Education in the United States

The education system in the United States is very diverse, with major differences in
level,content and quality. None of the various phases of education conclude with a standardized
final examination. For this reason, the concept of standardized entrance and outcome levels
does not exist in the American system. This means that the content of the relevant programme
must always be examined to determine how the course will be evaluated; the diploma itself
indicates very little. Private and public institutions exist at all educational levels, from primary
school to higher education. Although the number of private higher education institutions is
much higher than that of public institutions, the number of students is the reverse: more students
study at public institutions. The status of an institution (i.e. public or private) is no indication
of level or quality, and all institutions must be accredited in the same fashion.

State governments set overall educational standards, often mandate standardized tests
for K12 public school systems, and supervise, usually through a board of regents, state
colleges and universities. Funding comes from the state, local, and federal government.

Private schools are generally free to determine their own curriculum and staffing
policies, with voluntary accreditation available through independent regional accreditation
authorities. About 87% of school-age children attend public schools, about 10% attend private
schools, and roughly 3% are home-schooled.

Education is compulsory over an age range starting between five and eight and ending
somewhere between ages sixteen and eighteen, depending on the state.This requirement can be
satisfied in public schools, state-certified private schools, or an approved home school program.
In most schools, education is divided into three levels: elementary school, middle or junior high
school, and high school. Children are usually divided by age groups into grades, ranging from
kindergarten and first grade for the youngest children, up to twelfth grade as the final year of
high school.

There are also a large number and wide variety of publicly and privately administered
institutions of higher education throughout the country. Post-secondary education, divided into
college, as the first tertiary degree, and graduate school, is described in a separate section below.

The United States spends more per student on education than any other country. In 2014,
the Pearson/Economist Intelligence Unit rated US education as 14th best in the world, just
behind Russia.In 2015 the Programme for International Student Assessment rated U.S. high
school students #40 globally in Math and #24 in Science and Reading. The President of the
National Center on Education and the Economy said of the results "the United States cannot
long operate a world-class economy if our workers are, as the OECD statistics show, among
the worst-educated in the world. Former U.S. Education Secretary John B. King, Jr.
acknowledged the results in conceding U.S. students were well behind their peers. According
to a report published by the U.S. News & World Report, of the top ten colleges and universities
in the world, eight are American.(The other two are Oxford and Cambridge, in the United
Kingdom.

Students completing high school may choose to attend a college or university, which
offer undergraduate degrees such as Associate's degrees or Bachelor's degrees (baccalaureate).
 Community college or junior college typically offer two-year associate degrees,
although some community colleges offer a limited number of bachelor's degrees. Some
community college students choose to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor's
degree. Community colleges are generally publicly funded (usually by local cities or counties)
and offer career certifications and part-time programs.

Four-year institutions may be public or private colleges or universities.

Some counties and cities have established and funded four-year institutions. Some of
these institutions, such as the City University of New York, are still operated by local
governments. Others such as the University of Louisville and Wichita State University are now
operated as state universities.

Private institutions are privately funded and there is a wide variety in size, focus, and
operation. Some private institutions are large research universities, while others are small liberal
arts colleges that concentrate on undergraduate education. Some private universities are
nonsectarian and secular, while others are religiously-affiliated. While most private institutions
are non-profit, a growing number in the past decade have been established as for-profit.

Curriculum varies widely depending on the institution. Typically, an undergraduate

student will be able to select an academic "major" or concentration, which comprises the main
or special subjects, and students may change their major one or more times.

Some students, typically those with a bachelor's degree, may choose to continue on to
graduate or professional school, sometimes attached to a university. Graduate degrees may be
either master's degrees (e.g., M.A., M.S., M.B.A., M.S.W.) or a doctorates (e.g., Ph.D., J.D.,
("Doctor of Law"), M.D., D.O.). Programs range from full-time, evening and executive which
allows for flexibility with students' schedules. Academia-focused graduate school typically
includes some combination of coursework and research (often requiring a thesis or dissertation
to be written), while professional graduate-level schools grants a first professional degree.
These include medical, law, business, education, divinity, art, journalism, social work,
architecture, and engineering schools.

Education of students with special needs

Commonly known as special classes, are taught by teachers with training in adapting
curricula to meet the needs of students with special needs.

According to the National Association of School Nurses, 5% of students in 2009 have a

seizure disorder,another 5% have ADHD and 10% have mental or emotional disorders.

On January 25, 2013, the Office for Civil Rights of the US Department of Education
issued guidance, clarifying school districts' existing legal obligations to give disabled students
an equal chance to compete in extracurricular sports alongside their able-bodied classmates.

Educating children with disabilities

The federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires states to
ensure that all government-run schools provide services to meet the individual needs of students
with special needs, as defined by the law. All students with special needs are entitled to a free
and appropriate public education (FAPE).

Schools meet with the parents or guardians to develop an Individualized Education

Program that determines best placement for the child. Students must be placed in the least
restrictive environment (LRE) that is appropriate for the student's needs. Public schools that fail
to provide an appropriate placement for students with special needs can be taken to due process
wherein parents may formally submit their grievances and demand appropriate services for the
child.Nationwide, 62% of students with disabilities attending public schools graduate high
school.

Major educational issues in the United States center on curriculum and control. Other
major issues include assessment of proficiency versus growth, funding and legal protection of
special education, and excessive student loan debt.

It has been alleged, since the 1950s and especially in recent years, that American
schooling is undergoing a crisis in which academic performance is behind other countries, such
as Russia, Japan, or China, in core subjects. Congress passed the National Defense Education
Act in 1958 in an attempt to rectify these problems, and a series of other legislative acts in later
decades such as No Child Left Behind. According to the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development, however, American students of 2012 ranked 25th in math, 17th
in science, and 14th in reading compared with students in 27 other countries. In 2013, Amanda
Ripley published The Smartest Kids in the World (And How They Got That Way), a
comparative study of how the American education system differs from top-performing
countries such as Finland and South Korea.

Recent allegations take the perspective of employers who demand more vocational
training. Voters in both major parties have been critical of the Common Core initiative.