A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students (or "pupils") under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory.Template:Citation needed In these systems, students progress through a series of schools. The names for these schools vary by country (discussed in the Regional section below) but generally include primary school for young children and secondary school for teenagers who have completed primary education. An institution where higher education is taught, is commonly called a university college or university.
In addition to these core schools, students in a given country may also attend schools before and after primary and secondary education. Kindergarten or pre-school provide some schooling to very young children (typically ages 3–5). University, vocational school, college or seminary may be available after secondary school. A school may also be dedicated to one particular field, such as a school of economics or a school of dance. Alternative schools may provide nontraditional curriculum and methods.
There are also non-government schools, called private schools. Private schools may be required when the government does not supply adequate, or special education. Other private schools can also be religious, such as Christian schools, hawzas, yeshivas, and others; or schools that have a higher standard of education or seek to foster other personal achievements. Schools for adults include institutions of corporate training, Military education and training and business schools.
In homeschooling and online schools, teaching and learning take place outside of a traditional school building. In most schools, the school week consists of days Monday to Friday.
Etymology[]
The word school derives from Greek Template:Lang (Template:Lang), originally meaning "leisure" and also "that in which leisure is employed", but later "a group to whom lectures were given, school".[1][2][3]
History and development of schools[]
- Main article: History of education
Plato's academy, mosaic from Pompeii.
In Europe, universities emerged during the 12th century; here, scholasticism was an important tool, and the academicians were called schoolmen. During the Middle Ages and much of the Early Modern period, the main purpose of schools (as opposed to universities) was to teach the Latin language. This led to the term grammar school, which in the United States informally refers to a primary school, but in the United Kingdom means a school that selects entrants based on ability or aptitude. Following this, the school curriculum has gradually broadened to include literacy in the vernacular language as well as technical, artistic, scientific and practical subjects.
Mental Calculations. In the school of S.Rachinsky by Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky. Russia, 1895.
Regional terms[]
A madrasah in the Gambia.
Loyola School, Chennai, India - run by the Catholic Diocese of Madras. Christian missionaries played a pivotal role in establishing modern schools in India.
The use of the term school varies by country, as do the names of the various levels of education within the country.
United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations[]
In the United Kingdom, the term school refers primarily to pre-university institutions, and these can, for the most part, be divided into pre-schools or nursery schools, primary schools (sometimes further divided into infant school and junior school), and secondary schools. Various types of secondary schools in England and Wales include grammar schools, comprehensives, secondary moderns, and city academies. In Scotland, while they may have different names, all Secondary schools are the same, except in that they may be funded by the state, or independently funded (see next paragraph). It is unclear if "Academies", which are a hybrid between state and independently funded/controlled schools and have been introduced to England in recent years, will ever be introduced to Scotland. School performance in Scotland is monitored by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education. Ofsted reports on performance in England and Estyn reports on performance in Wales.
In the United Kingdom, most schools are publicly funded and known as state schools or maintained schools in which tuition is provided free. There are also private schools or independent schools that charge fees. Some of the most selective and expensive private schools are known as public schools, a usage that can be confusing to speakers of North American English. In North American usage, a public school is one that is publicly funded or run.
In much of the Commonwealth of Nations, including Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania, the term school refers primarily to pre-university institutions.
Europe[]
Chemistry lesson at a German Gymnasium, Bonn, 1988.
In much of continental Europe, the term school usually applies to primary education, with primary schools that last between four and nine years, depending on the country. It also applies to secondary education, with secondary schools often divided between Gymnasiums and vocational schools, which again depending on country and type of school educate students for between three and six years. In Germany students graduating from Grundschule are not allowed to directly progress into a vocational school, but are supposed to proceed to one of Germany's general education schools such as Gesamtschule, Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium. When they leave that school, which usually happens at age 15-19 they are allowed to proceed to a vocational school. The term school is rarely used for tertiary education, except for some upper or high schools (German: Hochschule), which describe colleges and universities.
In Eastern Europe modern schools (after World War II), of both primary and secondary educations, often are combined, while secondary education might be split into accomplished or not. The schools are classified as middle schools of general education and for the technical purposes include "degrees" of the education they provide out of three available: the first - primary, the second - unaccomplished secondary, and the third - accomplished secondary. Usually the first two degrees of education (eight years) are always included, while the last one (two years) gives option for the students to pursue vocational or specialized educations.
North America and the United States[]
Template:Unbalanced In North America, the term school can refer to any educational institution at any level, and covers all of the following: preschool (for toddlers), kindergarten, elementary school, middle school (also called intermediate school or junior high school, depending on specific age groups and geographic region), senior high school, college, university, and graduate school.
In the US, school performance through high school is monitored by each state's Department of Education. Charter schools are publicly funded elementary or secondary schools that have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools. The terms grammar school and grade school are sometimes used to refer to a primary school.
School ownership and operation[]
Many schools are owned or funded by states. But in Singapore, schools operate independently from the government, although it is considered to be under Ministry of Education. Private schools operate independently from the government. Private schools usually rely on fees from families whose children attend the school for funding; however, sometimes such schools also receive government support (for example, through School vouchers). Many private schools are affiliated with a particular religion; these are known as parochial schools.
Starting a school[]
The Toronto District School Board is an example of a school board that allows parents to design and propose new schools.[4]
When designing a school, factors that need to be decided include:[5]
- Goals: What is the purpose of education, and what is the school's role?
- Governance: Who will make which decisions?
- Parent involvement: In which ways are parents welcome at the school?
- Student body: Will it be, for example, a neighbourhood school or a specialty school?
- Student conduct: What behaviour is acceptable, and what happens when behaviour is inappropriate?
- Curriculum: What will be the curriculum model, and who will decide on curricula?
Components of most schools[]
A school entrance building in Australia.
Schools are organized spaces purposed for teaching and learning. The classrooms, where teachers teach and students learn, are of central importance, but typical schools have many other areas, which may include:
- Cafeteria (Commons), dining hall or canteen where students eat lunch and often breakfast and snacks.
- Athletic field, playground, gym, and/or track place where students participating in sports or physical education practice
- Auditorium or hall where student theatrical and musical productions can be staged and where all-school events such as assemblies are held
- Office where the administrative work of the school is done
- Library where students ask librarians reference questions, check out books and magazines, and often use computers
- Specialized classrooms including laboratories for science education
- Computer labs where computer-based work is done and the internet accessed
School security[]
To curtail violence, some schools have added CCTV surveillance cameras. This is especially common in schools with excessive gang activity or violence.
The safety of staff and students is increasingly becoming an issue for school communities, an issue most schools are addressing through improved security. Some have also taken measures such as installing metal detectors or video surveillance. Others have even taken measures such as having the children swipe identification cards as they board the school bus. For some schools, these plans have included the use of door numbering to aid public safety response.
Other security concerns faced by schools include bomb threats, gangs, vandalism,[6] and bullying.[7]
School health services[]
- Main article: School health services
School health services are services from medical, teaching and other professionals applied in or out of school to improve the health and well-being of children and in some cases whole families. These services have been developed in different ways around the globe but the fundamentals are constant: the early detection, correction, prevention or amelioration of disease, disability and abuse from which school aged children can suffer.
Online schools and classes[]
Some schools offer remote access to their classes over the Internet. Online schools also can provide support to traditional schools, as in the case of the Asknlearn.
Some online classes also provide experience in a class, so that when people take them, they have already been introduced to the subject and know what to expect, and even more classes provide High School/College credit allowing people to take the classes at their own pace. Many online classes cost money to take but some are offered free.
There is also "Online Exams" of which it is conducted in school.
Stress[]
As a profession, teaching has levels of work-related stress (WRS)[8] that are among the highest of any profession in some countries, such as the United Kingdom and the United States.[9] The degree of this problem is becoming increasingly recognized and support systems are being put into place.[10][11] Teacher education increasingly recognizes the need to train those new to the profession to be aware of and overcome mental health challenges they may face.Template:Citation needed
Stress sometimes affects students more severely than teachers, up to the point where the students are prescribed stress medication. This stress is claimed to be related to standardized testing, and the pressure on students to score above average.[12][13] See Cram school.
Discipline[]
- Main article: School discipline
Schools and their teachers have always been under pressure — for instance, pressure to cover the curriculum, to perform well in comparison to other schools, and to avoid the stigma of being "soft" or "spoiling" toward students. Forms of discipline, such as control over when students may speak, and normalized behaviour, such as raising a hand to speak, are imposed in the name of greater efficiency. Practitioners of critical pedagogy maintain that such disciplinary measures have no positive effect on student learning. Indeed, some argue that disciplinary practices detract from learning, saying that they undermine students' individual dignity and sense of self-worth—the latter occupying a more primary role in students' hierarchy of needs.
See also[]
Template:Portal Template:Sisterlinks
- Bullying in teaching
- List of colleges and universities by country
- List of schools by country
- List of songs about school
- List of television series about school
- Music school
- School and university in literature
- School bullying
- Schooliosis
- Student transport
- Teaching for social justice
- University-preparatory school
- Year-round school
References[]
- ↑ Online Etymology Dictionary; H.G. Liddell & R. Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
- ↑ School, on Oxford Dictionaries
- ↑ σχολή, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
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