National Support Public Education Day in the United States Date in the current year: July 30, 2024

The education system of the United States has three types of schools: public, private, and home schools. As of 2013, approximately 87% of school-age children in the United States attended K—12 public schools, about 10% were enrolled in private schools, and the rest were home-schooled. Admission to public schools is typically based on residency, although some public schools are allowed to enroll non-resident students under certain conditions.

Public school education is available to everyone free of charge. It is funded from the federal, state and local budgets. Since a significant portion of public school revenues comes from local property taxes, public schools vary in resources from one school district to another. The federal government also has limited influence on curriculum decisions, which are most often made at the state and local levels.

There is a common misconception that private schools are better than public schools. However, the amount of money you pay for something does not necessarily reflect its quality. Most public schools require teachers to earn certification, whereas many private schools have less stringent requirements. In addition, public schools tend to be more diverse (although this depends on the district), offer more extracurricular activities, and heavily encourage parent involvement.

National Support Public Education Day was first observed on July 30, 2010. A petition asking that July 30 be officially recognized as National Support Public Education Day was posted on Change.org in 2013. It might seem strange that an observance focusing on public education falls in the middle of the summer break, but the author of the petition explained the choice of the date perfectly.

According to their explanation, “out of sight, out of mind” is the main problem with America’s public education system: there is no point worrying about public schools when students aren’t there, right? Wrong! This is an unhealthy mindset that needs to be overcome.

There is a common misconception that teachers don’t work during their summer breaks. In reality, many teachers use this time to improve their qualification, update classroom activities, and revamp curriculum. Just like teachers don’t forget about school even in summer, the fight to support public education and make it better shouldn’t take a summer break.

The main goal of National Support Public Education Day is to highlight the issues of the American public education system such as a lack of funding and teachers, large size classes, excluding teachers from the decision making process, and more.

How can you observe National Support Public Education Day? The best way to do it is to raise awareness of the cause however you can. You can post on social media, donate to an organization or campaign that supports the public education system, become more involved with your children’s school and their education, etc.