The School Years

Soon after the United States was founded, Thomas Jefferson, who was President from 1801 to 1809 wrote, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. " Jefferson believed that the new republic would be served best by literate, well-informed citizens and that everyone should have a guarantee of some education with further education for those who wanted it and were qualified. The American system of public education has been built on this philosophy. Public education in this country is expected to offer equal educational opportunities to everyone enrolled in secular schools, which are publicly controlled and publicly financed, with free tuition, free books, and compulsory attendance.

There is no mention of education in the Constitution, and each state is responsible for its own educational system. Public schools are financed primarily by local and state taxes, and the amount of money spent on public school students varies from state to state. Alabama, for example, spent an average of $716 for each pupil in 1974, the lowest rate of any state. New York, by contrast, had the highest rate, $ 1809 per pupil. The majority of states spent more than $ 800 per pupil.

There are great differences in expenditures (花费 ) by communities within each state, depending on the amount of local funds available for public education. Often, well-to-do communities spend several hundred dollars more for each child than poorer towns nearby do. These figures reflect differences in expenditures . for such items as teachers’ salaries, the purchase of books, and school construction and maintenance.

Despite these differences, there is general uniformity in the organization and curricula of public schools throughout the country. Each state is divided into local school districts. Usually a state department of education sets the general requirements that local communities or school districts must meet. Local school boards, usually elected by members of their communities, are responsible for the detailed organization and operation of their schools. This-responsibility includes hiring teachers and administration and setting their salaries.

The twelve years of public school education usually begin when a child is six years old. Some school systems are divided into eight years of primary school and four years of secondary school. Primary schools are often called elementary schools, and secondary schools are called high schools. Many systems combine the last two years of elementary school and the first year of high school in what is known as junior high school. This is followed by three years of senior high school. A large number of school systems also have a kindergarten program that provides one year of preschool training for five-year-old children before they begin the formal school years. The academic year lasts nine months, from September to June, with winter and spring vacations. Classes are held five days a week, from Monday through Friday.

Elementary schools are usually organized on a neighbourhood basis. Children living in the same area attend a school that is close to their homes. High schools, on the other hand, serve children from many different elementary schools, and a single high school often has several thousand students from various parts of the community. Many towns have just one high school. In rural areas one elementary school frequently serves the children from several communi¬ties. When schools are located beyond convenient walking distance, children are transported free of charge in bright yellow school buses. Today more than 40 percent of all American school children are bused to and from school daily.

It took many years for Jefferson’s dream of education for everyone to approach reality. In 1870 only slightly more than half of all children of school age attended school. It was not until 1918 that every state had a compulsory school-attendance law. Today most states require the attendance of all children between the ages of six and sixteen. Approximately 99 percent of all American children of elementary school age (six through thirteen) and 94 percent of high school age (fourteen through seventeen) go to school.