US Education Sector: A Detailed Review
The United States prides itself on having one of the leading nations with the most effective and functional educational systems. The United States has been constantly working to improve the nation’s education-related initiatives.
The government has consolidated programs that not only offer federal loans, but also include academic scholarships for eligible scholars seeking to continue their education and acquire a degree in a certain field of expertise.
To constantly ensure the proper consolidation of these initiatives, the United States government has established several agencies that are intended solely to administer education-related initiatives.
First up is the US Department of Education, more commonly known as ED or USED. The agency, established in October 1979, was built to ensure the presence of efficient channels in terms of administration and consolidation of laws, policies, programs and educational initiatives.
The mission of the Department of Education is “to establish policy, administer, and coordinate the majority of federal aid to education, collect data on US schools, and enforce federal education laws related to privacy and civil rights.”
For more specific concerns, the Department of Education has established some sub-agencies or divisions, namely:
a) Institute of Education Sciences: This division was created as part of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 and is the primary research arm of the United States Department of Education.
b) Federal Student Aid (FSA): This division of ED is the largest provider of financial aid in the United States in the form of grants, loans, and work-study funds. The mission of the FSA is “to ensure that all qualified Americans benefit from federal financial assistance grants, loans, and work-study programs for education beyond high school.”
In 2011, it was reported that the FSA administered approximately $ 144 billion to nearly 15 million postsecondary students and their respected families.
c) National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): This agency operates under the Institute of Education Sciences of the United States Department of Education and its main task is to collect, research and share statistical data on education and financial data of the public school districts across the country. United States of America.
d) Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) – Another ED program that has continually been aiming to achieve its primary agency mission which is “to provide leadership to achieve full integration and collusion in society of persons with disabilities. guaranteeing equal opportunities, access and excellence in education, employment and community life.