The compulsory attendance of children to go to school starting at the age of six to up nineteen in the thirteenth grade is called the K 12 educational system. Learning about a little bit of the background of this type of educational system makes it easier to understand its overall concept of teaching.
The first grade, kindergarten was created by a philosopher German teacher named Friedrich Froebel who wanted to create a place for young children to learn from their guided playing and enable them to bloom with their individual minds and initial learning. This grade was created long before K 12 education system was followed and which started in America in about 1856. At that time, education was not yet compulsory nor not all children have access to attend school. Kindergarten was usually taught to the children of the elite who do not have to work in their family’s farms.
In 1918, the Fisher Act helped the formulation of the K 12 education that is familiar today. The law started the recognition of the education for children with special needs and raised the age to fourteen when children can leave schooling. After the Act, separate states have separate regulations regarding their educational systems. Most of the educational schooling available after the following years are usually headed by religious communities. In 1925, the Supreme Court allowed either public or private schooling for children..
After so many years, the states have formed their own departments of education to handle the education of the children. Funding resources also became available from federal, state, and local sources.
K 12 educational system have been established when the 1950’s came. Social status discrimination was evident having only children of the elite can be schooled. Some social biases also occurred as segregation were prevalent in public schools but it was abolished in 1954.
Since then, the educational system worked for most of all of the states. And in 2002 the No Child Left Behind campaign approved by then President Bush that enables parents to choose the school where they will be sending their children.
Arguably many parents have find K 12 not effective in their children’s education and opt for other alternative learning systems like home schooling and community schools. Some even have online teaching to educate their kids. The only challenge in these alternative options are the educational credits for the children. But surprisingly, the government have become more accommodating of the other learning options as time has passed by.
Government has made it possible to provide free education in public schools to children up to the 12th grade. Private schools are usually expensive because parents have to pay for the tuition that they require. Many of the children going under K 12 educational system are enjoying its benefits at school by bringing out their best selves and skills. The system will change undoubtedly in due time because of the constant changes in the socio-political atmosphere. What we know as now may radically change given a few decades.
