Page 111 - 416_

that are responsible for education; therefore, there is not a national
curriculum that all schools must follow. The day-to-day running of
schools is supervised by the local school district. School districts
cover a geographic area within larger cities, or cover an entire
small town or rural community. Funding for schools comes from
state and local governments and local taxes within each school
district. This means, in general, that rich areas have well-funded
schools and poor areas have schools with few resources. So much
for American equality!

THE SCHOOL YEAR

The school year usually starts in early September and runs
through to early or mid-June. Generally, 180 days of class time are
required by law; in some places, the school year may be extended
for a few days to make up for any days lost during the year due to
bad weather that temporarily closed the school. School years are
typically divided into two semesters, which may be further divided
into quarters.
Apart from summer vacation, children also get one to two
weeks off at the end of December and during the spring, as well as
all the national holidays.
Col1eges and universities are divided either into quarters
(sometimes called "trimesters") or semesters. In the quarter
system, the school year is three periods of roughly ten weeks - fall,
winter, and spring - with a summer quarter offered but not
required. In the semester system, there are two semesters of
roughly fourteen weeks, usually with a break for the month of
January, when optional short classes are offered.

HIGHER EDUCATION

A college education is almost indispensable for any sort of
professional career. After getting a high school education,
practically anybody can go to a college or university. There are
over three thousand colleges and universities in the United States,
all with differing entrance requirements, tuition fees, and course