Archived: The Educational System in the United States: Case Study Findings

Funding and Governance
Public elementary and secondary education is primarily the responsibility of state
and local governments, which contribute about 92 percent of school funding,
about half of that from the state and the other half local. This decentralized ap-
proach has led to variability of opportunities for education, a problem the federal
government has attempted to address through federal assistance grants designed
to equalize opportunities.
Decisions regarding education policies and curricula are shared by the three levels
of government. The U.S. Department of Education collects data on all aspects of
the United States education system and makes recommendations at the national
and state levels, but it does not regulate school operations or set standards. Public
education is largely a state responsibility, with community control achieved
through locally elected school boards. States regulate the number of school days,
but local districts determine the length of the day and the school calendar. States
also set the courses required for high school graduation, but curriculum guidelines
are generally determined at the local level, and more specific decisions, such as
choice of textbook and classroom instructional methods, are generally made at the
school level by teachers and school administrators.
The Research Sites
For the three research sites, we selected cities of varying sizes, located in different
regions of the country and with different ethnic compositions. Within the main
research site, both urban and suburban school districts were represented, thereby
increasing the diversity of the sample. Cities, schools, and individuals have been
given pseudonyms throughout the study in order to protect confidentiality. The
primary site is referred to as Metro City and the secondary sites as East City and
West City.
Metro City is a major metropolitan area of nearly 6 million people located in the
midwestern region of the United States; its economy is based on manufacturing,
finance, and publishing. The city has historically attracted immigrants from all

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over the world, and the population is ethnically diverse. Nearly 20 percent of
Metro City families have incomes below the poverty level.
West City is a large metropolitan area comprised of approximately 1.5 million peo-
ple and is located in the western part of the United States. Once primarily agricul-
tural, the community is now home to large manufacturing concerns and high tech-
nology enterprises. The population is ethnically diverse, with a large number of
Hispanics. Less than 7 percent of the families in West City live below the poverty
level.
East City, located in the southeastern United States, has a metropolitan population
of approximately three-quarter million people. The rapidly growing community is
a major transportation hub and is home to major industry, high technology firms,
and various businesses and services. The population is more than two-thirds
whites and more than one quarter African-American. Approximately 8 percent of
the families in the city live below the poverty level.