INCA Education around the world
USA : Education Structure (ages 3-19)
3.1 Compulsory education
General/national
Education is compulsory in all 50 states of the United States of America, usually from the age of around 6 to 16 (that is to say that most states require at least ten years of compulsory education), and public (state) schools in the United States are open to all students.8
Over 95 per cent of children aged 5 and 6 years are enrolled in school (those aged 5 are usually enrolled in a pre-Grade 1 kindergarten year). Enrolment increases to over 99 per cent for 7- to 15-year-old children, but declines to 93 per cent at age 16-17. In most districts, students may choose to leave school without graduating at age 16.8
Because of mandatory attendance laws, enrolment rates for children ages 6-15 have been close to 100 per cent for many years. However, the increasing importance placed on education in recent years has helped strengthen the participation rates within age groups for which attendance is not compulsory. In 1996, 37 per cent of 3-year-olds, 58 per cent of 4-year-olds and 90 per cent of 5-year-olds were enrolled in pre-primary education.87
Home schooling
Individual states have the right, via mandatory legislation, to regulate compulsory attendance at school,70 but in many states children may be educated at home. Indeed, due in part perhaps to the impact of information technology and as more online information has become available, the numbers educated at home in the United States have grown in recent years.29 A 1999 US Education Department study of home schooling put national home school enrolment at around 850,000 students. In 2002, the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) put the figure at between 1.2 and 1.8 million. (www.newsobserver.com/front/v-print/story/1594002p-1621785c.html)
Subsequent estimates from a variety of different groups show that home schooling continues to rise, not only as a result of the growth of the internet, but also due to the availability of curriculum guides and workbooks in local shops and supermarkets. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 1.1 million, or 2.2 per cent of school-age children were educated at home in 2003. This represents a 1.7 per cent increase on the estimate of 850,000 students in 1999. NHERI figures for the 2002/03 school year estimate that 1.7 to 2.1 million children were taught at home, an increase of up to 13 per cent on the previous year. The organisation claims that home schooling has grown at a rate of approximately seven per cent every year since 1999.177 The NHERI website is at http://www.nheri.org.
Kentucky
Kentucky's compulsory attendance laws require that every child between the ages of 6 and 16 should be enrolled in school. There are, however, provisions to exempt children from attending public school if they are enrolled and regularly attending a private (home), parochial or church regular day school. Parents who wish to educate their children at home are required to establish a bonafide school for their child/children to attend. They must also notify the local superintendent of schools by letter that they have established a school and must report the names, ages, and place of residence of each pupil in attendance at the school, "together with any facts that the superintendent may require to facilitate carrying out the laws relating to compulsory attendance and employment of children." Home schools are considered to be private schools in Kentucky, and the laws relating to private schools apply equally to home schools.46
State law, for example, requires that instruction should be offered in English and in the branches of study that are taught in public schools (see 5.2.2 and 5.3.2). This is interpreted to include at least reading, writing, spelling, grammar, history, mathematics and civics. Private, home and parochial schools must also provide instruction for a term at least as long as the term in effect for the public school in the district where the child resides. The minimum school term in Kentucky is 185 days, including no less than the equivalent of 175 six-hour instructional days. Reports on student progress and attendance must also be kept and all private schools, including home schools should be open to inspection by directors of pupil personnel or officials of the Department of Education.46
Maryland
In Maryland, education is compulsory for children aged 6-16 years8 although, in addition, all five-year-olds are expected to enrol either in a publicly-funded school kindergarten or an approved alternative programme prior to commencing first Grade at age 6.69
Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, children must normally attend school between the ages of 6 and 18 years. A parent or guardian does, however, have the right to select a home-based private educational programme (HBPEP) for her or his child or children, in order to comply with the compulsory school attendance law. This option is commonly referred to as home-schooling. If the HBPEP option is chosen, parents are required to inform the Department of Public Instruction. In accordance with state legislation, home-based education programmes must provide at least 875 hours of instruction each school year, and a sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and health. However, statutes contain no express authority for any agency or school district to monitor home-based private educational programmes or to verify hours of instruction.124
Under California law, students who do not attend state schools can only be educated in three ways: by enrolling in a private school, learning at home from parents guided by a credentialed teacher, or being taught by a credentialed teacher.
