Agnieszka Rybak
Eng 101
Prof. Marisa
Research Paper: Final Draft
Public education v. private education
Sunday afternoon, living room, close up-a coffee table, on the top of it are resting two
thick books titled The New York State Public School’s Guide and The Private Schools of
New York State: Guide for Parents. On both sides of the table are sitting a woman and a
man. From their faces we can read that they are arguing over some kind of issue.
Suddenly the man says laud:” Why we have to choose the school right now? Our son is
only five years old”. On the other hand, at the same time the woman asks: “Which
schooling system is better a private or a public one?” Similar issues, questions relating to
the school choice are faced by millions of parents in the United States every year.
The struggle with this problem exists because every parent know very well that their
children’s future depends on their decisions and as parents they want what is the best for
their kids. According to the most dictionaries “education is the process of training and
developing the knowledge, skill, mind, character, etc., esp. by formal schooling; teaching;
training but education is understood by every one differently”. Even though there are
different images of the education, the main goal of learning is to make all people in the
country literate, and able to be a productive member of society. Unfortunately, not all
students that attended schools have an equal stage of education due to income,
background, religion and gender. That is why when considering an education, the quality
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of the education is almost as important as the education itself. So when picking the school
for children comes onto the stage, the debate between public and private schooling
system began. With the increasing demand for better schools, states and communities are
providing more options to families. Those optional school choices are: publicly funded
school choice program, charter schools, magnet school and private scholarship programs.
By allowing parents to choose the school, they are not only improving educational
opportunities for children, but also having a dramatic impact on how schools operate.
“In the 1700s a primary goal of education was for children to be able to read the
Bible” (Harris 145). As history indicates early system of schooling didn’t expect from
young citizens much, only the ability to read religious books like Bible or Koran depends
of child family’s tradition. Today on the other hand, every kid after graduation is
estimated to not only read but also write, solve math problems, think critically and
communicate well. That’s why right now parents who want their children process all
those characteristics of well educated person, choose schools that the best fit their needs.
Typically, way before considering private or public school, parents first will have to
determine what a “good school” is and which factor will the best satisfy their expectation.
“An analysis of research on characteristics of school that reflect high quality, goodness,
and success… [says] that” (Harris 137) academic reputation, school size and class size,
safety reputation, costs, religious and moral instruction; quality of teachers are the most
major factors, which come into play, when looking at private or public schools.
“An unswerving attitude of care, respect …toward students and parents” (Harris
137) is one of the first important qualities of a good school. Without a respectful manner
toward students and her/his parents, school with the best curriculum won’t be considered
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as a good choice for a young mind because school’s target is not only teach you how to
solve math equation but also how to interact with other people in different situations.
The “evidence of provision for safe and regulated environment” (Harris 137) is
the second very significant attribute of good school. In today’s world where drugs like
narcotics and weapons are easily accessible the safeness and discipline is a prior element
of good school. Surely none parent wish for his/her children a similar situation to happen
like the one that took place in one of West Virginia’s college where a student entered the
campus with gun and killed several people with the cold blood.
Another and also an important element of a good school is “disciplinary code…
[and] a solid foundation of authority”(Harris 137). Students who attend schools that
beside good teaching system also emphasizes discipline and the authority, helps parents
to teach their children a values of being a productive citizen.
“Clearly stated academic goals and a clearly defined core curriculum” (Harris
138) is an element that helps students and their parents in very young stage discover
student’s ability that then can be used to succeed in adult life.
But to help kids become a good member of the society “high quality teachers who
are academically qualified” (Harris 138) is a must. The schools that have a scholars that
are well educated and know how to pass their knowledge to their students, is the
institution that doesn’t waist children time and sometimes money.
Now that we recognized some of the main factors of “good school” that parents
take under consideration when deciding whether to enroll their children in private or
public school, let’s look at the factors closer. Private and public schools are those
institutions that are mostly considered by parents when choosing the school for children
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and those two kinds of school system are mostly mentioned in debate because they differ
in many organizational aspects.
One of the first aspects that vary greatly private school from public is academic
reputation. Educational standing is the feature that plays a big role when considering
private versus public school. Those both school’s systems contrast significantly in their
academic curriculum. “Private schools [for example] are more likely to define clear
boundaries and stick to a course that the school head and /or the majority on the school’s
governing body deems best for the school” (Glenn 4). Unlike public schools, private
“schools focus on academics…,all students are expected to take a solid schedule of
relatively challenging academic courses to the exclusion of many of the ‘soft’ courseofferings found in the general track in public high schools” (Kahlenberg 35). This usually
includes math, English, reading, writing, science, history, and physical education. That
means that private schools usually have flexibility to create specialized programs for
students. For instance, private institutions may use art or science in all classes, or take
children on outdoor trips.
On the other hand, “public schools do not have this option. They must live with
dissent, often making changes first in one direction and then another” (Glenn 4).They”
have been controlled in their teaching… by laws and court decisions”(Harris 107). In
general speaking, what students learn in public school is strictly controlled by the state,
which at the end of trimester measured it through standardized tests. Plus the satisfied
minimum achievement criteria in each course offered in public school are put forward by
the state and each student must achieve this minimum norm in order to receive credit.
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The best evidence that private schools actually have better educational reputation than
public ones is study, which showed that “African Americans and Hispanic have gained
the most from [private] schooling. They have substantially higher levels of educational
attainment and academic achievement when they attended [private] schools” (Glenn 4).
Through this study we can learn that some people who finished private school would
never achieve the same higher level of academics if they have gone to public schools.
Still, we need to remember that the school’s ability to execute on students
academic goals is closely correlated with school size and class size. That’s why another
element that parent should pay attention while choosing the right is class and school size.
For example, they need to make sure to check how many children will the classroom
teacher be responsible for? The size of class and school is important element basically
because when a school gets too big, it can become troublesome to administer and in result
students and programs instead of educational success they may sustain a defeat.
“According to the Council of American Private Education (CAPE), of the 53million
school children in America today, [only] 5, 927, 00 students are enrolled in private
schools which represent 11%….while nearly 90%” (Hariss 73-74) of children of the
United Sates are students of public schools. From above mentioned facts we clearly see
that public schools are overloaded and classes are at lease twice the size of private
schools which isn’t favorable in terms of gaining good educational proficiency by a
student. At the same time “the typical class size … [at private school] is 15, and the
student-teacher ration is 14:1” (Harris 101), this information shows us that students of
private school have biggest chance to get individual attention form teacher in case she/he
needs a assistance with schoolwork. As we can observe private schooling because of
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small classes give students more possibility to succeed in they studies than those who
attend crowed public schools.
Furthermore, safety and the general school environment are other aspects that
parents should consider while choosing the school. In today’s world where alcohol, drugs
and even weapons are easily accessible for any one safe school’s settings are very
significant likewise for students and their parents. Even though, nowadays most of public
schools have secure surroundings, still in some school districts, students might be safer in
private schools. “Drawing from earlier work …, ‘deviant behavior,’ such as drinking,
fighting, and sexual activities… [where less likely demonstrated by students of] private
schools than….public schools” (Suitor 11). It is said that “private schools…reflect…more
[on] ‘traditional values’ [which according to] parents …will be exposed… [on] academic
setting—specifically, greater emphasis on academic achievement and sociability …and
less emphasis on ‘frivolous’ characteristics, such as appearance [that lacks in public
schooling system]” (Suitor 11). One of the strict requirements of private schools are
uniforms, parents who decide to send their children to private institution must remember
about it because in the case they sent they children without them they won’t be permitted
to enter the school and attend classes. Private institutions believe that having children
dressed the same could prevent an outsider enter the school building and/or cause any
threat to students. For instance, every time I had to go and see my brother’s teach or/and
the school administrator first they sent a letter to my house, which I had to sign and
return. Later on my would bring me another letter that stated when and what time I had to
arrive there because the school’s door were closed and any one who wanted to enter the
school had to ring the bell and then show the permeation letter to be allowed to step
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inside. On the contrast, public school that my brother attended didn’t have this type of
procedure; there I could enter the school anytime during the day. Even once I was
mistakenly taken by a guard for the student and almost sent to the principle office for
coming late. From those two examples we can clearly see that safety in some schools is a
priority and in others not.
Cost is another important factor that impacts the private school versus public school
decision. Simply put, private schools charge tuition whereas public schools are offered
free of charge. For many parents, this is the hardest factor with which to come to terms.
While “more than 90 percent of public funding for elementary and secondary [public]
education comes from state and local governments”(Godwin 171), private schools
depend mainly on tuition fees and funds coming from parents and non-public sources
such as religious organizations and/or charitable donations. Public schools “use their
school’s Title I fund to pay for tutoring, or, in edspeak, ‘supplemental services.”(Hess 63)
State Constitutions prohibits public schools from charging residents any form of tuition
or other fees for materials, supplies, textbooks or transportation.
On the other hand, private schools do not receive tax revenues but are funded through
tuition, donations and private grants. Therefore, patents who decide put their children to
private schools are expected to pay tuition cost which isn’t low. “The average tuition for
an elementary school student [is at least ]$ 1,787 per year, and the median tuition for a
high school freshmen student [is around] $ 4,300” (Harris 90).
The next factor that also plays a large role whether to send children to public or
private school is whether or not parents want religious and/or moral instruction to play a
part of their children’s academic setting. Not all but many private schools are religiously
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affiliated. “The United States has approximately 114,800 schools…where [only] 8,146
[are] Catholic schools [and] 6,920 [of them are] elementary and middle schools, and
1,226[are] secondary (Harris 75, 89). As we can see from above given data most schools
in America are not religiously associated which is very scary because from history,
movies we can learn that American committee is religious. The best example of this will
be money which on the back has clearly written statement “IN GOD WE TRUST” that
gives us the affirmation of ours believes. So not teaching a religion at all doesn’t actually
comply with principles of this country
Finally, for many families, a final factor that impacts their decision on whether to
send their children to private or public school is quality of teachers. In three areas of
school policy curriculum, setting student performance standards, and setting discipline
policy the quality of teachers is the sector that differ substantially. Private “schools [have]
substantially higher job satisfaction, a greater sense of collegiality and community, and
higher personal efficacy than public school teachers. [Private] school teachers also
reported a much broader range of professional responsibilities in their school, and they
exercised more control over both school-level policy and classroom practices.”(Godwin
48). Simply saying this is happening because most teachers in public schools are state
certified, which means that they have gone through the training required by the state
including student teaching and coursework. Public schools cannot terminate the terms of
their teachers abruptly. After completing a probationary period, teachers are granted term
by law. They cannot be dismissed without first going through a twelve-month
rehabilitation period. This too, can only be done after a public hearing in which charges
of incompetence or misconduct must be proven.
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In contrast, private school teachers “additionally, … [are] required specialized
accreditation …in areas of religious instruction, theology, and marriage, and family
studies in order to promote their distinctive educational missions” (Harris 91). In
general private schools have their own personnel requirements. Private institutions can
terminate the terms of their teachers suddenly, if they see something is wrong with the
educator, private school don’t through so many procedures like public teaching system.
In conclusion, we will find that there is no overall right or wrong answer
regarding whether private or public school education is best for our children today. The
best thing to do when making this decision is to consider the factors and weigh which
ones are important to us-parents. For some the option of having a religious involvement
in kids’ education might be the only important. On contrast, for others this aspect may
not play a so large role at all. However, we need to just remember that choosing a school
is not a fast process, which can be done during one Sunday afternoon.
Finding out first what is important is essential to us-parents will take little bit more time
that’s why we will be force to get to know the real number and information regarding
schools which we consider for our children. And the best advice for completing this task
will be going to the schools pretty early. Therefore, most of private and public school
begin their enrollment processes the year before the school year.
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Annotated Bibliography
Harris, Sandra, and Sandra Lynn Tillman Lowery, ed. A School for Every Child: School
Choice in America. Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2002.
Hess Frederick M., and Chester E. Finn, Jr., ed. Leaving No Child Behind?: Options for
Kids in Failing Schools . New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
Glenn, Charles L. “The Debate Over Parent Choice of Schools.” Journal of Education:
2003, Vol. 184 Issue 1, p89-100, 12p, 1chart. Ebsco Host. LaGuardia Community
Coll. Lib., Long Island City, NY. October 6 2007 <www.web.ebscohost.com>
Godwin, R. Kenneth, and Frank R. Kemerer. School Choice Tradeoffs: Libery, Equity,
and Diversity. 1st ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002.
Kahlenberg, Richard D., ed. Public School Choice vs. Private School Vouchers. New
York: A Century Foundation Book, 2003.
Suitor, J. Jill. “Avenues To Prestige Among adolescents In Public and Religiously
Affiliated High Schools.” Adolescence: 2004, Vol. 39, Issue 154, p229-241, 13 p, 1
chart. Ebsco Host. LaGuardia CommunityColl. Lib., Long Island City, NY. October 6
2007 <www.web.ebscohost.com>
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