Comprehensive high schools are the most popular form of public high schools around the world, designed to provide a well-rounded education to its students, as opposed to the practice in some places in which examinations are used to sort students into different high schools for different populations. Other types of high schools specialize in university-preparatory school academic preparation, remedial instruction, or vocational instruction. The typical comprehensive high school offers more than one course program of specialization to its students. Comprehensive high schools generally offer a college preparatory course program and one or more foreign language, scientific or vocational course programs. [1]
The tracking system is a way to group students into different class levels based on their academic abilities in comprehensive high school. For example, the English course is a mandatory course for all students; there are four tracks: gifted, advanced, average, and remedial. This tracking system allows teachers to guide students more efficiently with customized learning needs and speeds and make sure students match courses with their ability levels. [2]
However, it also brings equity problems that reinforce the academic divisions in the education system. There are critics of the tracking system that it affects students placed on lower tracks by providing less challenging education, lowering their self-worth and self-esteem, which can restrict their potential academic achievement, personal growth, and future aspirations. [3]
Other than the comprehensive high school, there are many other types of high schools. Studies show the difference in multiple aspects of the difference comparing comprehensive high schools and STEM-focused high schools or career academy high schools.
In comparison with STEM-focused high schools, comprehensive high schools don't show a significant difference in providing STEM opportunities for students, which breaks people's assumption that specialized programs must offer more in that area. [4]
In comparison with career academy high schools, researchers compared the students’ engagement in college and career readiness activities as an outcome of adopting students in future preparation. The researchers found that students in schools with high-level fidelity NAF (an organization aid to evaluate and improve schools) have higher engagement than students in comprehensive high school, while students in schools with low or medium fidelity in the NAF don't show a significant difference from students in the comprehensive high school. [5]
Other than studying the outcomes, researchers examined the bullying problem between these two types of high schools and revealed that students in career academy high schools experience less bullying than students in comprehensive high schools. [6] The potential factors are the size of the school and income level. Comprehensive high schools are usually larger, which is more likely to happen bullying issues, and schools in low-income areas tend to have bullying in school. [7]
The future of comprehensive high schools may involve reforms that deal with the limitations of the current tracking systems. By reducing the hierarchy of tracks and implementing more flexible courses, comprehensive high schools will be more supportive of students from diverse backgrounds. Also, it is important to incorporate digital learning tools and personalized education plans, which allow a more equitable education system and ensure all students can access high-quality education. [2]
Gymnasium is a term in various European languages for a secondary school that prepares students for higher education at a university. It is comparable to the US English term preparatory high school or the British term grammar school. Before the 20th century, the gymnasium system was a widespread feature of educational systems throughout many European countries.
Secondary education is the last six or seven years of statutory formal education in the United States. It culminates with twelfth grade. Whether it begins with sixth grade or seventh grade varies by state and sometimes by school district.
A vocational school, trade school, or technical school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks of a particular and specific job. In the case of secondary education, these schools differ from academic high schools which usually prepare students who aim to pursue tertiary education, rather than enter directly into the workforce. With regard to post-secondary education, vocational schools are traditionally distinguished from four-year colleges by their focus on job-specific training to students who are typically bound for one of the skilled trades, rather than providing academic training for students pursuing careers in a professional discipline. While many schools have largely adhered to this convention, the purely vocational focus of other trade schools began to shift in the 1990s "toward a broader preparation that develops the academic" as well as the technical skills of their students.
A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis of selection criteria, usually academic performance. The term is commonly used in relation to England and Wales, where comprehensive schools were introduced as state schools on an experimental basis in the 1940s and became more widespread from 1965.
The Republic of Austria has a free and public school system, and nine years of education are mandatory. Schools offer a series of vocational-technical and university preparatory tracks involving one to four additional years of education beyond the minimum mandatory level. The legal basis for primary and secondary education in Austria is the School Act of 1962. The Federal Ministry of Education is responsible for funding and supervising primary, secondary, and, since 2000, also tertiary education. Primary and secondary education is administered on the state level by the authorities of the respective states.
Education in South Korea is provided by both public schools and private schools. Both types of schools receive funding from the government, although the amount that the private schools receive is less than the amount of the state schools.
The Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering (AMSE) is a four-year magnet public high school program intended to prepare students for STEM careers. Housed on the campus of Morris Hills High School in Rockaway, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, it is a joint endeavor between the Morris County Vocational School District and the Morris Hills Regional District.
NAF is an industry-sponsored nonprofit with a national network of public-private partnerships that support career academies within traditional high schools. Each academy focuses on a theme that addresses the anticipated future needs of local industry and the community it serves in five major "college prep plus" fields of study that encourage and facilitate college preparation and technical training on career paths in finance, hospitality and tourism, information technology (IT), engineering, and health sciences. In 2019, the NFL awarded eight social justice organizations, including NAF, with a $2 million grant for "reduc[ing] barriers to opportunity."
The education in Suriname was initially set up in analogy to the Dutch education system. In terms of structure, the education system is now a mixture of school types that were common in the Netherlands before, during and after the Mammoetwet. The language of instruction is Dutch; mainly Surinamese Dutch. The four exceptions to this rule are the International Academy of Suriname, administered by a local Christian foundation, Christian Liberty Academy, administered by the Caribbean Christian Ministries, and the AlphaMax Academy, a private nonsectarian school administered by the AlphaMax Foundation, and since 2011 Suriname International School, which provides k12 online school for high school students.
The education system of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan includes basic, secondary, and higher education and has dramatically evolved since the establishment of the state in the early 1900s. The role played by a good education system has been significant in the development of Jordan from a predominantly agrarian to an industrialized nation over time.
Education in the Philippines is compulsory at the basic education level, composed of kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, and senior high school. The educational system is managed by three government agencies by level of education: the Department of Education (DepEd) for basic education; the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for higher education; and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for technical and vocational education. Public education is funded by the national government.
Tracking is separating students by what is assessed as academic ability into groups for all subjects or certain classes and curriculum within a school. Track assignment is typically based on academic ability, other factors often influence placement. It may be referred to as streaming or phasing in some schools. In a tracking system, the entire school population is assigned to classes according to whether the students' overall achievement is above average, normal, or below average. Students attend academic classes only with students whose overall academic achievement is the same as their own. Tracking generally applies to comprehensive schools, while selective school systems assign the students to different schools.
James E. Rosenbaum, is a Professor of Sociology, Education, and Social Policy at Northwestern University.
Asian College of Technology, officially the Asian College of Technology - International Educational Foundation, is a private college in the Philippines, located in Cebu City and Talisay City, in the Cebu province.
Remedial education is assigned to assist students in order to achieve expected competencies in core academic skills such as literacy and numeracy.
In the United States, community colleges are primarily two-year public institutions of tertiary education. Community colleges offer undergraduate education in the form of an associate degree. In addition community colleges also offer remedial education, GEDs, high school diplomas, technical diplomas and tech certificates, and occasionally at some colleges, a limited number of 4-year bachelor's degrees. After graduating from a community college, some students transfer to a four-year college or university to continue their studies leading to a bachelor's degree. Community college is tuition-free for selected students in 47 states, often under the name College Promise. Most community college instructors have advanced degrees but serve as part-time low wage employees.
Vocational education in the United States varies from state to state. Vocational schools or tech schools are post-secondary schools that teach the skills necessary to help students acquire jobs in specific industries. The majority of postsecondary career education is provided by proprietary (privately-owned) career institutions. About 30 percent of all credentials in teaching are provided by two-year community colleges, which also offer courses transferable to four-year universities. Other programs are offered through military teaching or government-operated adult education centers.
Kuben Upper Secondary School is an upper secondary school at Økern in Oslo, Norway. The school is part of Kuben Vocational Arena, and is Oslo's largest Upper secondary school, with approximately 1,850 students. Kuben shares the arena with Oslo Technical School.
Monroe Comprehensive High School (MCHS) is a four-year secondary school located in Albany, Georgia, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Dougherty County School System, which also includes Dougherty Comprehensive High School and Westover Comprehensive High School.