Attending School – Is Your Child Ready for It?

Attending School – Is Your Child Ready for It?

A school is an education establishment designed to offer learning environments and learning spaces for children under the guidance of qualified teachers. Most developed countries now have complex systems of public formal education, which can be mandatory or optional. In such systems, children progress through a sequence of primary schools, each of them designated by a government department as well as by an inter-governmental association. In most cases, children continue to attend secondary schools until the age of eighteen.

The primary school provides the first introduction to general learning that every child needs. It is usually located in the neighborhood and is usually funded by a local government. In some countries, a special education school also offers primary schooling. The curriculum of primary schools varies widely. Most of them teach reading, writing, counting, food chains, the alphabet, geography, sports, foreign languages, science, health, and social studies. In some countries, a separate science department may be established to study specific areas such as climatology, geology, astronomy, and geophysics.

Secondary schools are run by local governments or by the National Education Board, an agency of the government responsible for running public schools. They usually have two types of enrollment: non-competitive and competitive. In non-competitive schools, students are admitted on the basis of location, performance, family budget, and other criteria specified by the government. In competitive secondary schools, students are admitted on the basis of academic merit, regional affiliation, and entrance exam results. Attending a competitive school entitles the student to receive a minimum award of points toward a scholarship.

Professional development within the field of school psychology has gained much prominence in recent years. There are many professional schools and research institutions that provide advanced graduate preparation in school psychology. At the graduate level, a student can pursue specialization; however, most psychology professionals choose to specialize in a specific area of study. A few areas of specialization that graduate psychology students may pursue are school climate and behavior, school violence, emotional and social development, and school safety. Many states require that school psychologists be licensed or certified.

Attending secondary school is the ideal age for many young children. Statistics show that children who attend primary school at least for one year outgrow their need for further education by the time they reach the age of eighteen. Attending secondary school helps prepare young children for higher education and it prepares them for career and family responsibilities. Some young children continue to attend primary schools into high school; others go on to study at colleges and universities.

In terms of academic standards, public schools generally require less than private schools in terms of retention and college acceptance rates. Attending secondary school, particularly early childhood education and parental involvement promote social skills, self-confidence, and healthy attitudes towards school and academic work. However, research indicates that attending public schools has some negative consequences, such as lower test scores, higher drop-out rates, and lower earnings.