Public School:公立学校还是私立学校?--对英美Public School差异的历史考察

The Analysis on the Nature of Public School Based on the Difference between Public School in Britain and the United States from the Perspective of History:School Funded by Public vs.School Funded by Private Capital

英国的Public Shool名为公学实为私立学校,美国的Public School是公立学校,这种同词异义现象是由英美两国教育发展的历史差异造成的。英国的Public School最初为免费的、具有慈善性质的学校,于17世纪随着工商业的发展和中产阶级的兴起,转变为具有中等教育性质的高收费私立学校,初步具备了今天公学的特征;美国的Public School在殖民地早期传袭了英国公学的特征,在殖民地晚期转变为面向人人开放的收费学校,到公共学校运动之后变成面向所有公众、税收维持而免费、非教派性、州监管的公立学校。Public School在英美两国的差异及其发展历程提醒我们,公立学校与私立学校都是一个国家教育体系的重要组成部分,必须适应时代的发展并科学定位,才能为本国的教育作出应有的贡献。

Public schools in Britain are actually private schools,while Public Schools in the United States are indeed public schools.The origin of homonym can be traced back to the historical differences in educational development between the two countries.British Public School was originally free and charitable school,but in the 17th century,with the development of industry and commerce and the rise of the middle class,it was transformed into the expensive private school with secondary education,which shared some characteristics with the public school in the UK nowadays.Public Schools in the United States inherited the characteristics of British public schools in the early colonial period,then transformed into fee-paying schools open to the public in the late colonial period,and ultimately turned into Public Schools for all public for free,which are tax-sustained,non-denominational and state-regulated after the Common School Movement.The differences and evolution of Public Schools in the UK and the US tells us that both public schools and private schools are important in the education system of a country,and must adapt to the development of the times and position themselves in a scientific way,so that they are able to make due contributions to the education cause of the country.