School Education in America

Schooling is compulsory for all children in the United States, but the ages for compulsory education vary by state. I begins from ages five to eight and ends from ages fourteen to eighteen. (In most public and private schools, education is divided into) Three levels:  elementary school middle school (junior high school) high school (secondary education)

Elementary school Elementary school includes kindergarten through fifth grade. Basic subjects are taught, and students often remain in one or two classrooms throughout the school day, with the exceptions of physical education ("P.E." or "gym"), library, music, and art classes.  Back

Middle school  The concept often involves a group of two to eight teachers from different disciplines working as a team with the same group of students, with each teacher teaching a different subject. This format facilitates interdisciplinary units, where part or all of the entire team teaches on the same general topic from the perspective of different disciplines. The middle school philosophy also advocates assigning students in each team to a homeroom daily for various discussions and activities, to foster a sense of belonging in students to ease social and emotional difficulties during adolescence. Back

High school There is little national standardization in the typical USA high school curriculum. Individual states have great control over what coursework is taught in the schools within their borders, as well as in the requirements that students must meet in order to graduate with a high school diploma. Therefore, what courses and subjects are offered will vary depending on where the high school is located. Back

Grade scale Grading scales usually differ from school to school, the most common grade scale is letter grades—"A" through "F"—derived from a scale of 0–100 or a percentile. In some areas, Texas or Virginia for example, the "D" grade (or that between 70–60) is considered a failing grade. In other jurisdictions, such as Hawaii, a "D" grade is considered passing in certain classes, and failing in others.

Home schooling Reasons: A wish or a need to tailor a curriculum to suit an individual student’s academic strengths and weaknesses, especially those with singular needs or disabilities. Negative social pressures of schools (bullying, drugs, crime, sex, etc). Religious reasons. When parents are unsatisfied with nonreligious education. "Unschooling” – a range of educational philosophies and practices centered on allowing children to learn through their natural life experiences, rather than through a more traditional school curriculum. Religious reasons connected with unsatisfaction with nonreligious education. Parents often form groups to help each other in the homeschooling process, and may even assign classes to different parents, similar to public and private schools.

Extracurricular activities A major characteristic of American schools is the high priority given to sports, clubs and activities by the community, the parents, the schools and the students themselves. These activities can extend to large amounts of time outside the normal school day. Most states have organizations that develop rules for competition between groups. High school athletic competitions often generate intense interest in the community.

Extracurricular activities In addition to sports, numerous non-athletic extracurricular activities are available in American schools, both public and private. Activities include Quizbowl, musical groups, marching bands, student government, school newspapers, science fairs, debate teams.

Sources http://www.educationinamerica.net/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_United_States http://www.euroeducation.net/prof/usa.htm