Schooling Our Children

Schooling Our Children

Determining a child’s educational future can be a difficult decision for any caregiver. There are several options for educational opportunity available. The two that are most often debated between are public school and private school. Questions such as the reputation of the academic program and method of teaching, school and classroom sizes, and the offering of extracurricular activities (just to name a few) arise. Which school a caregiver chooses depends on the needs of the child.

There are several different types of learners. Some students are visual learners while others are auditory or kinetic (class notes). In public schools a core curriculum of reading, writing, English, math, sciences, and history are generally studied (Public School Review, 2006). While this also applies to the majority of private schools, the teaching methods are quite different. Loretta Voller is a mother of three with two in private school. Her middle child, in first grade, is an auditory learner while the oldest, freshman in high school, is a kinetic learner. Her oldest was enrolled in public school at a young age but was then moved to a private school due to the method of teaching at the public school. “Everything was either listening or reading and very little hands on learning” (L. Voller, personal communication, October 15, 2006). When she moved her child to the private school, her grades improved dramatically, which Loretta credits to the hands on learning. Loretta’s observations are consistent with the findings of the Public School Review.

The Public School Review of 2006 found that private schools have the ability to design specialized programs to meet their students’ needs. Art and science are used in most classes no matter the subject, and outdoor trips are taken. Teachers are also given the right to create their own curriculum and how the students will be assessed, although the standardized tests are used commonly as well (Public School Review, 2006). On average, private school students perform better on the standardized tests than students from public schools (Public School Review, 2006). However, Christopher Lubienski and Sarah Thuele Lubienski found that when the socioeconomic background was controlled and each group of the same socioeconomic background from private schools was compared to that of public schools, the students from public school slightly outperformed the students from private schools (V. Clayton, 2005).

Private schools place more demands and graduation requirements than public schools. Private schools require more coursework to be completed during the four year high school term. An example, private schools require 3.1 math credits while public schools require 2.7 credits, 1.5 credits of foreign language required at private schools while 0.5 credits at public schools. Forty percent of private schools also require community service, while only ten percent of public schools do (Public School Review, 2006). With the higher demands of private schools, the students are given more responsibility and required to work harder. This correlates with the “real world”. It teaches students to strive for more and push harder to achieve their goals. Students who attend a private high school raise their likelihood to finish high school and enter a four year college by thirteen percentage points (W.N. Evans, R.M. Schwab, 1995). The more flexibility a teacher has to transform the lesson to a suitable learning style for each student, and the more a school system requires from their students, the more likely the student is to exceed in school and after graduation.

School and classroom size may also contribute in a caregiver’s decision. Private schools tend to be about one half the sizes of public schools with a student to teacher ratio of 9:1 as opposed to a public school whose ratio of 17:1 (M. Boland, 2006). It is also viewed that students who attend a smaller school are less likely to fall between the cracks. Private schools have shown that a sense of belonging and community is nurtured (M. Boland, 2006). Parent involvement is encouraged and practiced more often than in public schools and many parents feel that they have a say in their child’s education (M. Boland, 2006). This can also result in better retention rates, increased security and discipline, and greater opportunities in school-day activities (J. A. Stone, 1997). Mrs. Voller stated that her children’s private school conducts three to four monthly meetings to discuss achievement, participation, discipline (if applicable), upcoming plans for next month, and any suggestions she may have to offer ( L. Voller, personal communication, October 15, 2006). Parent participation shows the child that he/she is cared for and loved, thus possibly making the child more secure with himself and his surroundings.

Within a smaller school, there is less racial and socioeconomic background exposure. Income inequality declines more rapidly in a public education setting (G. Glomm, B. Ravikumar, 1992). Within the public school program, the population tends to be much more diverse. This teaches children how to handle a more diverse group of individuals. After graduation from high school and/or college most people will start a job. In every job people are faced with other people of all walks of life, background, and ethnicity. This type of exposure in elementary, junior high, and high school benefit the students in teaching that everyone is equal and discrimination is not tolerated. Private schools are normally out of reach for the less fortunate students, thus limiting exposure to certain backgrounds and various races (M. Boland, 2006). For children in private school that receive less exposure, this may one day cause them cultural shock of some sort. On average, a private school enrolls approximately one hundred ninety three students, 1999-2000, and five hundred thirty five students in public schools. Eighty percent of private schools have less than three hundred students while only twenty nine percent of public schools have less than three hundred students (Public School Review, 2006). While some states recognize that small classrooms benefit students, funding for an adequate number of teachers and supplies is only given for grades kindergarten through third grade. From there on out, student classrooms become more and more over populated, thus limiting a teacher’s ability to meet the needs of the students (Public School Review, 2006). This may result in more student drop outs, lower student self-esteem, and higher teacher turnover.

Teacher turnover is becoming a widespread problem among both private and public schools. This is an ever growing