers. The Indian Education System must change all these things. The schools must give equal opportunities to the students. The system now needs to let go of the old and traditional ways to elevate the teaching standards so our students can create a better and more advanced world.

Also Read: Best Education System in the World

• UK Education System
• Japan Education System
• German Education System
• Singapore Education System
• USA Education System
• Chinese Education System
• South Korean Education System
• Australian Education System
• French Education System
• Buddhist Education System
• Gurukul Education System
• Finland Education System
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Relevant Blogs

A sound education system based on a holistic approach to learning is quintessential for ensuring that every student gets the best learning environment to flourish.

The best education systems in the world focus tightly on key concepts which are taught in detail at an early age and ensure that students master the basics from which to build.

The modern school system was brought to India by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay in the 1830s.

The Boston Latin School, established in 1635, was the first school.

Despite having improved over the years, the Indian education system still needs to be updated in various ways and the teaching techniques need to be revised.

Thus, we hope that this blog has helped you with the tips and tricks of essay writing on the topic education system. Unsure about finding the right course and university after completing 12th ? Our Leverage Edu counsellors are here to guide you throughout the process of finding the best program and university and sorting out the admission procedure to ensure that you send a winning application! Sign up for a free session with us today

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What the best education systems are doing right

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In South Korea and Finland, it’s not about finding the “right” school.

Fifty years ago, both South Korea and Finland had terrible education systems. Finland was at risk of becoming the economic stepchild of Europe. South Korea was ravaged by civil war. Yet over the past half century, both South Korea and Finland have turned their schools around — and now both countries are hailed internationally for their extremely high educational outcomes. What can other countries learn from these two successful, but diametrically opposed, educational models? Here’s an overview of what South Korea and Finland are doing right.

The Korean model: Grit and hard, hard, hard work.

For millennia, in some parts of Asia, the only way to climb the socioeconomic ladder and find secure work was to take an examination — in which the proctor was a proxy for the emperor , says Marc Tucker, president and CEO of the National Center on Education and the Economy. Those examinations required a thorough command of knowledge, and taking them was a grueling rite of passage. Today, many in the Confucian countries still respect the kind of educational achievement that is promoted by an exam culture.

The Koreans have achieved a remarkable feat: the country is 100 percent literate. But success comes with a price.

Among these countries, South Korea stands apart as the most extreme, and arguably, most successful. The Koreans have achieved a remarkable feat: the country is 100 percent literate, and at the forefront of international comparative tests of achievement, including tests of critical thinking and analysis. But this success comes with a price: Students are under enormous, unrelenting pressure to perform. Talent is not a consideration — because the culture believes in hard work and diligence above all, there is no excuse for failure. Children study year-round, both in-school and with tutors. If you study hard enough, you can be smart enough.

“Koreans basically believe that I have to get through this really tough period to have a great future,” says Andreas Schleicher , director of education and skills at PISA and special advisor on education policy at the OECD. “It’s a question of short-term unhappiness and long-term happiness.” It’s not just the parents pressuring their kids. Because this culture traditionally celebrates conformity and order, pressure from other students can also heighten performance expectations. This community attitude expresses itself even in early-childhood education, says Joe Tobin, professor of early childhood education at the University of Georgia who specializes in comparative international research. In Korea, as in other Asian countries, class sizes are very large — which would be extremely undesirable for, say, an American parent. But in Korea, the goal is for the teacher to lead the class as a community, and for peer relationships to develop. In American preschools, the focus for teachers is on developing individual relationships with students, and intervening regularly in peer relationships.

“I think it is clear there are better and worse way to educate our children,” says Amanda Ripley, author of The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way . “At the same time, if I had to choose between an average US education and an average Korean education for my own kid, I would choose, very reluctantly, the Korean model. The reality is, in the modern world the kid is going to have to know how to learn, how to work hard and how to persist after failure. The Korean model teaches that.”

The Finnish model: Extracurricular choice, intrinsic motivation.

In Finland, on the other hand, students are learning the benefits of both rigor and flexibility. The Finnish model, say educators, is utopia.

Finland has a short school day rich with school-sponsored extracurriculars, because Finns believe important learning happens outside the classroom.

In Finland, school is the center of the community, notes Schleicher. School provides not just educational services, but social services. Education is about creating identity.

Finnish culture values intrinsic motivation and the pursuit of personal interest. It has a relatively short school day rich with school-sponsored extracurriculars, because culturally, Finns believe important learning happens outside of the classroom. (An exception? Sports, which are not sponsored by schools, but by towns.) A third of the classes that students take in high school are electives, and they can even choose which matriculation exams they are going to take. It’s a low-stress culture, and it values a wide variety of learning experiences.

But that does not except it from academic rigor, motivated by the country’s history trapped between European superpowers, says Pasi Sahlberg, Finnish educator and author of Finnish Lessons: What the World Can Learn From Educational Change in Finland .

Teachers in Finland teach 600 hours a year, spending the rest of time in professional development. In the U.S., teachers are in the classroom 1,100 hours a year, with little time for feedback.

“A key to that is education. Finns do not really exist outside of Finland,” says Sahlberg. “This drives people to take education more seriously. For example, nobody speaks this funny language that we do. Finland is bilingual, and every student learns both Finnish and Swedish. And every Finn who wants to be successful has to master at least one other language, often English, but she also typically learns German, French, Russian and many others. Even the smallest children understand that nobody else speaks Finnish, and if they want to do anything else in life, they need to learn languages.”

Finns share one thing with South Koreans: a deep respect for teachers and their academic accomplishments. In Finland, only one in ten applicants to teaching programs is admitted. After a mass closure of 80 percent of teacher colleges in the 1970s, only the best university training programs remained, elevating the status of educators in the country. Teachers in Finland teach 600 hours a year, spending the rest of time in professional development, meeting with colleagues, students and families. In the U.S., teachers are in the classroom 1,100 hours a year, with little time for collaboration, feedback or professional development.

How Americans can change education culture

As TED speaker Sir Ken Robinson noted in his 2013 talk ( How to escape education’s death valley ), when it comes to current American education woes “the dropout crisis is just the tip of an iceberg. What it doesn’t count are all the kids who are in school but being disengaged from it, who don’t enjoy it, who don’t get any real benefit from it.” But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Notes Amanda Ripley, “culture is a thing that changes. It’s more malleable than we think. Culture is like this ether that has all kinds of things swirling around in it, some of which are activated and some of which are latent. Given an economic imperative or change in leadership or accident of history, those things get activated.” The good news is, “We Americans have a lot of things in our culture which would support a very strong education system, such as a longstanding rhetoric about the equality of opportunity and a strong and legitimate meritocracy,” says Ripley.

One reason we haven’t made much progress academically over the past 50 years is because it hasn’t been economically crucial for American kids to master sophisticated problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in order to survive. But that’s not true anymore. “There’s a lag for cultures to catch up with economic realities, and right now we’re living in that lag,” says Ripley. “So our kids aren’t growing up with the kind of skills or grit to make it in the global economy.”

“We are prisoners of the pictures and experiences of education that we had,” says Tony Wagner , expert-in-residence at Harvard’s educational innovation center and author of The Global Achievement Gap . “We want schools for our kids that mirror our own experience, or what we thought we wanted. That severely limits our ability to think creatively of a different kind of education. But there’s no way that tweaking that assembly line will meet the 21st-century world. We need a major overhaul.”

Indeed. Today, the American culture of choice puts the onus on parents to find the “right” schools for our kids, rather than trusting that all schools are capable of preparing our children for adulthood. Our obsession with talent puts the onus on students to be “smart,” rather than on adults’ ability to teach them. And our antiquated system for funding schools makes property values the arbiter of spending per student, not actual values.

But what will American education culture look like tomorrow? In the most successful education cultures in the world, it is the system that is responsible for the success of the student, says Schleicher — not solely the parent, not solely the student, not solely the teacher. The culture creates the system. The hope is that Americans can find the grit and will to change their own culture — one parent, student and teacher at a time.

Featured image via iStock.

About the author

Amy S. Choi is a freelance journalist, writer and editor based in Brooklyn, N.Y. She is the co-founder and editorial director of The Mash-Up Americans, a media and consulting company that examines multidimensional modern life in the U.S.

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The Education System of the United States of America: Overview and Foundations

• Reference work entry
• First Online: 01 January 2022
• pp 1015–1042
• Cite this reference work entry

• Paul R. Fossum 3  

Part of the book series: Global Education Systems ((GES))

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Prevailing discourse in the USA about the country’s teachers, educational institutions, and instructional approaches is a conversation that is national in character. Yet the structures and the administrative and governance apparatuses themselves are strikingly local in character across the USA. Public understanding and debate about education can be distorted in light of divergence between the country’s educational aspirations and the vehicles in place for pursuing those aims. In addressing its purpose as a survey of US education, the following chapter interrogates this apparent contradiction, first discussing historical and social factors that help account for a social construction of the USA as singular and national system. Discussion then moves to a descriptive analysis of education in the USA as institutionalized at the numerous levels – aspects that often reflect local prerogative and difference more so than a uniform national character. The chapter concludes with summary points regarding US federalism as embodied in the country’s oversight and conduct of formal education.

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Fossum, P.R. (2021). The Education System of the United States of America: Overview and Foundations. In: Jornitz, S., Parreira do Amaral, M. (eds) The Education Systems of the Americas. Global Education Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41651-5_14

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What Changes to the U.S. Education System Are Needed to Support Long-Term Success for All Americans?

With the pandemic deepening inequities that threaten students’ prospects, the vice president of the Corporation’s National Program provides a vision for transforming our education system from one characterized by uneven and unjust results to one that puts all students on a path to bright futures 

At no point in our nation’s history have we asked so much of our education system as we do today. We ask that our primary and secondary schools prepare all students, regardless of background, for a lifetime of learning. We ask that teachers guide every child toward deeper understanding while simultaneously attending to their social-emotional development. And we ask that our institutions of higher learning serve students with a far broader range of life circumstances than ever before.

We ask these things of education because the future we aspire to requires it. The nature of work and civic participation is evolving at an unprecedented rate. Advances in automation, artificial intelligence, and social media are driving rapid changes in how we interact with each other and what skills hold value. In the world our children will inherit, their ability to adapt, think critically, and work effectively with others will be essential for both their own success and the well-being of society.

At Carnegie Corporation of New York, we focus on supporting people who are in a position to meet this challenge. That includes the full spectrum of educators, administrators, family members, and others who shape young people’s learning experiences as they progress toward and into adulthood. Our mission is to empower all students with the tools, systems, knowledge, and mindsets to prepare them to fully participate in the global economy and in a robust democracy.

All of our work is geared toward transforming student learning. The knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for success today call for a vastly different set of learning experiences than may have sufficed in the past. Students must play a more active role in their own learning, and that learning must encompass more than subject-matter knowledge. Preparing all children for success requires greater attention to inclusiveness in the classroom, differentiation in teaching and learning, and universal high expectations.

This transformation needs to happen in higher education as well. A high school education is no longer enough to ensure financial security. We need more high-quality postsecondary options, better guidance for students as they transition beyond high school, and sufficient supports to enable all students to complete their postsecondary programs. Preparing students for lifelong success requires stronger connections between K–12, higher education, and work.

The need for such transformation has become all the more urgent in the face of COVID-19. As with past economic crises, the downturn resulting from the pandemic is likely to accelerate the erosion of opportunities for low-skilled workers with only a high school education. Investments in innovative learning models and student supports are critical to preventing further inequities in learning outcomes. 

An Urgent Call for Advancing Equity 

The 2020–21 school year may prove to be the most consequential in American history. With unfathomable speed, COVID-19 has forced more change in how schools operate than in the previous half century.

What is most concerning in all of this is the impact on the most underserved and historically marginalized in our society: low-income children and students of color. Even before the current crisis, the future prospects of a young person today looked very different depending on the color of her skin and the zip code in which she grew up, but the pandemic exposed and exacerbated long-standing racial and economic inequities. And the same families who are faring worst in terms of disrupted schooling are bearing the brunt of the economic downturn and disproportionately getting sick, being hospitalized, and dying.

Our mission is to empower all students with the tools, systems, knowledge, and mindsets to prepare them to fully participate in the global economy and in a robust democracy.

Every organization that is committed to educational improvement needs to ask itself what it can do differently to further advance the cause of educational equity during this continuing crisis so that we can make lasting improvements. As we know from past experience, if the goal of equity is not kept front and center, those who are already behind through no fault of their own will benefit the least. If ever there were a time to heed this caution, it is now.

We hope that our nation will approach education with a new sense of purpose and a shared commitment to ensuring that our schools truly work for every child. Whether or not that happens will depend on our resolve and our actions in the coming months. We have the proof points and know-how to transform learning, bolster instruction, and meet the needs of our most disadvantaged students. What has changed is the urgency for doing so at scale.

Our starting place must be a vision of equal opportunity, and from there we must create the conditions that can actually ensure it — irrespective of how different they may look from the ones we now have. We need to reimagine the systems that shape student learning and put the communities whose circumstances we most need to elevate at the center of that process. We need to recognize that we will not improve student outcomes without building the capacity of the adults who work with them, supporting them with high-quality resources and meaningful opportunities for collaboration and professional growth. We need to promote stronger connections between K–12, higher education, and employment so that all students are prepared for lifelong success.

The pandemic has deepened inequities that threaten students’ prospects. But if we seize this moment and learn from it, if we marshal the necessary resources, we have the potential to transform our education system from one characterized by uneven and unjust results to one that puts all students on a path to bright futures.

In a pandemic-induced moment when the American education system has been blown into 25 million homes across the country, where do we go from here?

We Must Learn to Act in New Ways

These are not controversial ideas. In fact, they constitute the general consensus about where American education needs to go. But they also represent a tall order for the people who influence the system. Practically everyone who plays a part in education must learn to act in new ways.

That we have made progress in such areas as high school completion, college-going rates, and the adoption of college- and career-ready standards is a testament to the commitment of those working in the field. But it will take more than commitment to achieve the changes in student learning that our times demand. We can’t expect individuals to figure out what they need to do on their own, nor should we be surprised if they struggle to do so when working in institutional structures designed to produce different outcomes. The transformation we seek calls for much greater coordination and a broader set of allies than would suffice for more incremental changes.

Our starting place must be a vision of equal opportunity, and from there we must create the conditions that can actually ensure it — irrespective of how different they may look from the ones we now have.

Our best hope for achieving equity and the transformation of student learning is to enhance adults’ ability to contribute to that learning. That means building their capacity while supporting their authentic engagement in promoting a high-quality education for every child. It also means ensuring that people operate within systems that are optimized to support their effectiveness and that a growing body of knowledge informs their efforts.

These notions comprise our overarching strategy for promoting the systems change needed to transform student learning experiences on a large scale. We seek to enhance adult capacity and stakeholder engagement in the service of ensuring that all students are prepared to meet the demands of the 21st century. We also support knowledge development and organizational improvement to the extent that investments in these areas enhance adult capacity, stakeholder engagement, and student experiences.

Five Ways We Invest in the Future of Students

These views on how best to promote systems change in education guide our philanthropic work. The strategic areas of change we focus on are major themes throughout our five investment portfolios. Although they are managed separately and support different types of initiatives, each seeks to address its area of focus from multiple angles. A single portfolio may include grants that build adult capacity, enhance stakeholder engagement, and generate new knowledge.

New Designs to Advance Learning

Preparing all students for success requires that we fundamentally reimagine our nation’s schools and classrooms. Our public education system needs to catch up with how the world is evolving and with what we’ve come to understand about how people learn. That means attending to a broader diversity of learning styles and bringing what happens in school into greater alignment with what happens in the worlds of work and civic life. We make investments to increase the number of innovative learning models that support personalized experiences, academic mastery, and positive youth development. We also make investments that build the capacity of districts and intermediaries to improve learning experiences for all students as well as grants to investigate relevant issues of policy and practice.

Pathways to Postsecondary Success

Lifelong success in the United States has never been more dependent on educational attainment than it is today. Completing some education beyond the 12th grade has virtually become a necessity for financial security and meaningful work. But for that possibility to exist for everyone, we need to address the historical barriers that keep many students from pursuing and completing a postsecondary program, and we must strengthen the options available to all students for education after high school. Through our investments, we seek to increase the number of young people able to access and complete a postsecondary program, with a major focus on removing historical barriers for students who are first-generation college-goers, low-income, or from underrepresented groups. We also look to expand the range of high-quality postsecondary options and to strengthen alignment between K–12, higher education, and the world of work.

Leadership and Teaching to Advance Learning

At its core, learning is about the interplay between teachers, students, and content. How teachers and students engage with each other and with their curriculum plays a predominant role in determining what students learn and how well they learn it. That’s not to say that factors outside of school don’t also greatly impact student learning. But the research is clear that among the factors a school might control, nothing outweighs the teaching that students experience. We focus on supporting educators in implementing rigorous college- and career-ready standards in math, science, and English language arts. We make investments to increase the supply of and demand for high-quality curricular materials and professional learning experiences for teachers and administrators.

Public Understanding

As central as they are to the education process, school professionals are hardly the only people with a critical role to play in student learning. Students spend far more time with family and other community members than they do at school. And numerous stakeholders outside of the education system have the potential to strengthen and shape what happens within it. The success of our nation’s schools depends on far more individuals than are employed by them. 

We invest in efforts to engage families and other stakeholders as active partners in supporting equitable access to high-quality student learning. We also support media organizations and policy research groups in building awareness about key issues related to educational equity and improvement.

Integration, Learning, and Innovation

Those of us who work for change in education need a new set of habits to achieve our vision of 21st-century learning. It will take more than a factory-model mindset to transform our education system into one that prepares all learners for an increasingly complex world. We must approach this task with flexibility, empathy for the people involved, and an understanding of how to learn from what’s working and what’s not. We work to reduce the fragmentation, inefficiencies, and missteps that often result when educational improvement strategies are pursued in isolation and without an understanding of the contexts in which they are implemented. Through grants and other activities, we build the capacity of people working in educational organizations to change how they work by emphasizing systems and design thinking, iteration, and knowledge sharing within and across organizations.

Two recent surveys by Carnegie Corporation of New York and Gallup offer insights into how our education system can better help all Americans navigate job and career choices

Join Us in This Ambitious Endeavor

Our approach of supporting multiple stakeholders by pulling multiple levers is informed by our deep understanding of the system we’re trying to move. American education is a massive, diverse, and highly decentralized enterprise. There is no mechanism by which we might affect more than superficial change in many thousands of communities. The type of change that is needed cannot come from compliance alone. It requires that everyone grapple with new ideas.

We know from our history of promoting large-scale improvements in American education that advancements won’t happen overnight or as the result of one kind of initiative. Our vision for 21st-century education will require more than quick wins and isolated successes. Innovation is essential, and a major thrust of our work involves the incubation and dissemination of new models, resources, and exemplars. But we must also learn to move forward with the empathy, flexibility, and systems thinking needed to support people in making the transition. Novel solutions only help if they can be successfully implemented in different contexts.

Only a sustained and concerted effort will shift the center of gravity of a social enterprise that involves millions of adults and many tens of millions of young people. The challenge of philanthropy is to effect widespread social change with limited resources and without formal authority. This takes more than grantmaking. At the Corporation, we convene, communicate, and form coalitions. We provide thought leadership, issue challenges, and launch new initiatives. Through these multifaceted activities, we maximize our ability to forge, share, and put into practice powerful new ideas that build a foundation for more substantial changes in the future.

We encourage everyone who plays a role in education to join us in this work. Our strategy represents more than our priorities as a grantmaker. It conveys our strong beliefs about how to get American education to where it needs to be. The more organizations and individuals we have supporting those who are working to provide students with what they need, the more likely we are to succeed in this ambitious endeavor. 

LaVerne Evans Srinivasan is the vice president of Carnegie Corporation of New York’s National Program and the program director for Education.

TOP: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, a lower-school substitute teacher works from her home in Arlington, Virginia, on April 1, 2020. Her role in the school changed significantly due to the pandemic. Whereas she previously worked part-time to support teachers when they needed to be absent from the classroom, amid COVID-19 she now helps teachers to build skills with new digital platforms so they can continue to teach in the best way for their students and their families. (Credit: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Judy Woodruff moderates a conversation with Spencer J. Cox, governor of Utah (R), and Wes Moore, governor of Maryland (D), about how to depolarize our country, the role that national service can play, and how to disagree better

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What Students Are Saying About How to Improve American Education

An international exam shows that American 15-year-olds are stagnant in reading and math. Teenagers told us what’s working and what’s not in the American education system.

By The Learning Network

Earlier this month, the Program for International Student Assessment announced that the performance of American teenagers in reading and math has been stagnant since 2000 . Other recent studies revealed that two-thirds of American children were not proficient readers , and that the achievement gap in reading between high and low performers is widening.

We asked students to weigh in on these findings and to tell us their suggestions for how they would improve the American education system.

Our prompt received nearly 300 comments. This was clearly a subject that many teenagers were passionate about. They offered a variety of suggestions on how they felt schools could be improved to better teach and prepare students for life after graduation.

While we usually highlight three of our most popular writing prompts in our Current Events Conversation , this week we are only rounding up comments for this one prompt so we can honor the many students who wrote in.

Please note: Student comments have been lightly edited for length, but otherwise appear as they were originally submitted.

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The Education Crisis: Being in School Is Not the Same as Learning

First grade students in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province are learning the alphabet through child-friendly flash cards. Their learning materials help educators teach through interactive and engaging activities and are provided free of charge through a student’s first learning backpack. © World Bank 

THE NAME OF THE DOG IS PUPPY. This seems like a simple sentence. But did you know that in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, three out of four third grade students do not understand it? The world is facing a learning crisis . Worldwide, hundreds of millions of children reach young adulthood without even the most basic skills like calculating the correct change from a transaction, reading a doctor’s instructions, or understanding a bus schedule—let alone building a fulfilling career or educating their children. Education is at the center of building human capital. The latest World Bank research shows that the productivity of 56 percent of the world’s children will be less than half of what it could be if they enjoyed complete education and full health. For individuals, education raises self-esteem and furthers opportunities for employment and earnings. And for a country, it helps strengthen institutions within societies, drives long-term economic growth, reduces poverty, and spurs innovation.

One of the most interesting, large scale educational technology efforts is being led by EkStep , a philanthropic effort in India. EkStep created an open digital infrastructure which provides access to learning opportunities for 200 million children, as well as professional development opportunities for 12 million teachers and 4.5 million school leaders. Both teachers and children are accessing content which ranges from teaching materials, explanatory videos, interactive content, stories, practice worksheets, and formative assessments. By monitoring which content is used most frequently—and most beneficially—informed decisions can be made around future content.

In the Dominican Republic, a World Bank supported pilot study shows how adaptive technologies can generate great interest among 21st century students and present a path to supporting the learning and teaching of future generations. Yudeisy, a sixth grader participating in the study, says that what she likes doing the most during the day is watching videos and tutorials on her computer and cell phone. Taking childhood curiosity as a starting point, the study aimed to channel it towards math learning in a way that interests Yudeisy and her classmates.

Yudeisy, along with her classmates in a public elementary school in Santo Domingo, is part of a four-month pilot to reinforce mathematics using software that adapts to the math level of each student. © World Bank

Adaptive technology was used to evaluate students’ initial learning level to then walk them through math exercises in a dynamic, personalized way, based on artificial intelligence and what the student is ready to learn. After three months, students with the lowest initial performance achieved substantial improvements. This shows the potential of technology to increase learning outcomes, especially among students lagging behind their peers. In a field that is developing at dizzying speeds, innovative solutions to educational challenges are springing up everywhere. Our challenge is to make technology a driver of equity and inclusion and not a source of greater inequality of opportunity. We are working with partners worldwide to support the effective and appropriate use of educational technologies to strengthen learning.

When schools and educations systems are managed well, learning happens

Successful education reforms require good policy design, strong political commitment, and effective implementation capacity . Of course, this is extremely challenging. Many countries struggle to make efficient use of resources and very often increased education spending does not translate into more learning and improved human capital. Overcoming such challenges involves working at all levels of the system.

At the central level, ministries of education need to attract the best experts to design and implement evidence-based and country-specific programs. District or regional offices need the capacity and the tools to monitor learning and support schools. At the school level, principals need to be trained and prepared to manage and lead schools, from planning the use of resources to supervising and nurturing their teachers. However difficult, change is possible. Supported by the World Bank, public schools across Punjab in Pakistan have been part of major reforms over the past few years to address these challenges. Through improved school-level accountability by monitoring and limiting teacher and student absenteeism, and the introduction of a merit-based teacher recruitment system, where only the most talented and motivated teachers were selected, they were able to increase enrollment and retention of students and significantly improve the quality of education. "The government schools have become very good now, even better than private ones," said Mr. Ahmed, a local villager.

The World Bank, along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the UK’s Department for International Development, is developing the Global Education Policy Dashboard . This new initiative will provide governments with a system for monitoring how their education systems are functioning, from learning data to policy plans, so they are better able to make timely and evidence-based decisions.

Education reform: The long game is worth it

In fact, it will take a generation to realize the full benefits of high-quality teachers, the effective use of technology, improved management of education systems, and engaged and prepared learners. However, global experience shows us that countries that have rapidly accelerated development and prosperity all share the common characteristic of taking education seriously and investing appropriately. As we mark the first-ever International Day of Education on January 24, we must do all we can to equip our youth with the skills to keep learning, adapt to changing realities, and thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy and a rapidly changing world of work.

The schools of the future are being built today. These are schools where all teachers have the right competencies and motivation, where technology empowers them to deliver quality learning, and where all students learn fundamental skills, including socio-emotional, and digital skills. These schools are safe and affordable to everyone and are places where children and young people learn with joy, rigor, and purpose. Governments, teachers, parents, and the international community must do their homework to realize the promise of education for all students, in every village, in every city, and in every country. 

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Education System in the United States

​introduction.

Ideally, education should continually prepare an individual for life so that they may live it to the fullest while aiming at an experience of the greater good for all and sundry. Nurturing of the human capacity for creativity requires a fertile environment for growth. Thus, education can be acquired from home, where the educative process is informal. It can also be appropriated from an institutionalized setting in the form of a public school or a privately owned school. In the United States, each of these environments is well represented as a source of education. The extent to which each of them has been instrumental in the drive for the greater good has, however, not yet been established.

Also, it would be an interesting engagement to try and determine how much each of the three entities have contributed towards this goal in the American context. This article shall explore education in the United States based on the aforementioned sources of enlightenment. According to the National Catholic Educational Association, no database extant in the American continent provides data regarding public schools. Furthermore, no database collects the same; also, no database compares findings concerning private and public schools (NCEA, 2010). This treatise shall attempt to make such comparisons. Findings of privately run schools and home-based learning centers shall be considered in mutual exclusivity, and comparisons made of the same regarding various parameters of interest. The author shall then endeavor to draw logical conclusions from the comparisons thus made.

​General Structure of the Education System in the United States

In the United States, education can be seen from two perspectives. There is a level at which education is considered not to be compulsory, and there is compulsory education. The non-compulsory level of education is below kindergarten. Different states have different ages at which children may enter compulsory education. This is usually six years of age. However, the range is usually between five and seven years (USAEducation, 2011). This level of education is also known as pre-higher education, and it lasts for ten years on average. For example, a child who joins compulsory education classes at the age of six years shall be expected to graduate at the age of sixteen, approximately ten years later. Within this level, one starts with pre-schooling, which commences from age three to six. The types of schools that provide pre-primary education include nursery schools, kindergarten, and daycare centers. A child in kindergarten spends two years in school (EuroEducation, 2011). In some cases, certificates are awarded as proof that a child indeed attended pre-primary classes. These certificates make the children eligible for admission into Elementary school.

Elementary school lasts four years, and the age of entry is usually six years, immediately after completion of Kindergarten. There are four grades at this level, but that also depends on the state and local practice. At ten years of age, one is likely to graduate with a certificate or a diploma that is awarded by the State or District. The student is then eligible to join Middle School. Sometimes, however, the issuance of awards may not be necessary (EuroEducation, 2011). For example, when a student is to maintain their residency within the same school, there will be no need for proof of graduation to the next level since the student is already known.

From ten to fourteen years of age, a student attends Middle School. This is from grade four to grade six but in some cases, it may go up to grade seven, or grade eight. On average the level takes three years to be completed. High school is from grade seven (or eight) to twelve and lasts six years; from thirteen to eighteen years of age. Some schools offer a level known as the Junior Secondary, which typically runs from thirteen to fifteen years of age and lasts an average of three years. The representative grades in this level are grade seven to eight, seven to nine, or eight to nine. It is a level followed immediately by the Upper secondary. The latter takes five years, is composed of grades nine or ten to twelve, and involves children who are between fifteen and eighteen years of age. Twelfth grade is the level for graduation from secondary school in all states. When one graduate, they are awarded a High School Diploma together with a transcript which details the marks that the student obtained and the curriculum in which he or she was involved (USAEducation, 2011).

Beyond secondary school education, there are two branches of education that one may opt for. They may get vocational education and training. This does not culminate in one being awarded a degree, but under certain circumstances, there may be transferable credits that lead to the award of a degree. On the other hand, a high school graduate can opt for the pursuance of a degree in any field that interests him or her (USAEducation, 2011). Higher education, also called post-secondary education can last an entire lifetime. It might also last for only three years after which the student decides to seek employment either in a field relevant to the acquired knowledge or an entirely different field. The transmutability of knowledge gained from higher education places the scholar at an advantage in that they are not confined to their area of expertise. The open-minded graduate will find gainful employment in whichever field they opt for. The essence of education is not to end up having a job, but to live life fully. Therefore, one who gets a job after they have acquired their degrees is fortunate

​Subjects Taught at Various School Levels

Much of what children are introduced to while they are in Kindergarten is repeated through the course of their elementary school life. Numbers, language, and social science are taught using computers, film, and books. These lists are, however, not exhaustive. Teachers have the responsibility of shaping the way children will think at this level and what the children learn shall be important determinants of whether or not the students shall be successful in the future. The teacher encourages them to play so that they may develop language and social skills. At Elementary School, one or two teachers are usually held responsible for a group of children whom they instruct in one of several special subjects. These subjects include science, music, and art (United States Bureau of Labour, 2002).

​The private education system in the United States

Behind every decision for one to embrace either the public school system or private school system, there is a motive. The rationale behind American people opting for private education is multi-faceted. However, there seems to be one underlying reason (opines the author) that traverses all others and that is, a collectively disgruntled group of people who have lost faith in the education that the public sector provides. What are some of the reasons for opting to go private? If the 2004 publication on private schooling is anything to go by, private schools are a reserve of the financially capable. The same publication gives the impression that the majority of rich people prefer having their children attend private schools that have no religious affiliations (Education Week, 2004). It would also so appear as if this group of people detests the idea of their progeny being indoctrinated with religious dogma; that not being relevant to their realization of the good life. Moreover, it depicts the definition of “the good life” as something subjective, arguable depending on personal perspectives of what comprises the good in life. If the observations on religious dogma were true, then a paltry 10% of the school-age population would still be an overestimation of the proportion of people who do not view success in life as a function of one’s religiousness or lack thereof.

According to the Council of American Private Education, one of the reasons the American populace opts for private educational institutions is the provision of quality education that they appropriate (CAPE, 2011). The implication of this is that, for the parents of school-going children who attend private school, the delivery of quality is better experienced away from public institutions. Other reasons cited for preferring private to public schools are supportive communities, safety and orderliness in private environments, and the impartation of morals and ethical values. When each of these factors is taken in isolation and regarded as a polarizing factor, it does not appear to hold much water, if any at all. About the quality of education, for example, it would be expected that public schools would offer better quality. This is because the federal government has the backing of the whole American population, albeit begrudgingly for some, in form of income tax returns. Therefore, the acquisition of quality personnel and educative amenities would/should not be an unbearable burden.

The National Centre for Education Statistics (NCES) defines a private school as one that does not obtain its financial support primarily from public funds. Besides, such schools use classrooms to deliver educative material from kindergarten up to grade 12. Other levels that compare to K-12 but as yet ungraded are also considered, for example, some Montessori schools assign institutions to “primary” or “intermediate” levels rather than giving specific grades. The said schools should also employ one teacher or more, for them to snugly fit within this criterion. The NCES does not consider a private school an institution or organization that does not use a classroom set-up to deliver instruction. It has been running the private school survey since 1997, with data derived from administrative personnel in the same institutions (NCES, 2011).

According to NCESs 2009-2010 survey, some private schools had religious orientations and these formed the majority of private schools (Broughman, Swaim and Hryczaniuk, 2011). The religious leanings notwithstanding, an interesting fancy that comes to mind is a look at the reasons behind these proclivities. It would also be of sensual appeal to study the various religious interests represented in the various school, to find out which is the most represented and why.

From the same survey mentioned above, it was evident that the majority of private schools around the United States had no religious affiliations at all. That is, not one religion had several schools that exceeded that of schools devoid of religious inclinations. These “unspiritual” (read non-sectarian) schools were closely followed in number by private schools that are predominantly Roman Catholic (Broughman, Swaim, and Hryczaniuk, 2011). According to the National Catholic Educational Association, when a single year is considered, examining test scores to determine student achievement, and to compare the quality of education between public and private schools avails very little relevant information (NCEA, 2006). This statement has been construed to engender the lack of comparison of other relevant data within any single academic or survey year.

For example, based on the 2009-2010 NCEA report, one may easily compare the enrolment of students in Roman Catholic schools and those in the Baptist church, thereby concluding that the higher the number of schools, the higher the number of students who enroll in them. This conclusion, however, is flawed, especially when one goes a step further and makes the same comparisons with, say, Jewish schools. The conclusion would imply direct proportionality between the number of schools and the number of enrollees. Nevertheless, the Jewish schools number less than half of the Baptist schools, but students enrolled in Jewish schools are more than half the number of those in Baptist schools. Similarly, it would be expected that since the number of Greek orthodox schools are exactly half the number of schools of the Church of God in Christ, the enrollees in the latter institution would be, ideally, half the number in the former give or take a few thousand students. A stark contrast is observed in this case, when the number of Greek orthodox enrolees exceeds the number of enrollees in schools considered to be affiliated with the Church of God in Christ (Broughman, Swaim and Hryczaniuk, 2011). With such discrepancies, it is highly unlikely that comparisons within different years would avail anything different.

From the survey carried out by the NCEA, several questions are likely to arise in the curious-minded. One would ask, for instance, how religious affiliations affect examination scores or how the religiously inclined to turn out in life after attending school. Furthermore, one would be interested in knowing the drop-out rate per grade of the religiously inclined vis a vis the non-sectarian. This, followed by an exploration of the reasons why would be a worthwhile engagement leading to a keener understanding of the school demographics. It would also enlighten one who needs to make decisions regarding which school his or her children ought to attend. However, the report provided addresses none of these concerns. Where one would probably get the answers to these questions, the data is not as detailed as to be of much relevance. A document by the Council for American Private Education, in mentioning the scores by students doing science, states that in 2009, 44% of the students in private schools “scored at or above the ‘proficient level’ in science”. The same publication further states that, for students in the fourth grade, 48% were deemed proficient according to NAEP (CAPE, 2011). It is thus evident that one might need to investigate to arrive at the answers to the queries above.

Apart from the meager statistical information from the well-established institutions like NAEP and the NCEA, several studies have been carried out whose objectives are congruous with the raised questions. Some studies have concluded that students from private schools perform better than their public school counterparts. However, other studies find conflicting results. Those whose results are in the affirmative invariably find out also that the best performers are students from catholic schools (Figlio & Stone, 2011).

According to Figlio and Stone, these studies did not employ robust instruments for the adjustment of non-random selection. They, therefore, proposed the implementation of a system of study that would improve system power prediction by about three times compared to studies done before theirs. They, like the aforementioned National Catholic Educational Association, did their studies while considering high schools in three categories: religious private high schools, nonreligious private high schools, and public high schools. Having made these modifications, they found out that nonreligious schools have a significant superiority to the religious schools in as far as science and mathematics subjects are concerned (Figlio and Stone, 2011).

There exists a debate about the benefits (if any at all) that private schools bring to the American schooling system. Those who criticize the private schools say that parents decide to opt for them being driven by the desire to appear socially elite or simply to separate themselves. It is the collective points of view of these critics that parents do not necessarily choose private schools because of better academic performance. They contend that these parents are hell-bent on keeping their children separate and untainted from those who come from other races and backgrounds. Furthermore, they say that for these parents, their children’s attending private schools is an attractive status symbol. The critical punch line they put forward is that private schools propagate segregation by class and race (Education Week, 2004).

On the other hand, there exist proponents for private education. In support of the system, they say that the monopoly extant with many public schools is not competitive. They add that a competitive system that opens up the opportunity for people to choose the schools to which they shall take their children is required. To support this point, they say that private school students are superior academies to their public school counterparts. They contend that schools need to be autonomous, and such a system would promote this autonomy; also adding that due to autonomy, student performance would improve. The proponents say that there is bias in the private school system. They propose an opening up of the system by the introduction of children from low-income families and those whose affiliate groups are underrepresented. This would mean that a means of supporting these students’ education be established. They, therefore, propose the use of vouchers as well as school choice programs (Education Week, 2004).

The proposal regarding the use of vouchers and increased school choice was given a counter-offer by the group called Americans United. On their website, they gave several reasons why people ought not to support this emerging trend. Among the reasons was the fact that the First Amendment gave a guarantee of freedom of religion from state influences. That is, they invoke the unending debate of the separation of church and state. They contended that this law would be broken when Americans agreed to support the issuance of vouchers for schooling. Citing the fact that a majority of private schools have religious affiliations and that these institutions have the mandate to indoctrinate the students and to educate them as well, the Americans United felt that Americans would be inadvertently supporting religion against their free wills. Americans would be paying for their children to be indoctrinated with religious dogma with which they did not agree (Americans United, 2011).

Ostensibly, the issuance of the voucher would be a tad more acceptable if it appreciably led to an improvement in the academic performance of students in their academics. That not being the case, however, the Americans United group is vehemently opposed to the idea. They contended that students in public schools performed much better in mathematics and reading than students in private schools. Furthermore, they would have expected the program to cause several changes in the students who participated in it. For example, participants were expected to have positive aspirations concerning their schooling in the future and to improve in the frequency with which they did their homework. However, the program never did bring such changes. On the contrary, student participants’ likelihood of absenteeism from class increased significantly (Americans United, 2011).

The report by the NCES never detailed graduation statistics for the year 2009-2010. Instead, it had data for the previous year. Whereas the reason for missing this data remains unknown, the NCES reported that of the twelfth graders who were enrolled in October 2008, ninety-eight percent graduated in 2009 (NCES, 2011). That was a very high success rate for graduates in private schools, which would have been taken as indicative of the quality of education that private institutions have to offer. Furthermore, 64% of the high school graduates from private schools later enrolled in 4-year colleges. This was representative of 308,813 high school graduates, who enrolled by the fall of the same year as they did graduate (NCES, 2011).

Using multiple sources of data, Heckman and LaFontaine made estimations of trends of graduation rates in the United States high schools. They noted that previous calculations were rife with biases and corrections had to be made for their study to be acceptable. Eventually, they found out that the rates provided by the National Centre for Educational Statistics were substantially high and thus misleading. They also found out that for forty-odd years, there had been a decline in the rate of graduation. Furthermore, they observed that even though the number of immigrants and minorities was on the increase in American society, this was not the cause of declining high school graduation rates among native populations. Therefore, they were able to explain why college attendance was also on the decline. Findings concerning gender differences in graduation from high schools were also useful in deciphering the reasons behind the gaps extant in male-female college attendance, and why those gaps were gradually increasing (Heckman and LaFontaine, 2011). These findings were not specifically for high school graduates from private high schools, but a traversal of all high schools regardless of their administrative leanings. In an appeal to the part being a representative of the whole, one would comfortably suggest that these findings could be transmuted to the private school population with similar implications.

The sizes of private schools might affect the effective transmission of knowledge and its receptivity among students. Here, the paper explores what other people have said regarding this, and the recommendations that they put forth towards improving the education system in the United States. Taken from an economic perspective, larger school sizes are better than smaller ones because of economies of scale benefits realized in the former. According to Ferris and Leung though, this is a consensus that requires revision because the benefits accrued from one side are outweighed by the disadvantages from other fronts. They cite the fact that more and more students are growing frustrated by the system, and coupled with the escalation of violence in the same schools, the drop-out rates are also on the rise (Leung and Ferris, 2008).

Since class sizes in most private schools are small, the student to teacher ratio critical for individual attention is easily achieved. This ratio stands at 15:1, but smaller ratios are more advantageous both to the teachers and students alike. With smaller ratios, teachers have fewer students to deal with and can divide their time well among the few students demanding their attention. Each student benefits by having more time spent with the teacher. Therefore, each student in a private school classroom has the opportunity to be personally aided by the teacher when the need calls for it (Kennedy, 2011).

​A Summary of Some of the Benefits of Private School System

According to the United States Department of education, when private school students and their public school counterparts are compared, the former generally outperform the latter on standardized achievement tests. Also, for the former to graduate, they pass through requirements that are more demanding than for their counterparts. Completion of advanced-level courses is more likely for private school graduates than for their public school counterparts when they take three academic subject areas. National Assessment of Educational Progress results showed that private student scores were above average nationally. Experts recommend students to take up challenging subjects that push them into striving for excellence. Private schools make provisions for this by making it a requirement for students to take difficult courses like calculus before they graduate. When it was assessed who between the two was more likely to attain a bachelor’s degree by their mid-twenties, those who had gone to private schools in their eighth grade scored 52% compared to 26% for the public school attendees (CAPE, 2011b).

Depending on a school’s financial resources, compensation for private school teachers might be higher than that for public school teachers. On the whole, however, they are usually comparably lower. The teachers usually benefit from getting free housing and meals as opposed to the public school teachers who do not get such benefits. Also, teachers in private schools have widely variable pension schemes. They are required by private schools to be credentialed. That is, a teacher has to have a teaching certificate backed with a degree in the relevant subject. Armed with these two documents, a teacher stands a greater chance of being hired than one who does not have them. However, concerning budgetary costs, public schools stand a better chance of raising significantly large amounts of money. They do so by making annual appeals, cultivating alumni, and soliciting grants from corporations. Private schools nurture strong bonds with their alumni. Therefore, they also have high rates of fund-raising success. They also have a management structure that is considered to be lean. This means that a critical decision does not have to pass through several authorities to get approval. Rarely, if ever, will a private school have to contend with a union of teachers (Kennedy, 2011).

​Some observed discrepancies to the generalizations regarding private school superiority

Rothstein, Carnoy, and Benveniste filed a report regarding the accountability of private schools to students’ parents, the outcomes parents expected of their children, and policies for retention and selection of teachers. They found out that in elementary school accountability to students’ parents does not differ significantly from the same in public schools. There was also no clearly defined school outcome expectation in private schools, and that was in no way different from the situation in public schools. Neither type of school did mentor teachers nor evaluate them formally to assess variation in their performance and delivery of instruction. They also found that where there was a competition between private and public schools, innovations by private schools never made their competitor public schools improve in any way whatsoever. Therefore, they made a point to the proponents for choice in public education, that to improve academic achievement, choice of public versus private institutions held very little weight (Benveniste, Carnoy and Rothste, 1999).

Private schooling also has its disadvantages. Some things are not implicitly taught in private schools. For example, a graduate from a private school would find it difficult to strike a conversation with any other person, who is essentially different from them. Unless it was a fellow graduate who came from the same institution, or a school with a similar status, building meaningful rapport would not be easy. Indoctrination also occurs in private schools albeit of a different kind than the commonplace religious dogma inculcation. That indoctrination goes a long way to assure students of private schools that they are better than those who never succeeded in attending similar schools.

The latter is seen as inferior people who are not even worth spending time with. The effect of this influence upon the indoctrinated was made evident in the Democratic presidential nominee, Al Gore, who could not speak to the populace. Thus, such students remain ignorant of some facts like there being other smart people apart from those who attend similar schools to theirs. They remain unaware that some highly adept people never see the inside of classrooms. Also, they realize rather belatedly that some of the so-called smart people are not smart at all. School is lacking in the instruction on social intelligence, the ability to be creative, and it does not teach emotional intelligence (Deresiewicz, 2008). Deresiewicz does not, however, give the way through which one may be educated in these latter aspects, pertinent through the acquisition of this knowledge might be.

The private school system achieves the creation of analytically biased minds, thereby developing lopsided intelligence that may not be entirely beneficial in seeing and appreciating the value inherent in other people. Such people are more adept at dealing with machines or analyzing books than interacting with other members of the human race. The system of private schooling essentially alienates one from that which is human in the sense that it creates a block to interpersonal interactions that are every bit human. Besides, a person develops a misguided sense of how worthy they are to receive certain rights and privileges. The unbearable truth in all of this is the fact that all through the life of a student who has been in private school, they have been graded using numerical rankings. Such students end up equating their grades to their identity and value. Absolute excellence, they forget, does not imply academic excellence or vice versa (Deresiewicz, 2008).

Whether it is a private school or a public school, one would contend that both have a common disadvantage. This is about the type of interaction a school-going child is exposed to. They can only interact with their age-mates while in school. Bigger children invariably bully the smaller ones, who in turn do the same to yet smaller ones. Among these children, none appreciates how to interact with grownups. The fear that is inculcated into them by the bullies they meet in school becomes the same fear that they show towards their parents back at home. Fear is a monster that feeds upon itself, however. Therefore, the fear engenders a reciprocal propensity for abuse from parents who do not know better. It is not a seldom occurrence to find children who’ve been abused by otherwise well-meaning parents.

The vicious cycle started with their being taken to school, which alienated them from their parents. They then picked up bits and pieces of strange behavior from their peers, which they came home with, much to the chagrin of their unprepared parents. Thus, there is a growing concern that home-schooling would be the only best option for a growing child (Oeser, 2011). Furthermore, time taken out to quietly reflect on one’s own is an alien concept to school-going students, who are more inclined to be rowdy, loud, and disorderly. Also, since they learn to pass their examinations, school-goers eventually lack long-standing applicable knowledge. Most of what they learn is quickly forgotten with the passing of the examination. Their understanding of concepts is not adequate as the knowledge they have does not correlate well with real-life issues.

​American Education in Public Schools: A Brief History

A majority of people in the United States who come from low-income backgrounds take their children to public schools. Currently, the parents whose children attend private schools are rather similar in characteristics. For one, they are from affluent backgrounds. The fact that school fees charges in private schools are high shields this elitist group of people from other influences. However, if the restrictive costs of financing education in private schools were to be revised downwards, up to 59% of parents would opt for private education. This would be aided by vouchers which would, ideally, be catering for the whole tuition fees. Besides, parents with low income show greater enthusiasm for private school enrolment, but money continues to be their major hurdle. It is opined that there would be a greater diversity of parents and the group would inevitably be larger if the price of private education were reduced (Education Week, 2004).

For some people, the public education system is the ideal system of instruction. However, it faces a lot of criticism, and many times it has had to be revised so that it may continue playing a pivotal role in the shaping of public opinion regarding solidarity with the government. Having developed in the nineteenth century, its inception was the result of a suggestion by the then President Jefferson. Public school education is under the management of states and school districts. Whereas education in the United States began with puritans and Congregationalists, a purely Christian group of people, the introduction of the public school system came much later. With the coming of people from different countries, there was a foreign influence upon the natives. The entrant people did not all embrace the Christian faith, they have been of different inclinations. For this reason, private education began and thrived in the mid-eighteenth century (Thattai, 2011).

​Disadvantages of Public Schools

In public schools, teachers generally get better remuneration. However, starter salaries are usually very low. This leads to very few teachers being retained in the public sector. Too much bureaucracy in the public sector implies that decisions take very long to be made even when those decisions are critical. Public schools are usually bogged down with political influences and union contracts. The rules that they adhere to while at work are also antique (Kennedy, 2011). Some courses are considered to be more challenging than others. It is less likely for a student in a public school to be required to take such courses as calculus before they graduate (CAPE, 2011b). This has the effect of developing an individual who shall not strive to excel in real life. It also relegates such an individual to a life of relative ease or one that is not well equipped to face challenges. Such an individual ends up having difficulties solving personal problems. Suicidal tendencies and drug-related escape mechanisms are rife among these people who will under most circumstances seek the easiest way out of any rut. The ways that appear easy, however, are illusions and present the individuals with a false sense of comfort or repose from the hardships they experience.

​Of Co-Educational Schools versus Single-Sex Schools

Both private and public schools can be regarded as single-sex institutions or co-educational. In the latter case, a school trains students of both sexes, while in the former the school is exclusively for girls or boys. A debate continues regarding whether the genders should be separated in the school set-up. Those who oppose the idea are the conservative types who feel that there is the looseness of morals that comes into play when members of the two genders are nearby for extended periods. For the feminists, a separation of the sexes is the ideal environment for women to achieve success in life. Historically, it has been normal to separate girls and boys, giving them unequal status to each other based on their acquired societal roles in later life. Literacy was, therefore, more prevalent among males than among females. The former was trained in subjects that would be relevant in their workplaces, politics, and war. Girls, on the other hand, were trained on how to be better performers in the home arena. Thus, the inception of co-education was a threat to the widely accepted status quo, where men were regarded in higher esteem than women (Rury, 2008).

​Controversies in the Adoption of Coeducation

In 2006, Title IX regulations of the US department of education were amended. This allowed single-sex school enrolment, but with reservations. It contended that the enrolments ought o be voluntary. Also, an equal school for the opposite gender should have been present or catered for. While endeavoring to convert to single-sex institutions, some schools have been met with challenges like meager finances and political pressures. Enrolment in such schools has also been a problem for some of the administrators (Rury, 2008).

It would have been thrift for the United States to have learned a thing or two from her European contemporaries. Europe’s experience with coeducation has been anything but rosy. They have documented disadvantages that they have observed against female students in such schools. They state that contrary to their expectation that coeducation would bring about a keen appreciation of either gender by the other, the opposite remains true. Girls have invariably been the sufferers while boys (and teachers) have been the perpetrators of a myriad of atrocities. In a literal sense, girls lack adequate space in these schools. They are the objects of boys’ desires, and often battered with lewd suggestive remarks. Male teachers also tend to get romantically attached to girl students. Girls do not get as much appropriate attention from teachers as the boys do, and they are also taken as social workers to be strategically seated next to ill-mannered boys. This is done to cause the boys to learn some good manners from the better-behaved girls. The missing point in all this is that the bad behavior of the boys seated next to the girls might (and does) rub off on the girls, whose behavior will then be all the worse (Anon., 2004).

In coeducational institutions, inequity exists in the meting out of punishments for wrongdoing. Girls get punished more severely than boys even when their misdeeds are essential of similar magnitude. It is understood, in a discriminatory manner, that girls are more diligent than boys, but that boys are more intelligent than girls. Therefore, when a girl performs well in class, it is attributed to her diligence, while if a boy does the same, it is said that he passed or excelled because he is intelligent. Boys are encouraged to be competitive while girls are frowned upon if they act similarly. The latter is expected to conform. They are also given less time for verbal expression than boys are given in class (Anon., 2004).

Other issues that have arisen through the years after the introduction of coeducational institutions include the argument by some doctors that women would suffer from overexertion and get harmed. It was argued that the overexertion would come from the girls’ competition with boys. Indulgence in sexual impropriety was also pointed out as being highly likely when the two sexes were left to interact for extended periods (Rury, 2008).

Outcomes of education that are of most interests to parents and students include academic achievement test scores, an appropriately delineated concept of self, and long-term success indicators. These are more evident in single-sex schools than in coeducational schools, and they give leverage for the proponents for single-sex schools. In comparison, single-sex schools perform academically better than coeducational schools.

​Current Trends of Education in the United States

In the late twentieth century, there arose a drive for the reformation of elementary education in the United States. Its purpose was to indiscriminately improve the academic performance of students. Children were left accountable to the schools, districts, and ultimately the states for their academic achievement. However, concerns have been raised that the United States students perform relatively poorly in their academics compared to students of other countries. They blame this on an educational system that they deem not to be enabling the students to perform as it should be. Elementary education in the United States is constantly being reformed and refined. The United States is democratizing its education so that it does not support systems that are representations of goals and expectations, and are industrial or social. It is drawn toward an education system that is open and universal (Howey and Post, 2011).

When students perform poorly, the education system is seen as being a failure. It thus behooves the government to ensure that a running system strikes the right balance. One that places a lot of demands on the students is sure to cause them to perform poorly. A very lax system, on the other hand, will produce individuals who are ill-equipped for their roles in society. Thus, the government has put in place measures to ensure that all children have equal access to quality education. These measures include the creation of a welcoming environment, which embodies the prevention of bullying and harassment, and the outlining of the responsibilities that education providers have towards this goal. The onus rests on education providers to ensure that harassment does not occur. Such harassment might be from the education providers themselves, or other sources. Education providers should take the measures necessary to remedy harassment when they know that students are being harassed. Otherwise, they (education providers) face imminent sanctions, since their laxity (or presumed indifference) allows the education system to be poisoned. Harassment is seen as one of the impediments to the ease of access to educational services. When one is harassed, they may not “participate fully in the educational experience” (OHRC, 2011).

An education provider helps reduce instances of bullying and harassment by being non-tolerant to the act of bullying and being unequivocal about the consequences a student has to face for being a bully. The educator further communicates this by educating students concerning disabilities; he or she then encourages them to appreciate diversity. Appreciating diversity will imply that the students do not taunt their peers who may be disabled in one way or another. They will respect their disabled peers, and even protect them from further harm if necessary. The education provider may also get involved in role-playing to cultivate compassion and awareness of the impact that bullying has on other people. They may act like the ones upon whose taunts are being thrown or being big, act as the bullies. In either case, the students will see the folly behind bullying as a front. Bullies are essentially weak people who hide their weaknesses by attacking others. Finally, the educator protects students who report bullying by maintaining confidence regarding their report (OHRC, 2011). The educator does not let other students know the one who reports instances of bullying to the authorities.

​The Role of Universities in the United States Education System

There was a decline in American education as was documented in 1983 by the National Commission on Excellence in Education. This brought about a change that saw the inception of standardized testing and accountability (Heckman & LaFontaine, 2011). A 2001 Act called the No Child Left Behind Act sets out requirements for each state to identify low-performing schools. Another of its requirements is for the annual assessment of students in reading and mathematics. Declining standards in the secondary school level of education imply that very few students get enrolled in universities around the country. America boasts of the largest number of institutions of higher learning throughout the world, but if these institutions cannot enroll Native Americans due to mediocre performance in their secondary schools, one is left to marvel at what the future holds for university education within the country.

Scientific research in universities thrives on funding from various sources. Research is important to the advancement of knowledge since it creates new perspectives to what is already known. Much of what results from research can be applied in areas such as pharmaceuticals for the production of new drugs. The current trend tends towards genetic science, which has brought about a lot of controversies. When universities lack students to carry out research then there is a paucity of funds from donors who fund the research projects. This brings a complication to the universities, which rely much on donor funding. The case of Berkeley and Novartis appears to have been instigated by such a state of affairs as has been described above. Berkeley signed an agreement with Novartis in November 1998 and rescinded about one-third of its patent rights to Novartis in exchange for a $25 million grant towards research (Washburn, 2005). The said company had vested interests in the outcome of the research and, thus, was in a way investing in it. That movie had a lot of ethical connotations.

Another issue that was highlighted in Washburn’s book is the notion that universities have gradually been shifting from their academic role to institutions that run businesses. This is a pithy subject since the university ought to be an institution of higher learning and not drawn into the rigmarole of generating income. Universities ought to set the pace for industry to follow, by making breakthroughs in research projects that will enhance the human experience of living within the planet earth. That notwithstanding, universities have become embroiled in the shaping of individuals to prepare them for employment within the industries. One may contend that they are responding to the dire needs of the economy by providing the market with the best brains the country has to offer. However, the country appears to stand no gain, especially when such patents as were aforementioned are left in the hands of foreign companies (Washburn, 2005).

A reversal of roles is readily observable in that the industry now makes the demands and the universities dance to her tune. For example, when the industry demands chemical analysts, the universities respond by giving their analysts to the industries. Due to the lack of employment in the country, an analyst who finishes their course at university and immediately finds a source of income sees herself as being very fortunate. This, however, results in a dilution of the high standards of excellence that are expected of all public institutions of higher learning. Universities need to maintain an autonomous stance that is neither swayed by the government nor by the industry as these two entities seek to push their agenda (Washburn, 2005). On one side is an entity with political ideals while on the other is one that seeks financial gains. Both the government and the industrial entities stand in opposition to the universities’ values of serving the common good of all humankind.

The involvement of outside forces in university affairs has made even students forget their primary agenda at having joined the universities. Like Reynolds in the Washburn (2005) book, many a scientist ends up being a politician due to these disruptions in the curriculum. If even the students should get derailed from their “calling” in such a manner, in all probability, the future of the universities is painted in bleak colors. It is necessary to redefine the role of the university and give the students clear guidelines as to the parts they ought to play therein. Not only are grades falling within secondary schools, but also those who end up in university, having attempted and succeeded at a difficult feat, may get disillusioned at what they find.

Hirsch (2006) appears to have the answer to one of the woes so far when he says that students have to read and comprehend. Any student can read, given the time to do so. But their understanding of what they have read is the most crucial part of their acquisition of knowledge. Comprehension is the difficult bone that students need to chew while at school to enable them to sit their examinations and pass with flying colors. Since they are not taught to comprehend, it follows that their performance in class also suffers. They are not even prepared within their extant grades for the grades which they shall be facing in the future. Hirsch says that a broad range of knowledge is required for students to be able to comprehend what they read (Hirsch, 2006). One may question at this point from whence that a “broad range of knowledge” shall be obtained.

Hitherto, it has been observed the diverse challenges that the American child faces as he or she pursues an education. The challenges start right from kindergarten through to university. The American child is also exposed to a lot of information that buffets them from all types of sources: the internet, television, radio, movies et cetera. These sources of information together with the students’ own experiences (however few and apart those experiences might be) ought to be sufficient to give the background knowledge that Hirsch craves for them. If these sources are not enough to give the American child the vast knowledge that Hirsch talks about, then it remains an enigma where else the knowledge shall come from. The school has synthesized the knowledge for the students to acquire, not in its raw form, but in a form that has been more purified; akin to the sugar that one gets on the table compared to the sugar from the cane.

According to Hirsch (2006), knowledge is all around us, but it is taken for granted. In essence, he says that even the modern student has a lot to learn from his or her surroundings. As they walk along the streets, go sightseeing or listen to music on the radio, all these areas hold a bit of knowledge here and a bit there that may stand the observer in good stead when they are faced with the problem of comprehending written material in class. It may be added that comprehension is context-dependent but knowledge garnered from one source can be transmuted to an application that is far much different than its source. Therefore, as students learn to be more in touch with their environments, they shall be better equipped to face the future challenges that they are bound to meet. They shall be able, when in university, to stand for what they know is right, disallowing the interference of other institutions whose missions stand at variance with the mission of the academia.

​Conclusion

Reforms in education in the United States are bound to be a collective effort involving, not only the government but also all other stakeholders. America was founded as a nation on solid Christian principles, and these guiding principles worked well for the founding generation as well as the few generations that stood by them thereafter. The encumbrances that America faces are as a result of her generosity toward all nations. These nations have brought with them influences that have diluted the American spirit of democracy and freedom; for even the freedom that the founding father fought for has been misinterpreted. It is time that America went back to her first principles; for there lays the answer to most of the problems she faces nowadays. Democracy per se is a boon that the American people can never take for granted. Nevertheless, it only speaks of good things that have not been counterbalanced by the “bad”. A bit of non-democratization may be required to create the critical balance that America requires. The government needs to step up its authority to ensure that things happen in the correct way that they should, but that ought to be done with discretion as there still is an extant law that governs the land. It is a law that the people have put forth by themselves, and it is in the power of the people to repeal the same and come up with better laws.

The breaches in the education system in America are not irreparable. Since the United States has shined in glory in the past, she still can do the same but only if the people are willing to rise together and make that dream a reality. Right from elementary school to the university level, students have the latent ability to excel, for America does have the mental capacity to read and understand books. She is well endowed with comprehensive skills.

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The Education System in the US Explained

The American education system is world-famous for its higher education system, which stands out for the diversity of programmes offered and outstanding research quality. Yet, the US in fact streamlines its entire education system to offer students a broad range of educational pathways tailored to individual preferences. How does this system really work, and what should you know as you navigate it? Keep reading to find out.

Structure of Education Levels in the United States

The US education system is a clear structured divided into the following distinct stages:

• Primary Education (Elementary School) : Typically covers Kindergarten through grade 5 (ages 5-11). The curriculum focuses on foundational skills in reading, writing, mathematics and basic sciences. Students also begin to explore subjects like history and art. The goal is to establish core academic skills and socialisation.
• Secondary Education (Middle School and High School) : Middle school spans grades 6-8 (ages 11-14), while high school covers grades 9-12 (ages 14-18). Middle school builds on elementary education, with a broader curriculum that includes more advanced science, maths, and humanities. Junior high school typically accommodates students from seventh to ninth grade, focusing on a broader curriculum while senior high school offers more structured learning environments and standardized test preparation. After high school, students can enter into vocation training or university.
• Higher Education : This includes colleges and universities offering undergraduate (Associate’s and Bachelor’s) and postgraduate degrees (Master’s and Doctorates). The curriculum is highly specialised, with students choosing majors that align with their career aspirations. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 66.2% of high school graduates enrolled in higher education institutions in 2021.

Each stage is designed to build on the previous one, ensuring students develop the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed at the next level.

Structure of the Education System in the US

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Primary Education: Elementary School

Elementary school in the United States typically includes Kindergarten through 5th grade, catering to children aged 5-11. Public schools are government-funded and free for residents. It is also the more popular choice with about 90% of elementary school students attending public schools compared to private schools, which often charge tuition.

In public schools, the curriculum is broad, including Literacy and Numeracy as core subjects and other subjects such as Basic Sciences, Social Studies, Arts and Physical Education. Some critics argue that the curriculum in American primary schools lacks rigor and relevance, claiming that it often fails to prepare students for the demands of secondary education and beyond. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), by 4th grade, only 34% of students perform at or above the proficient level in reading , highlighting areas for improvement in literacy. For this reason and others, some families would therefore opt for private schools and international schools which may offer alternative curricula such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) .

In public elementary schools, end-of-school exams are not common. Instead, students are assessed through a combination of regular tests, quizzes, and assignments. These assessments contribute to report cards, which track progress but generally do not determine advancement to the next grade, as promotion is based more on teacher evaluations and overall performance. Similarly, the grades also do not directly impact secondary school placement, which assigns students to middle schools in the districts where they live. In some districts such as New York and Los Angeles students may have the option to apply to specialised or charter schools, which generally offer better education quality than traditional public schools. In these schools, students are often selected based on academic performance, specific interests, or a lottery system.

Secondary Education: Middle School and High School

Secondary education in the United States consists of two stages: middle school (grades 6-8, ages 11-14) and high school (grades 9-12, ages 14-18). The focus at this level is on broadening academic knowledge and preparing students for either higher education or the workforce.

Middle School

Middle school in the US serves as a bridge between elementary and high school, typically covering grades 6-8 and serving students aged 11 to 14. This stage introduces students to a broader curriculum and more independence in their studies, designed to help students transition from the more nurturing environment of elementary school to the increased academic and social responsibilities of high school.

• Types of school : Most students attend public middle schools , which are funded by local and state governments. These schools are free for US citizens, but fee-paying for international students on a non-immigrant visa, such as an F-1 student visa. What's more, public schools below the high school level (grades K-8) are generally not permitted to admit students for more than 12 months, except for exceptional cases like children of diplomats. Nonetheless, due to generally smaller class sizes and more personalised attention, and occasionally more choices in international curricula, private middle schools are the choice of around 10% of students. Additionally, some students attend charter or magnet middle schools, totalling around 15% of the population . Charter schools offer alternative educational models and have more flexibility in their curricula, while magnet schools often focus on specific areas such as STEM, the arts, or international studies.
• Curriculum: The curriculum in middle school is designed to build on the basic skills learned in elementary school while introducing more complex concepts. Students typically study core subjects, including mathematics, science, English language arts, and social studies. Electives become more available at this stage, allowing students to explore subjects like foreign languages, technology, and the arts. The emphasis is on developing critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work independently. In private international schools, other international curricula such as A-Levels and IGCSEs .
• Key Assessments: Students are regularly assessed through classroom tests, quizzes, and projects. State-mandated standardized tests are also a key component of middle school education, designed to evaluate students’ readiness for high school. These assessments help to identify areas where students may need additional support but generally do not determine whether a student will advance to the next grade.

High School

High school in the United States typically encompasses grades 9 through 12, serving students aged 14 to 18. This stage is pivotal in preparing students for their post-secondary paths, whether that involves higher education or entering the workforce.

• Types of Schools: Similar to the case in middle school, the majority of high school students in the United States attend public high schools , which are funded by government sources and follow state curriculum guidelines. Private high schools , which charge tuition, may offer different educational philosophies, smaller class sizes, or religious instruction. Charter and magnet high schools are also options, particularly in urban areas. These schools may provide specialized programs in areas like technology, the arts, or sciences and often have selective admission processes.
• Curriculum: High school students follow a curriculum that includes both core subjects and electives. Core subjects typically include English, mathematics, science, and social studies. Electives allow students to explore personal interests and may include courses in business, technology, the arts, and more. Many high schools offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are college-level classes in subjects such as calculus, biology, and history. Successfully completing AP exams can earn students college credit and strengthen their university applications.
• Key Assessments: Assessment in high school is more rigorous and includes regular classroom exams, state-required standardized tests, and national exams like the SAT or ACT, which are crucial for college admissions. AP exams are also important, as they allow students to demonstrate advanced knowledge in specific subjects and potentially earn college credits. These assessments play a significant role in determining students’ readiness for graduation and their eligibility for post-secondary education opportunities.

Common Models of K-12 Education

Higher Education: Colleges and Universities

Higher education in the United States offers a wide range of options for students, including colleges, universities, technical schools, and community colleges. Many institutions also offer graduate programs, which include master's and doctoral degrees, essential for advanced career opportunities and specialisation. Each type of institution serves different educational needs and career goals. Before we dive into further details, some terminologies should be clarified.

College vs. University

In the US, "university" and "college" are often used interchangeably to refer to the same institution. In some large universities, they are different colleges or schools that represent different academic areas of study (e.g., College of Science).

The above must be distinguished from "colleges" that typically offer undergraduate programs leading to Associate's or Bachelor's degrees. Examples include community colleges. This latter form of college focuses more on teaching and less on research and often offer fewer degree programmes.

State Colleges and Private Colleges

State Colleges (also known as public colleges) are funded by state governments, which often results in lower tuition costs for in-state residents. These institutions typically have larger student bodies, broad range of programs and sometimes also academic prestigious. One of the most famous state colleges in the United States is the University of California, Berkeley (commonly known as UC Berkeley), which excels in engineering, computer science, business and the sciences.

On the other hand, Private Colleges are funded through tuition, donations, and endowments. They are often smaller, with more personalised education but usually come with higher tuition fees. Examples include Harvard University and Stanford University .

To prepare for admissions into these highly selective universities, an IB tutor in Los Angeles has the following advice:

"Excelling in your IB subjects is obviously important, but equally important is crafting a compelling personal statement and showcasing your unique passions and leadership in extracurriculars, which will help you stand out to highly selective universities like UC Berkeley."

Tech vs. Community Colleges

Community Colleges are designed for students looking for less selective programs. Community colleges are affordable, two-year institutions that focus on practical skills and workforce preparation, providing an accessible pathway to higher education for diverse student demographics. The typical option is a two-year Associate’s degree programs which often leads to four-year colleges. They are also generally more affordable and provide flexible options for students who may be working or have other commitments.

In comparison, Technical Colleges focus on providing students with specific skills for particular careers, such as engineering, nursing, or IT. Programs are often shorter, with many leading to certifications or Associate’s degrees.

Degree Types

In the US, degree programmes offered are diverse and vary depending on the institution. Various educational institutions, including public and private schools, community colleges, and universities, offer these degree programs, each playing a crucial role in the broader education landscape in the United States. Generally, the degree programmes available include the following:

• Associate’s Degree : Typically takes two years to complete and is often awarded by community colleges or technical schools. It can lead to entry-level careers or serve as a foundation for further study.
• Bachelor’s Degree : Usually takes four years and is offered by colleges and universities. It provides a comprehensive education and is often required for more advanced careers.
• Master’s Degree : A graduate degree that typically takes one to two years beyond a Bachelor’s degree. It is often pursued for specialization in a particular field.
• Doctoral Degree (PhD) : The highest level of academic degree, often requiring several years of study and research beyond a Master’s degree. It is necessary for careers in academia and certain specialized professions.

Course Structure and Grading System

Students typically declare a major, which is their primary field of study, by the end of their second year in a four-year college. The choice of major should align with the student’s career goals, interests, and strengths. Common majors include Business, Engineering, Psychology, and Biological Sciences. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Business remains the most popular major, with about 19% of all Bachelor's degrees awarded in this field.

The grading system in US higher education usually follows a letter grade format, where A (4.0) is the highest and F (0.0) is a failing grade. The Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated based on these grades and is an important factor for graduate school admissions and job applications.

After graduation, career prospects vary widely depending on the field of study. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, individuals with a Bachelor’s degree have a median weekly income that is about 67% higher than those with only a high school diploma , highlighting the financial benefits of higher education​.

Public vs. Private Schools in the US

Public schools :.

• Funding and Governance : Public schools are funded primarily by local, state, and federal government sources, which makes them free to attend for residents of the school district. They are governed by school boards, which are typically elected and must adhere to state educational standards.
• Curriculum and Resources : Public schools follow state-mandated curricula, which ensures a standardized education across schools in the same state. However, the quality of education can vary significantly depending on the school’s location and funding. Schools in affluent areas often have more resources, better facilities, and more extracurricular opportunities compared to those in less wealthy areas.
• Student Diversity : Public schools tend to be more diverse, reflecting the demographics of the local community. This diversity can provide students with a broader social experience.

Private Schools :

• Funding and Governance : Private schools are funded through tuition fees, donations, and endowments rather than government sources. This funding model allows for greater autonomy in their operations, including curriculum choices, hiring practices, and school policies.
• Curriculum and Flexibility : Private schools often have the flexibility to create their own curricula, which can lead to specialized programs such as religious education, Montessori methods, or advanced academic tracks. This flexibility can be beneficial for students seeking a particular type of education, but it also means that curricula can vary widely between schools.
• Class Size and Individual Attention : Private schools typically have smaller class sizes, which allows for more individualized attention and often a closer-knit school community. This can lead to a more personalized education, with teachers able to cater to individual student needs more effectively.

In the United States, it is commonly perceived that the differences between public and private schools are huge. However, research has shown mixed results when comparing academic outcomes between public and private schools: While private schools often boast higher average test scores and college admission rates, these outcomes are influenced by various factors, including socioeconomic status, parental involvement, and selection biases (since private schools can be selective in admissions)​. The cost of attending private schools can also be prohibitive for many families, with tuition ranging from a few thousand dollars to over $50,000 per year in some elite institutions.

In summary, the choice between public and private schools in the US depends on various factors, including financial considerations, the child’s learning needs, and the family’s educational priorities.

The Role of Standardized Testing in US Education

Standardized testing plays a significant role in the assessment of students’ readiness for college and their mastery of advanced coursework. Three major standardized tests stand out: the SAT, ACT, and AP exams.

The SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) is one of the most widely recognized college admission tests in the United States. Administered by the College Board, the SAT assesses a student’s readiness for college by testing skills in reading, writing, and mathematics.

The SAT is used by many colleges and universities to evaluate applicants, with scores ranging from 400 to 1600. According to the College Board, the average SAT score for the class of 2022 was around 1050, indicating where a typical student might stand in the college admissions process.

• The ACT is another critical college admissions test, particularly popular in the Midwest and South. It includes sections on English, mathematics, reading, and science, with an optional writing section. The ACT is scored on a scale from 1 to 36.
• Colleges often accept both SAT and ACT scores, and some students choose to take both to maximize their chances of admission. The Differences between SAT and ACT are discussed in another article. According to the ACT, the average composite score for the class of 2022 was about 20.7, with top-tier universities often expecting scores in the upper 20s to 30s.

AP (Advanced Placement) :

The AP program, also administered by the College Board, allows high school students to take college-level courses and exams in various subjects. AP exams are scored from 1 to 5, with a score of 3 or higher typically considered passing and eligible for college credit at many institutions.

Popular AP subjects include AP Calculus, AP Biology, and AP US History. In 2022, about 2.8 million students took nearly 5.2 million AP exams, reflecting the program's widespread popularity and importance in the college admissions process.

The difficulty of the above exams is, however, lower than the IB course due to a narrower set of skillset required. As an IB tutor in Chicago said,

"The IB program is more comprehensive and challenging than the SAT, ACT, or even AP exams because it requires students to demonstrate not just content knowledge, but also critical thinking, research skills, and a global perspective."

Importance of SAT/ACT/AP for International Students

While international students can also use results from other international curricula to apply for US universities, they are not as universally accepted as the SAT, ACT, or AP exams, especially for universities that are less oriented on a global outlook:

• Recognition : A-Levels are recognized by many US institutions, particularly prestigious universities and those that frequently admit international students. Because the majority of applicants submit SAT or ACT scores, admissions officers might prefer to see these familiar metrics alongside A-Level results to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the student's academic ability.
• Conversion of Grades : US colleges may require A-Level results to be converted into a US grading scale or supplemented by SAT or ACT scores to provide a clearer picture of the student's academic performance in comparison to American peers.
• Competitive Edge : Submitting SAT or ACT scores in addition to A-Level results can strengthen an application, particularly for students applying to highly selective colleges. For instsance, admissions officers generally require students to reach at least 1460 out of 1600 on their SAT to have a good chance to get into Harvard University. This dual submission demonstrates the student’s ability to perform well in both the British and American educational contexts.

These standardized tests are crucial in shaping educational opportunities, influencing college admissions decisions, and in the case of AP exams, potentially earning students college credits while still in high school. Accordingly, it is advised for international students to use in-person or Online SAT tutors to maximise their chances of getting into their dream university.

International Education Options in the US

For families seeking a global education in the United States, there are several international education options available, including the International Baccalaureate (IB) , A-Levels , and IGCSE programs. These curricula are designed to meet international standards and are often pursued by students planning to attend universities outside the US or those seeking a more global perspective in their education.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

• The IB program is offered in many private and public schools across the US, including in major cities like New York. It is a rigorous, globally recognized curriculum that encourages critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and a strong emphasis on research and inquiry-based learning.
• For students needing extra support, seeking an IB tutor in New York can be beneficial, especially for complex subjects such as Higher Level Mathematics or IB History. An IB tutor can provide personalized guidance, helping students excel in their studies and perform well in assessments.
• A-Levels are another international qualification, primarily associated with the British education system, but they are also available in the United States, particularly in private international schools. A-Levels offer specialized, in-depth study in subjects chosen by the student, making them suitable for those with clear academic and career goals.
• Students pursuing A-Levels may benefit from an A-Level tutor in US , who can help them navigate the demanding curriculum and prepare for the final exams, which are critical for university admissions, particularly in the UK.
• The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is typically taken before A-Levels and is equivalent to the GCSEs in the UK. It provides a broad study across multiple subjects, and it is recognized by schools and universities worldwide.
• Students can find an IGCSE tutor in US to help them master subjects ranging from English Literature to Physics, ensuring they achieve top grades and build a strong foundation for further education.

Benefits of Private Tutoring

Private tutoring offers several advantages, particularly in these rigorous international programs. A tutor can provide individualized attention, tailor teaching methods to the student’s learning style, and focus on areas where the student may struggle.

Research indicates that students who engage with private tutors often see significant improvements in their academic performance. For example, a study by the National Tutoring Association found that students who receive tutoring can improve their grades by an average of one to two letter grades.

These international education options, supported by targeted private tutoring, provide students in the US with the opportunity to receive a world-class education, preparing them for global opportunities and success in higher education.

Current Trends and Challenges in US Education

The US education system is constantly evolving, facing both emerging trends and ongoing challenges. One significant trend is the increasing integration of technology in the classroom . The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital learning tools, with many schools now incorporating hybrid models that combine in-person and online instruction. Personalized learning is another growing trend, supported by data-driven tools and adaptive learning software, which allow teachers to customize lessons for each student. Finally, Social and emotional learning (SEL) has gained prominence as educators recognize the importance of supporting students’ mental health and well-being.

Nonetheless, the US faces a significant teacher shortage , particularly in subjects like STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and special education. This shortage is compounded by high teacher turnover rates, driven by factors such as burnout, inadequate pay, and challenging working conditions. According to the Learning Policy Institute, schools are struggling to fill over 100,000 teaching positions annually.

Finally, educational equity remains a central challenge. Disparities in funding, access to advanced coursework, and extracurricular opportunities continue to affect students differently based on their socioeconomic status, race, and geographic location. The gap in educational outcomes between different student groups underscores the need for ongoing reforms to ensure all students have equal opportunities to succeed.

How US Education Compares Globally

When comparing the US education system to those of other countries, several key differences and similarities emerge. One area where the US education system excels is in higher education . American universities consistently rank among the best in the world, attracting students from across the globe. The US is home to over 4,000 higher education institutions, including many that lead in research and innovation, such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford.

However, at the K-12 level , the US often lags behind other developed nations in key areas such as math and science. According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), US students rank around the middle of the pack in reading, science, and math compared to their peers in other OECD countries. For example, in the 2018 PISA results, the US ranked 13th in reading, 18th in science, and 37th in math.

Educational inequality is another area where the US faces challenges. The US has one of the highest levels of income inequality among developed countries, and this is reflected in its education system. Schools in wealthy districts often have more resources, better facilities, and higher-paid teachers than those in poorer districts. This contrasts with countries like Finland, where educational resources are more evenly distributed, leading to less variation in student outcomes.

On the other hand, the US education system is notable for its flexibility and diversity . Students have access to a wide range of extracurricular activities, specialized programs, and alternative educational pathways, such as charter schools and magnet schools. This flexibility is less common in many other countries, where the education system is often more rigid.

In summary, in the words of an IB tutor in Washington DC ,

"The US education system has its flaws, particularly at the K-12 level, but it does detract from the fact that its higher education is top-notch and is the best chance for a lot of international students to realise their full potential."

The US education system is characterised by its flexibility, diversity, and emphasis on critical thinking and creativity, offering students a wide range of educational pathways suited to their individual needs and interests. For international students, the US presents a compelling option, particularly for those seeking a well-rounded education that prepares them for both academic and real-world success. Whether you're aiming for advanced studies, a strong foundation in various disciplines, or a unique educational experience, the US system can provide valuable opportunities for growth and achievement.

What Do I Need to Know About College Applications and Applying to University in the USA?

When applying to universities in the USA, you'll typically use platforms like the Common Application or Coalition Application to apply to multiple schools simultaneously. Key components of your application will include standardized test scores (like the SAT or ACT, though some schools are now test-optional), high school transcripts, personal essays, and letters of recommendation from teachers or counselors. Additionally, universities value well-rounded students, so it’s important to detail your extracurricular activities, such as involvement in clubs, sports, or volunteering. Be mindful of application deadlines, which vary by institution, with options for early decision and regular decision. Meeting these deadlines is crucial to ensure your application is considered.

How Do Transfer Credits Work?

Transfer credits allow students to bring academic credits from one institution to another, helping them progress toward their degree without retaking courses. The receiving institution will evaluate your previous coursework, considering factors like accreditation, course content, and grades to determine which credits can be transferred. Some universities impose limits on the number of transferable credits, and certain core courses may still need to be completed at the new institution. It's also beneficial to check if your community college has articulation agreements with universities, which can simplify the transfer process. Working closely with academic advisors at both your current and prospective institutions is key to ensuring your credits transfer smoothly.

How Is the Academic Year Set Up in the USA?

In the US, the academic year is usually divided into two main semesters: the Fall Semester , which starts in late August or early September and ends in December, and the Spring Semester , which runs from January to May. Some schools also offer shorter summer sessions and winter intersessions for additional coursework. A few institutions use a quarter or trimester system, dividing the year into three or four parts, each lasting about 10 weeks. The academic calendar also includes breaks, such as Thanksgiving in November, Winter Break between December and January, and Spring Break in March or April, giving students time to rest and recharge.

What is the Classroom Experience Like in the US?

Classroom experiences in the US vary but often emphasize interactive learning. Students are encouraged to participate in discussions, ask questions, and engage in debates, making the classroom environment dynamic and participatory. Teaching methods are diverse, ranging from lectures to group work, presentations, and hands-on activities. Many courses involve continuous assessment, with grades based on quizzes, midterms, essays, group projects, and participation, rather than solely on final exams. Professors typically hold office hours, allowing students to seek extra help or discuss course material in more depth, fostering a supportive and collaborative learning environment.

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Changes in the Education System

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