Are minimum curriculum requirements imposed on PRIVATE schools in the US?

Factual Questions
1

This question is a propos of a radio report I heard this morning on Pakistan’s attempt to crack down on that country’s religious schools. It seems that (according to the report) children at these acadamies can spend three of four years straight doing nothing but memorizing the Koran (we’re talking grade-schoolers here, not post-secondary education). No other subjects at all.

So I wonder to myself, could someone set up a private school of that sort in the US? Or are there some sort of “minimum curriculum requirements” that require at least a certain amount of instruction in certain academic subjects?

If there are minimum curriculum requirements for private schools in the US, who sets them? The federal government? State government? What state has the most lenient requirements? Do they apply to home-schooled children? Do they apply only to certain grade levels?

If there are not minimum curriculum requirements for private schools in the US, then are there wacky religious-instruction-only schools out there? How prevalent are they? Do they tend to be Islamic or Christian? Or both?

2

I am neither an educator, administrator, parent or student in any way affiliated with any private school in the US, so I don’t have any real authority on this subject other than what I know from my limited experiences in the area.

That said, I’m pretty certain that most states do not place any requirements on the cirriculum in private schools. Their independence from state interference is part of what makes them private.

However, most private schools are overseen by some governing body of some sort. Church-run schools are obviously managed, to one degree or another, by their denomination’s governing body. If the school is non-demoniational, they are probably governed by one church, or a coalition of churches, in the area.

There are accrediting boards for private schools, and I’d say that maybe 90% of private schools are accredited by one board or another. It makes perfect sense, really. A graduate of Rastahomie’s Christian Academy has a snowball’s chance in hell of getting into a good college without any accreditation backing him up. And what parent is going to enroll Junior in a school that limits his chances for post-secondary education?

As for homeschooling- it undoubtedly varies from state to state. Of course, if all else fails, Junior can get a GED after he finishes his home-school education.

Define “wacky.” There are some on these boards who believe that schools that teach creation over evolution are undredeemably “wacky” and no better than a school run by a Pakistani mullah. YMMV. Be that as it may, there are many such schools; I can give you the adress of at least two in Springfield, Illinois.

There are undoubtedly private Jewish and Muslim schools; there’s a rather Orthodox Jewish private school in LaDue, Missouri, down the road from St. Louis. Go to a city with a higher Muslim population (such as L.A.) and you’re likely to find Muslim private schools. Whether they spend three or more years doing nothing but studying the Koran, I don’t know. Look 'em up in the Yellow Pages then call and ask ;).

3

well slap me on the head and call me shorty but I believe that all private schools must conform to the minimum requirements of the state. Or they wouldn’t be certified and not only would they have a useless diploma but they would be illegal cause most states (except Arkansas) require that kids attend a certified school.

Just kidding about AK its probably MO.

4

All schools, be they private, religious, or home, have to conform to the minimum state standards. Most of them surpass that.

One gets a different diploma, but that’s the extent of the paper trail difference.

5

Well, no, they don’t. rastahomie has it right. If a private school wishes to be accredited by an accrediting body, it must meet certain requirements set forth by that body. But the state has no jurisdiction over the content of curriculum in private schools. As for home school, it varies from state to state. Here in Tennessee, if one registers with the public school district as a home schooler, then one is merely required to report attendance of 180 days per year, and give a basic outline of what will be taught. The child takes the state tests in 5th, 7th, and 9th grade. The only way the state could get involved would be if the student failed miserably on the standardized tests. Another option is to register with a CRS (Church related school) as an “umbrella”, and become immune from ANY state requirements whatsoever, though the CRS’s requirements would need to be met.

6

It should be mentioned that not all private schools are accredited and can still continue to function as a school and have students. Further, the accrediting bodies which exist are not necessarily in line with state standards. I know of at least one home-school accreditation group that accredits by basically selling the interested party books. In other words, if you buy the books, you are accredited.

At least in Colorado, private schools are not required to meet state standards. I am under the impression that all accept a few do, however.

7

I guess “wacky” is something of an imprecise adjective, isn’t it? In my mind (admittedly an opinion here) there’s a distinction between:

  1. the type of religious school that teaches math, English, geography, science, and other typical public school subjects, in addition to a religion class, and maybe Creationism thrown in; and

  2. the type of religious school that teaches Bible study all day, every day, to the exclusion of other subjects;

the sencond type being the “wacky” one. Admittedly a continuum, and admittedly a fuzzy definition of “wacky”, but in my sheltered life I’ve never heard of a school, accredited or not, that didn’t teach math and English and science and history and geography and so forth.

8

One of the most innovative method to education is offered by the Sudbury Valley School www.sudval.org/brochure.html
There is no curriculum. Many leave the school without a diploma and are still accepted by highly rated universities.

There are schools based on this method operating throughout North America.

9

The US Dept. of Education has this page in state regulation of Private Schools.

On curricula specifically, some examples:

Almost all have some sort of exemption for such religious denominations as doctrinally may not submit their school to government regulations. However these usually carry the caveat that the state will not guarantee what the graduate can do with that diploma.

The States and the Feds may (and often do) put requirements of availability of programs in order for the school to receive certain funds, but it’s not the same as requiring a standard curriculum – the school is free to opt out, as long as it does not take any public cash.