Nelva Moran

School Structures
Public

Private

Fundi
ng

-Funded by state, local and

federal government. Typically
through taxpayer money
-Funding controlled by school
boards.

-Typically funded by tuition or

by contributions

Refor
m

-desire to make public education

more effective, with higher
standards, higher achievement,
and higher focus on the needs
of students.
-a barrier to reform might be
labor agreements with teachers
unions.

-Generally free to determine

their own curriculum and
staffing policies.

-Another barrier to reform is

assuming that schools are like
businesseswhen in fact they
are very different.

-Some people have argued that

when their child attends a
private school, they should be
able to take the funds that the
public school no longer needs
and apply that money towards
private school tuition in the
form of vouchers. This is the
basis of the school choice
movement.

Schoo
l
Board
s

-board of directors or board of

trustees of a school, local school
district or higher administrative
that was elected by residents of
the school district.

-Typically have school boards

like private schools, but dont
have be elected.

State

-Broad regulation of public

schools is typically
accomplished through a state
board of education and a state
department of education

-Direct regulation of public,

private and parochial schools in
the United States is done by
state and territorial
governments.

Feder
al

The role of the United States

government in education is
limited and indirect. Direct
regulation of education is a
power reserved to the states
under the Tenth Amendment to

The role of the United States

government in education is
limited and indirect. Direct
regulation of education is a
power reserved to the states
under the Tenth Amendment to

the United States Constitution,

however any public or private
school that accepts educational
funding from the United States
government, by accepting those
funds or participating in the
particular federal program,
subjects itself to federal
jurisdiction to the extent of that
participation.

the United States Constitution,

however any public or private
school that accepts educational
funding from the United States
government, by accepting those
funds or participating in the
particular federal program,
subjects itself to federal
jurisdiction to the extent of that
participation.

Reflection: How does the school fit within the larger community context?
Public schools in particular, and chances are we will mostly likely work in on,
are funded primary by taxpayer dollars, this tax money gets used in a public
school that is regulated by the Board of Directors, who in turn is regulated by
the state board of education. So we can see how schools are regulated by
levels that start at the state level but are funded by the community.
However, the majority of the reform does occur within school boards, and
these in turn are elected by members of the community. In this way,
community members have a say on how their tax dollars are used to
maintain and improve schools within our communities. Private schools are
more autonomous, and no taxpayer dollars are involved, but attendants pay
tuition and it that regard they also have a say.