Public vs. Private Schools
Public vs Private Schools Everyone wants the best for their children. They want their children to have a nice car, a big house, and a good education. The debate between public vs private school has been going on for a long time. Harvard, Stanford, and Yale are all private schools, but even the best private schools can not offer some of the things that public schools offer. Things that these schools cannot offer are a low cost, a better social experience, and certified teachers. To begin, everyone wants to save money. By attending public school, one can save more money than thought. Because public schools are run and funded by the government, public schools can not charge tuition for attending the school. However, donations are accepted.
According to Great Kids, a website which specializes in issues with children, states, It is illegal for public schools to require tuition. (Great Kids). By not charging tuition, public schools can save people a lot of money. Private schools are not funded by the government, to they have to find their own ways of making money, so charging tuition is a popular way to do so. According to Great kids, “Tuition forboarding schools was close to $37,017.
Of the 28,384 private schools in the United States, about 1,050 are affiliated with the NAIS. Average tuition for nonmember schools is substantially less: Day schools charge $10,841 and boarding schools $23,448″(Great Kids). That is a $8,633 saving just by attending public school. Because private schools are not funded by the government, they have to find ways to make money, such as charging tuition. According to GreatKids.com, “Tuition for boarding schools was close to $37,017. Of the 28,384 private schools in the United States, about 1,050 are affiliated with the NAIS. Average tuition for nonmember schools is substantially less: Day schools charge $10,841 and boarding schools $23,448.”(Great Kids). The private schools must find their own ways of raising money, so they can charge tuition to attend their school. Some people think that it is worth the money to pay extra for private schools.
However, most private schools specialize in a particular skill or subject. Therefore, it is hard to find a private school which specializes in the course that one likes because most private schools specialize in a particular subject. Furthermore, private schools can be very limited in the people who are allowed in, sometimes determine who is allowed to attend by religion. According to Merri Rosenberg, ”I loved the diversity, and meeting new people. I wanted to get out of the Catholic school environment.
My parents and Our Lady of Sorrows taught me so much, but I wanted the whole experience of being with different people” (Rosenberg). Public schools provide a more social experience because they allow children from all walks of life into their school, allowing an opportunity for kids to meet new people. According to Merri Rosenberg, an author for the New York Times.”Aaron Getman is a junior who attended Solomon Schecter High School from a young age, to 8th grade. He attended White Plains High School because he wanted a better High School experience. ”There are so many clubs… and so much stuff to fit each individual need” (Rosenberg).
Public schools have many different kinds of clubs which make all students feel at home. According to Merri Rosenberg, ”I have friends from every race and culture,” said Kelly O’Neil, a senior who is student government president and a varsity athlete. ”[It is] not pressed on you. It comes naturally. This is a really amazing place that gives you a glimpse of reality. [It is] not all one type of person.
[You are] accepted with open arms” (Rosenberg). Clearly, public school provides a large variety of people to meet because public school allows all races and cultures to attend. Lastly, all public school districts have better teachers and curriculum. All public schools teachers are state certified and are trained for situations, such as someone choking. According to Great Kids, “Certification ensures that a teacher has gone through the training required by the state, which includes student teaching and course work.” (Great Kids).
Teachers in private schools are not required to have a state certification. Instead of a certification, they are usually specialised in the subject they teach. According to Great Kids, ” Public schools must follow state guidelines that set out specific standards and assessment procedures. In theory, this creates a certain amount of quality control” (Great Kids). Because public schools must follow certain guidelines, all kids are subject to the same amount of learning, and no kids are behind in learning.
Public schools also must take special needs students. Private schools usually try to help all of the students they can, but sometimes they tell students to find another location to attend. According to Great Kids, “Private schools do not have to accept children with special needs, and many choose not to (although there are a small number of private schools designed for special-needs children). As a result, most private schools do not have special education programs or teachers trained to work with that student population.” (Great Kids). Public schools can not let any child go without an education.
As you can see, Public schools are better equipped when it comes to teachers and curriculum. Some parents think that paying the money to attend private school is worth it because, “private schools appeared to have an achievement advantage when the raw scores of students were considered alone” (New York Times). Although this is true, public schools still have a better variety and can not force attendees to pay tuition.Therefore public schools rain superior to private schools. As aforementioned, students should attend public schools instead of private schools.
Every year, parents cough thousands of dollars for their children to go to private school, even though public school is just as effective. Public schools offer many things such as a low cost, a better social experience, and certified teachers. Education is important because if people are not educated they will not be able to find good jobs, and jobs in which require a higher education will fail because of the lack of workers capable. All in all, everyone wants the best for their children, and public school schools the competition.
