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Although many critics of public schools may claim that they have lost their usefulness and that private schools do a better job of educating students; public schools still remain the backbone of American democracy and influence a vast majority of children. Public schools provide skills necessary for economic and social success. They offer a way for diverse groups to learn to survive and thrive together. The students who enter public schools can have a productive future.
The public school system was credited primarily to Horace Mann and others in the 1830 's. Public education was viewed as the fundamental way to prepare children from diverse ethnic, religions and class backgrounds to live as responsible citizens in a democracy. For public schools to warrant continued support one must look at how they were set up and if they continue to be useful and effective. Many Americans believe that private schools provide students with a superior education when compared to public schools. According to the WEAC Research Organization, private school superiority is weak (2).
According to WEAC Research Organization, research conducted in 1980, 1982 and 1984 did provide information that showed private schools are superior in promoting student achievement (2). The WEAC Research Organization also showed that later studies did not collaborate these early studies (2). According to the Center on National Education Policy in the article "Do We Still Need Public Schools", our fore fathers set up publicly financed schools for the reasons that included: 1) Preparing people to become responsible citizens. Americans could not survive without an informed citizenry that understands its freedoms and right (1). 2) Improving social conditions.
Education was thought to be the best weapon a free country had against violence, crime, disorder and social problems (1). 3) Promoting cultural unity. Early America was a conglomeration of immigrants from assorted countries. Public school supporters believed the school would be effective agents of assimilation (1). 4) Helping people become economically self-sufficient provide young people with basic skills to support themselves, their families, and move up to a better standard of living (1). 5) Helping dispel inequities in education (1). Many critics of public schools believe private schools to be more desirable both in safety and in educational outcomes (A). The Coleman report in 1982, indicated superiority of private schools in educational outcome (Dickey 1). Coleman attributed the educational superiority of private schools to several factors including better discipline, a focus on academic basics, more homework, and lower student teacher ratios (2).
Thaxter Dickey stated the reason private schools are better than public schools are: 1) Public schools have a watered down academic curriculum. Publics schools focus more on social engineering (3). 2) Public schools are less sage because they have difficulty setting and maintaining rules because they have no common value system such as religious code (3). 3) Private schools are smaller and have less bureaucracy to interfere with the educational process and teachers have more direct influence on students' (4). 4) Positive and cooperative educational climate. Private school teachers are committed to their school because they have input in to the school (4). 5) Private schools do not try the latest educational fads. Private schools are low to embrace the latest academic trends or forsake traditional substance for unproven technology and contemporary standards (4). Even though early researchers such as Coleman, Hoffer and Kilgore, in 1982 showed private schools to be more superior to public schools in promoting student achievement later research, according to WEAC Research Paper, showed that the difference was not the school system, but the students (2). Private schools, according to WEAC, had students who were better on average than the students' public schools get.
WEAC also stated that studies by Alexander, Paris, Levin and Meyer, showed that family background of students played an important role also (2). WEAC stated that data collected by the National Assessment of Education Progress on a national sample of 12 th grade students show that the parents of private school students tend to have much higher levels of formal education than do the public schools parents (2). WEAC stated this was important because the strongest predictor, according to Grissmer in 1994, of student academic success is family structure, included the parents level of education (2). In the debate private verses public the strongest predictor of achievement is not always the school factor.
There are many other factors to consider such as the student's own personal characteristics, the level of parent's education and income, the size of the family, the wealth and stability of the community. According to the article WEAC, "Money Magazine" in October, 1994 issue reached some important conclusions in its empirical study of public and private schools (4): - Survey showed many public schools are every bit as good, if not - Students who attend the best public schools outperform most private school students. Furthermore, the level of student achievement is relatively similar at advantaged public and elite prep schools (100). - Average public school teachers have stronger academic qualification than the average public and elite prep schools (100). (Half of all public school teachers hold advanced degrees, compared with only a third of private school instructors' (100). - The best public schools offer a more challenging curriculum than most private schools (100). - Public school class sizes are no longer larger than private school class size. Some are even smaller (100).
Some important statistics in regard to public and private schools regarding qualifications of school teachers and principals were obtained in the paper Executive Summary (2). The statistics are: - 30 percent of private school teachers are not state certified in the field of their main assignment compared to three percent in public schools teacher (2). - More than six percent of private school teachers do not have a bachelor's degree, compared to fewer than one percent of public school teachers (2). - 34 percent have at least a master's degree, compared to 47 percent of public school teachers' (2). - About one in four private school principals have no degree beyond a bachelor's degree compared to 1. 4 percent of public school principles. (2) - More principals and teachers in private schools are under 40 years than their public school counter parts (2). - Principles and teachers salary of private schools is less than in public schools (2). - Private school teachers earn base salary, on average, less than two-thirds of average public school teachers's allies (2). - Private school teachers' are more likely to receive in- kind compensation: tuition waivers for their children, and meals (2). In conclusion our public schools are just as good as private schools. Public schools are not lacking in experienced topnotch teachers, challenging courses or an environment conducive to learning. Our public schools still serve the purpose our forefathers established them for. They still prepare people to become responsible citizens, improve, social conditions, promote cultural unity and dispel inequities in education and class.
In the debate private versus public we found private schools to be costly and many times sending your child to private schools meant paying twice for their education. Also private schools further segregate the United States along the line of class, religion and ethnicity. Private schools are not better because they don't accept all students who wish to attend. Public schools on the other hand are ready to educate all students in a community, regardless of personal or family characteristics.
Our public schools as Benjamin Franklin once said, "leave our children fitted for learning any business calling or profession. " Even though our public schools need some reform, privatization is not the answer. Public education still stands at the forefront for our children. Bibliography: Dickey, Thaxter M. Why Private Schools Provide Better Education than Public Schools. Online posting. March 17, 1999.
web " Do We Need Public Schools?" Virginia Journal of Education. April 1999: 6 - 10 National Center for Education Statistics. "How Different, How Similar? Comparing Key Organizational Qualities of American Public and Private Secondary Schools. " October 1996. Online posting. March 17, 1999. http: //nces / ed .
gov / pubs / 96322. html Private Schools in the United States: A Statistical Profile. Executive Summary. 1993 - 1994. Online posting.
March 17, 1999 web Statistical Information: Organizational Factors. "Management Structure, Staff Roles and Responsibilities: Public Schools V. Private Schools. " Online Posting. March 17, 1999. web Statistical Information: Organizational Factors. "The Impact of School Type: Public or Private. " Online Posting. March 17, 1999. web WEAC Research Organization. "Public Schools and Private Schools Vouchers: What Research Shows. " Online Posting.
March 17, 1999. web
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Research essay sample on Private Vs Public Schools
