Education

[Sammy Boy]

Hi everyone, I recently watched a documentary on education in the U.S. and it got me curious, so I have a few questions.

1. Apart from public and private high schools, are there any other options?

For example, in Australia you can sit for an exam towards the end of primary school and if you get a good score you may enrol into a selective high school.

2. Are there non-religious private high schools in the U.S.?

3. For universities, do you have to pay your own way or can you get a loan from the government? If you can get a loan, is there interest charged or is it just adjusted for inflation?

4. From what I can gather, it seems U.S. schools do not require students to wear school uniform. Is this the case for all schools, or only some schools?

Thanks!

[armeck]

as for the first question I do not know.
yes there are non religious private schools.
what you want to try to do ia get as many grants as you can. loans have interest rates. a documentary that was I just watched said most college students at the end of 4 years had $100,000 in debt. and that was ten years ago. its worse now
I lived in Australia for a while... all schools require uniforms yeah? some do here but most don't

[uc pseudonym]

To the best of my knowledge:

1) There are selective private high schools, but the only other class of education is home schooling. The GED is a high school equivalent exam.

2) Many. Non-religious private schools are the second or third largest category.

3) The government provides both grants and loans under a variety of conditions, the most common being low family income. Loans come both with no interest until after graduation and with full interest (you have to qualify to get the interest-free loans). In addition, basically all universities offer substantial scholarships for academic/athletic/musical achievement and there is a whole industry of other scholarships available.

4) Most schools. I read that 15% of schools require school uniforms (that may not be current) and I think this is highly concentrated in certain kinds of private schools.

[Vii]

1. Apart from public and private high schools, are there any other options?

Homeschool is the only other major option. Or one could take classes at a community college perhaps. Or boarding school, but that likely falls under the category of private schools.

2. Are there non-religious private high schools in the U.S.?

Definitely. They're all over the place.

3. For universities, do you have to pay your own way or can you get a loan from the government? If you can get a loan, is there interest charged or is it just adjusted for inflation?

I...am not sure.

4. From what I can gather, it seems U.S. schools do not require students to wear school uniform. Is this the case for all schools, or only some schools?

Only some. Catholic schools almost always have a uniform, and I know a few (private) schools with a strict dress code instead of a uniform. Public school usually has a few rules against things like spaghetti straps, but for the most part students can wear what they want.

[Okami]

3. For universities, do you have to pay your own way or can you get a loan from the government? If you can get a loan, is there interest charged or is it just adjusted for inflation?

I just wanted to touch on this a little bit. I can't imagine too many people, coming straight out from high school especially, being able to pay their own way through college. The only way I could potentially see that happening was if it were a cheap community college and the student had been saving up from summer jobs and part-time jobs through high school.

Speaking from my own personal experience, my going to a private Christian College, there would be no way this could have happened. Even had I been employed throughout high school and the beginning years of college, the money made might have covered a semester of the six I've already got behind me. I'm assuming my student loans will have me paying them off for the rest of my life at this point, and I still need to go through graduate school.

[SilverToast]

Hi everyone, I recently watched a documentary on education in the U.S. and it got me curious, so I have a few questions.

3. For universities, do you have to pay your own way or can you get a loan from the government? If you can get a loan, is there interest charged or is it just adjusted for inflation?

You can get a loan or grant from the government in the U.S. Which one you can get depends on your eligibility which depends on your income and how much money your household makes after taxes and other factors. The loans still charge interest though.

Students with low income can qualify for a Pell Grant which I believe gives $5500 at the most to 1 student for a year at a university or college. Also a student if eligible can apply for loans and a grant.

There are other options besides government financial aid such as private student loans and selective scholarships from organizations or companies. Although I've heard its best not to apply for private student loans.

This link explains more about federal financial aid.
http://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/next-steps/how-calculated

[Atria35]

1. Apart from public and private high schools, are there any other options?
- Charter schools. They are still considered part of the public education system, but because of certain accountability standards they have in their charters, they aren't held accountable for some of the things public schools are. There aren't that many of these schools around - they're a fairly new development. There are a *very* few boarding schools, but those are usually reserved for troubled youths or for the very rich. Entry into charter schools varies based on the individual school.

There is also the option of homeschooling, as someone pointed out, which is becoming more popular.

2. Are there non-religious private high schools in the U.S.?
- Yes, but they aren't as numerous since they require private funding. Religious organizations privide that for their own schools. The non-religious ones must find other donors.

3. For universities, do you have to pay your own way or can you get a loan from the government? If you can get a loan, is there interest charged or is it just adjusted for inflation?
- There are loans and scholarships available. Depending on the loan (there are government loans and private bank loans to choose from at one's own discretion), then it's usually charged interest. Eligibility for any loan depends on one's 'financial need', which is determined either by your parents' income if you are a dependent, or your own if you are not. Each scholarship has it's own unique requirements to determine who recieves it.

4. From what I can gather, it seems U.S. schools do not require students to wear school uniform. Is this the case for all schools, or only some schools?
- Any school, public or private, can require a uniform. However, the vast majority of public schools don't, while many of the private schools do.

[TWWK]

1. Apart from public and private high schools, are there any other options?
- Charter schools. They are still considered part of the public education system, but because of certain accountability standards they have in their charters, they aren't held accountable for some of the things public schools are. There aren't that many of these schools around - they're a fairly new development.

I should add that in certain parts of the country, there are a TON of charter schools. Though their popularity has grown recently, they've existed for a couple of decades (which is as Atria said, fairly new). Their structure is in some cases wholly different than standard public and private schools - half-days curriculum based on self-learning are not uncommon. They are an excellent option, in many cases, for non-traditional learners.

[SierraLea]

1. Apart from public and private high schools, are there any other options?
You could homeschool all the way to college if you wanted to. That's what I did.
2. Are there non-religious private high schools in the U.S.?
Don't know about that.
3. For universities, do you have to pay your own way or can you get a loan from the government? If you can get a loan, is there interest charged or is it just adjusted for inflation?
YOu can get a loan, but you have to pay it back. I think interest is charged.
4. From what I can gather, it seems U.S. schools do not require students to wear school uniform. Is this the case for all schools, or only some schools?
Most schools don't require them, at least none that I've encountered.

[DaughterOfZion]

1. Some types of schools not yet mentioned:
A. Preparatory high schools- The large city I lived north of all my life has a 6-12th grade preparatory school whose curriculum is based on liberal arts and advanced placement courses. Prep schools usually private schools. This may fall under the umbrella of charter schools, I'm not really sure.

B. In my state there is a public school option where instead of attending a physical school you can go to school online, just like some colleges, except it's for K-12 students.

C. Alternative High Schools generally serve "at risk" students who, from wikipedia "may have one or more of any several reasons such as challenging behavior, a need for special remedial programs, emotional disabilities, or problems that destabilize the student's personal life, such as homelessness or, in the case of migrant farmworkers, moving very frequently." A lot of these schools have much smaller classes sizes and more services for students. Before my town closed it down, my mother used to work at an alternative school, which served students with disabilities that couldn't be serviced by special education classes at other public schools as well as pregnant mothers and students in other special situations.

D. There are also districts with dual credit programs. Though I wasn't in the dual credit program the school I graduated from did have one such program. The district had a special deal with the local community college. Juniors and seniors could take half a day at school with the standard required courses, and then go to the community college and be enrolled in one of their programs. They had regular associates degree programs as well as a pre-engineering program. Tuition was completely waived and you were still fulfilling all the state requirements for high school graduation. Some schools also allow you to substitute a college course in for a state required course.

2. and 3. Also pretty much covered

4. As it's been said, few public schools require uniforms, but this may be beginning to change . The city south of where I grew up and went to school just recently added the requirement that all public school students from elementary to junior high must wear school uniforms. A couple of the high schools there already have uniform requirements but as of now none of the other high schools require students to wear uniforms, though that could change. Note this is not a small city, and in the cities public school system their are 88 campuses in total.

[Sammy Boy]

Thank you all for your responses, really informative, appreciate it.

I am secretly jealous that some schools in the U.S. have no requirements for uniforms.

I always had to wear uniform and it was hard to play sports in leather shoes. I know I could bring an extra pair of shoes to change, but that would just add to my school bad's weight, already overburdened by those heavy textbooks.

But on the plus side school fees during high school were voluntary and only 200 bucks a year.

My university fees cost a lot more, I owed the government around $15,000 when I graduated, but thankfully it was only adjusted for inflation and I was told if I paid it off at once I'd get a small discount.

[rocklobster]

You know, here's something I've been puzzled about. If I'm not mistaken, public schools didn't require you to have uniforms until the Columbine massacre. Why do the schools think uniforms are the solution?

[K. Ayato]

Conformity

[Atria35]

You know, here's something I've been puzzled about. If I'm not mistaken, public schools didn't require you to have uniforms until the Columbine massacre. Why do the schools think uniforms are the solution?

Some public schools did have uniform policies before Columbine, but they were far rarer then.

They think they're a good idea because then students can't be bullied for wearing things that aren't in style or are different, and it also promotes a mindset about obeying rules.

[DaughterOfZion]

Uniforms also do away with a lot of dress code violations. It was ridiculous the amount of time my schools administration spent on dealing with such things. Skirt too short? Office. Spaghetti straps? Office. Any pictures or symbols having to do with drugs or sex? Office.
There are way better things for schools to be spending their time on than being the fashion police.
With uniforms you might have the occasional "rebel" who hikes up their skirt so it's too short or something, but that's still much less time for the administrators to be wasting on clothing.

[Sapphire225]

Hi everyone, I recently watched a documentary on education in the U.S. and it got me curious, so I have a few questions.

1. Apart from public and private high schools, are there any other options?

For example, in Australia you can sit for an exam towards the end of primary school and if you get a good score you may enrol into a selective high school.

2. Are there non-religious private high schools in the U.S.?

3. For universities, do you have to pay your own way or can you get a loan from the government? If you can get a loan, is there interest charged or is it just adjusted for inflation?

4. From what I can gather, it seems U.S. schools do not require students to wear school uniform. Is this the case for all schools, or only some schools?

Thanks!

1. Besides religious schools, we(in my area) what we call magnet schools which can fall under either public or private schools but can be enrolled into if the criteria is met, there are some international schools I know of.

2. There are some non-religious private high schools, but a good number are religious.

3. Most college students get several loans form the government, but there is some degree (depending on one's finances) of paying your own way in. Interest is added and you have six months after graduation to start paying them off.

4. It always depends on the school. Most public schools don't, but some do such as some city schools (at least in Maryland), require them to wear uniforms, and most private schools do require them to wear a uniform but not all.

[TheMewster]

3. For universities, you can get scholarships, public or private loans, and if you're a good student, you can get an associates degree through dual enrollment for free.
4. Our schools don't require uniforms, but schools in a nearby school district do.

[Atria35]

and if you're a good student, you can get an associates degree through dual enrollment for free.

This is only true IF the high school has an agreement with the local college, and I know that in my district there were still more restricitons on who could get into that program. This is a very far cry from universal.

[mechana2015]

You know, here's something I've been puzzled about. If I'm not mistaken, public schools didn't require you to have uniforms until the Columbine massacre. Why do the schools think uniforms are the solution?

This is absolutely untrue, not only due to what Atria and (especially) DoZ said but one other MAJOR reason. Uniforms were actually heavily introduced in some areas in the late 80's and early 90's to reduce gang colors and paraphernalia being worn on campus. Columbine might have added to it but it was hardly the primary cause and quite the late comer to the debate.