"The quality and form of the education delivered to our students depends on financial resources, competition for enrollment, ease of access, transparency, parental involvement, and the ability of the institution to reject special interest agendas." 

History of Public Education
"Public Education in the United States" (excerpts from MSN Encarta)

American public education is primarily the responsibility of the states and individual school districts.

The national system of formal education in the United States developed in the 19th century. Prominent American educators, such as Horace Mann in Massachusetts and Henry Barnard in Connecticut, sought to increase educational opportunity for all children by creating the common-school movement.

In 1837 Mann became secretary of the board of education in Massachusetts and supervised the creation of a statewide common-school system. Barnard led similar efforts in Connecticut where he became superintendent of common schools in 1849.

The term common meant several things to these educators. Their reform efforts focused on elementary education, on the idea that all young children should be schooled, and on the notion that the content of education should be the same for everyone. Read more

Education Options
The questions each parent need to ask include, "What educational options are available to my family?" and "Which option best meets our needs?"

Preschool
Children are not required to attend preschool in the United States. Some children will benefit more from the experience than others. Whether to send your child and to what kind of preschool depends on your particular circumstances.  There are accredited and non-accredited preschools, however, all preschools must be licensed. Preschools reflect different philosophies of learning.  Some preschools have a religious orientation. High quality preschools provide developmentally appropriate activities. Read more.

Kindergarten
"Full-day and Half-day Kindergarten in the United States" Read more
"Full·Day kindergarten: A study of State Policies in the United States" Read more

Elementary (Primary) Education Read more

Middle School
"Mayhem in the Middle": A thoughtful examination drawing on gobs of evidence that shows the middle grades are where U.S. student achievement begins its fateful plunge, and where a growing number of other nations begin to outpace us. Read more

"Is Middle School Bad For Kids?": Cities across the U.S. are switching to K-8 schools. Will the results be any better? Read more

Block Scheduling
Block-time scheduling assigns a group of students to a team of teachers (i.e. 120 students) and provides a period of time in which two to four class periods of 45-60 minutes each are in session. The team usually becomes responsible for instruction in math, science, social studies, and language arts (Romano & Georgiady, 1994). The goal is to establish a school within a school, which nutures a bonding between students and teachers. Read More

Junior High School

K-8 School
"The K-8 Bunch": K-8 schools are growing in popularity across the country. Do they really lead to fewer discipline problems and better academic performance? Read more

"Middle schoolers do better in K-8 setting" Read more

"Great Beginnings: Tough decisions -- middle schools or K-8?" Read more

High School

Subgroups

Special Education
Given that remediation of learning difficulties is minimally effective after the second grade, it is especially troubling that there has been a large increase in the identification of learning disabilities of students in the later grades. Read more

The Access Center
Enhancing Access to the General Education Curriculum for Students with Disabilities (see resources) Read more

English Learners

Center for Applied Linguistics: Improving communication through better understanding of language and culture Read more

Educational Alternatives
The state in which a family resides and their level of disposable income are the two biggest factors influencing the amount of choice available in education. Read more.

Resources
The What Works Clearinghouse: A trusted source of scientific evidence of what works in education Read more