K-12 School System. Business and Society

The government, through service, has an influence on our consumer society and affects many families in America through the public school system. The public school system is an example of the government providing a service for the public, but can schools still be considered a business? This system can be considered business because it provides a service. Peterson (2009) states, “A business, in general terms, is an organization that is involved in trade of goods, services, or both to consumers.” Schools provide a service and the government provides necessary funding in support of that service The American school system started in the 18th century catering to the white male population and eventually evolved to serve females. In the beginning, schools were called public and were funded by tuition and rate bills (howstuffworks.com). These schools were comprised mainly in the New England colonies. As America started to rapidly grow so did the need for educated people and an educational revolution swept through the nation. This revolution was started by Horace Mann and Henry Barnard, the so-called “Fathers of the Common School” (pbs.org). These men of congress helped the North spark the light towards the path to a free public educational system. By 1870, all of the states had free public elementary schools (Howstuffworks.com). Private academics could also be found for higher education mostly in bigger states, which resemble modern day high schools; however, they were private. Now that we know the history of how American schools came about let us look into how the modern infrastructure of the school system lends itself to that of a business. Employees of the K-12 System are employed by their district, which follows the laws of the state while receiving funding from the federal government. Here in California, teachers receive retirement benefits provided by the California State Teachers Retirement Program (CALSTRS). Each full-time K-12 public school teacher is

References: 1. Carroll, A. B., & Buchholtz, A. K. Business & Society: Ethics, Sustainablity, and Stakeholder Management. Mason, OH: South Western Cengage Learning. 2. Dennis, R. (2000). The role of the state government in public education in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/edu/ed370/staterole.html 3. Peterson, M. (2009). The purpose of schools. Retrieved from http://www.wholeschooling.net/WS/WSPrncples/WS%200%20purpose%20schls.html