What Are the Schools Like?
Public schools educate millions of children across the nation from grades k5 to twelve. In addition to educating 88% of 54.9 million students in the nation (private schools educating the remaining 12%), they provide an assortment of services for the needs of society's children. For instance school nurses and health care programs, counselors and psychologists, social workers, federal school lunch programs (a program where children from low income families can receive free or reduced lunch, and in the 2003-04 school year, 36% of students were eligible for the program), before and after school day care and pre-kindergarten programs. Not all schools keep all of the services within the school systems, that depends are the schools finances.
Generally schools are a major reflection of the community the school is within. For instance a school set in a higher income base community, will be better maintained, receive more money from the community and state, and more teachers will be willing and eager to teach there. On average only 9% of funding for our nation's schools is provided by the government, each state and community provides the rest of our school's budgets locally. The nation's funding average however has increased over the past three years.
Who Are Our students?
Over all more public school students are attending school in suburbs, towns and rural areas than in urban areas. However more African American and Latino students attend in urban areas. Four out of ten public school students are children of color, and this number is expected to increase extensively. It is projected that by the year 2020, nearly half of the nations school age will be children of color. African American and Latino students are more likely to attend high poverty schools than white students, and more than 1/3 of public school students are from low-income families. Many of our nation's students were not even born here in the US, 27% were foreign born children.
Who Are the Teachers?
Despite our nations diversity in its students, the public school teaching force is not at all a reflection of that. Almost 80% of our nations teachers are female and about 90% are white. These numbers have decreased a great deal since the seventies. Almost half of public school teachers have advanced degrees (47%), and majority of them have more than ten years experience (58%). Yet these teachers with the degree and experience are not teaching in school where they are needed most. More often in schools with a high poverty concentration and a high minority percentage of students, teachers with three years experience or less and teaching out of their field are educating students there. This mentioned earlier in what schools are like, is another example of how schools being funded better by the state and community with the money to do so are being better maintained, and are the better places for children to learn. Yet more students are being educated through underprivileged circumstances.
Generally schools are a major reflection of the community the school is within. For instance a school set in a higher income base community, will be better maintained, receive more money from the community and state, and more teachers will be willing and eager to teach there. On average only 9% of funding for our nation's schools is provided by the government, each state and community provides the rest of our school's budgets locally. The nation's funding average however has increased over the past three years.
Who Are Our students?
Over all more public school students are attending school in suburbs, towns and rural areas than in urban areas. However more African American and Latino students attend in urban areas. Four out of ten public school students are children of color, and this number is expected to increase extensively. It is projected that by the year 2020, nearly half of the nations school age will be children of color. African American and Latino students are more likely to attend high poverty schools than white students, and more than 1/3 of public school students are from low-income families. Many of our nation's students were not even born here in the US, 27% were foreign born children.
Who Are the Teachers?
Despite our nations diversity in its students, the public school teaching force is not at all a reflection of that. Almost 80% of our nations teachers are female and about 90% are white. These numbers have decreased a great deal since the seventies. Almost half of public school teachers have advanced degrees (47%), and majority of them have more than ten years experience (58%). Yet these teachers with the degree and experience are not teaching in school where they are needed most. More often in schools with a high poverty concentration and a high minority percentage of students, teachers with three years experience or less and teaching out of their field are educating students there. This mentioned earlier in what schools are like, is another example of how schools being funded better by the state and community with the money to do so are being better maintained, and are the better places for children to learn. Yet more students are being educated through underprivileged circumstances.
3 comments:
It sounds like schools in america can provide a lot for children, but what do schools actually teach the children? It is interesting to see that you have many students from all around the world, and not only students from america. Also i do not understand what an advanced degree is, or what the qualifications of being a teacher is. But, overall it sounds like the schools in america can provide a lot for many different types of children.
"a school set in a higher income base community, will be better maintained, receive more money from the community and state, and more teachers will be willing and eager to teach there." How do we change this?
From reading this I can see that the more money a community has the better the children are educated. Is this really fair? Why does money define the kind of education the student’s receive? How can we try and spread the funding so that it doesn't build up in one community but is fairly distributed throughout all communities. Other then this problem I feel like the public education system is one that works well.
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