OPPapers.com

Modern Schooling Options Charter Schools

Modern Schooling Options – The Great Debate
One issue at affects nearly every American child is the option of schooling. At one time the only option available to the mainstream was the public school system. Children that are more affluent were sent to private or boarding schools, but this option was not available to most school age children. In recent years another option has emerged, charter schools. In many states the emergence of charter schools has sparked a debate within communities regarding how to spend education funds,
The modern public school system is unique from other countries’ is that it is primarily the responsibility of local governments. “The first publicly supported secondary school in the United States was the Boston Latin School, founded in 1635. Harvard was the first University in existence at that time. The attendance in secondary schools was very little because the curriculum was specialized and hard. The demand for skilled workers in the middle of the eighteenth century led Benjamin Franklin to start a new kind of secondary school. Thus, the American Academy was established in Philadelphia in 1751. American high schools eventually replaced Latin grammar schools. The rise in American high school attendance was one of the most striking developments in U.S. education during the 20th century. From 1900 to 1996 the percentage of teenagers who graduated from high school increased from about 6 percent to about 85 percent. As the 20th century progressed, most states enacted legislation extending compulsory education laws to the age of 16. It is essential to look at the history of public education along with the events shaping the country in the early years of the 20th century. The Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, wars with other countries, civil rights movement, student protests and the numerous political events within the country all had their effects on the education system too. In the 1920s and 30s, “progressive education” was...