HANDOUT - Characteristics of US Schools_Wertz

Characteristics of U.S. Schools General Characteristics of Public Schools:  Most common type of schools in the U.S.;  88% of all K-12 students attend public schools;  Publicly funded through tax revenue;  No tuition is charged;  Required by law to admit all children;  Must follow all federal, state and local education laws;  Offer general and technical education programs for all students;  Public magnet schools offer specialized programming;  Curriculum and funding are set at the local district level following local, state and federal guidelines;  Students must take standardized state tests in specified subjects;  All teachers must be state certified;  Students are generally from the neighboring community; and  Public schools often have larger class sizes.

General Characteristics of Chartered Public Schools:  They are also public schools (publically funded) and can’t charge tuition;  Are free from some regulations that apply to other public schools in exchange for accountability for producing certain academic results;  Provide an alternative to kids who attend low-performing schools;  They are held accountable to their sponsor - a local school board, state education agency, university, or other entity - to produce positive academic results & adhere to the charter contract;  Often provide curricula that specialize in certain fields - e.g. arts, mathematics, science, engineering, etc.  Generally students must take the standardized state tests;  All teachers must be state certified; and  Charter schools sometimes have smaller class sizes.

General Characteristics of Private Schools:  12% of K-12 students in the U.S. attend private schools;  These schools do not receive public tax dollars;  They charge tuition;  Have selective admission;  There are fewer state & federal regulations governing private schools;  They may have a religious affiliation (parochial schools) or not (independent schools) – or they may be for profit (proprietary);  They can create their own curriculum and offer specialized programs;  They can develop their own assessment systems (but many use the state’s assessments);  Teachers may not need to be state certified;  Students may live in different neighborhoods or communities; and  They often have smaller class sizes.