Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to This scares the hell out of me

What this says about the US education "system":
Mary Anne — (archived)

-that it is highly decentralized.

-that school districts are principly answerable to their local school boards, who are directly answerable to local populations through the electoral process. (There are exceptions: Philadelphia's school board, for example -- Tony, please correct me if I'm wrong -- is appointed, I believe, but still by elected officials.)

-that public school curricula are heavily influenced by local politics when the issues are hot-button items.

-that all the stuff you hear about the US Dept of Education controlling American schools is not how it is. The only way the US Dept of Ed gets its way is by offering money to those who play ball. If a school district wants to tell the Feds to buzz off, it can.

The influence of the individual state governments' departments of education varies with the laws and funding structure of each state. Generally, states have more influence over school districts, but school districts can strike out on their own if they want. If their students score high enough on the standardized tests, the state usually stays out of it.

Log in or register to post.

The whole thread (30 posts)