Public schools vs. Private schools (poll) (universities, wage, history, science)

[BigCityDreamer]

There's a related thread on this. However, I wanted to get your views on some specific matters.

If you want your children to:

- Get a focused and academically rigorous education

- Be challenged intellectually on a variety of subjects

- Develop a strong work ethic

- Learn traditional family values (very important)

- Engage in many possible extra-curricular activities

- Prepare for the most challenging universities and majors (like engineering)

Would you send them to public schools or private schools, in general?

Does this depend on where you live?

[NJBest]

I live in a town with the best public school in my state (there's two that alternate at the top depending on the year)..... and I'd send my kids to private school.

That sums up what I think about our public education system. And it's all for academic reasons. Our public school offers good extra curricular, traditional family values and work ethic (which I feel comes from the home, not the school).

[Fleur66]

I didn't vote, but I think you really have to compare schools at the local level.

I went to Catholic schools and felt like they had a lot to offer. Made the decision to send my kids to public schools which in some ways has been a disappointment, but I feel that is more a reflection of changing trends in education.

What are traditional family values...I'm not really looking for any school to teach values, but our public school dabbles in it just a little.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

There's a related thread on this. However, I wanted to get your views on some specific matters.

If you want your children to:

- Get a focused and academically rigorous education

I think this depends on the individual schools. Around here (Fort Lauderdale) private schools give a more rigorous education than the public schools. However, in other parts of the country that may not be true.

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

- Be challenged intellectually on a variety of subjects

- Develop a strong work ethic

Being intellectually challenged depends on the teacher and the student. Even in the same school some teachers will be more intellectually challenging than others. In addition, some children crave intellectual stimulation in different ways.

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

- Learn traditional family values (very important)

Here is where I have a big problem with schools usurping the authority of parents. Schools should not be in the position of teaching ANY values. My husband and I teach values to our kids not the school.

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

- Engage in many possible extra-curricular activities

Both public and private schools can have a good variety of EC activities. You have to evaluate the individual school not whether it is public or private. My kids go to a private school that is quite a bit smaller than the local public schools. However, the school has all the EC activities that the large public schools have. Sports, music, theater, clubs, art, debate, math team, thespians, etc.....However, that does not mean that each and every private school has the same EC available to kids.

If there is something a child is interested in a particular activity the parents should find out which local schools offer it and evaluate those schools individually.

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

- Prepare for the most challenging universities and majors (like engineering)

Would you send them to public schools or private schools, in general?

Does this depend on where you live?

My own kids are in private schools. However, that does not mean that each and every private school is better in preparing kids for college. I think the school my kids go to will prepare them better for college than my local public school. However, that does not mean that all public schools do a poor job of preparing students for college.

[golfgal]

This isn't an either or question, it really comes down to each individual school. From your list I can name at least 50 public high schools off the top of my head that would meet each and every criteria within an hour or so of my house. The private schools in the same radius would have most of what you are looking at as well--the exception being some of the bigger private schools and the limits on participation in extracurricular (too competitive since they "recruit" top athletes). It also, again, depends on each school and programs they have available. There are some schools near us that rank in the top in the nation for various programs and unless you are the best of the best you aren't playing/competing on those teams. There are parts of the country where it could easily be an either or but not here.

Our kids have gone to both private and public schools and the decision to send them to one or the other was specific to the schools available, not so much that they were private or not.

[JasonF]

Highly dependent on where you are and what the schools are like.

Where I grew up, private school meant being taught "traditional family values" and not much else. Those students couldn't even manage to make change at their bake sales. They certainly weren't prepared for college (or a minimum wage cashier job, for that matter).

IMO, schools should be teaching math and science and reading and history, not shoveling religious dogma onto kids.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by JasonF

Highly dependent on where you are and what the schools are like.

Where I grew up, private school meant being taught "traditional family values" and not much else. Those students couldn't even manage to make change at their bake sales. They certainly weren't prepared for college (or a minimum wage cashier job, for that matter).

IMO, schools should be teaching math and science and reading and history, not shoveling religious dogma onto kids.

This is exactly why there is no one right answer. Around here there are many prep schools that are not religious in nature. Those schools are completely different from the religious schools.

[BigCityDreamer]

Originally Posted by Fleur66

What are traditional family values?

A lifelong marriage between a man and a woman which leads to children produced from their union as an important goal and blessing in life.

That's all I want to say about it.

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

There's a related thread on this. However, I wanted to get your views on some specific matters.

If you want your children to:

- Get a focused and academically rigorous education

- Be challenged intellectually on a variety of subjects

- Develop a strong work ethic

- Learn traditional family values (very important)

- Engage in many possible extra-curricular activities

- Prepare for the most challenging universities and majors (like engineering)

Would you send them to public schools or private schools, in general?

Does this depend on where you live?

I'm all for public schools. I teach my kids "family values" at home. I don't need my school to do that. Both public and private schools have extracurriculars. I feel it is important to expose kids to the real world, rather than sheltering them in a school full of others who are like them. That's not the way the world works. I think life experience is as important as academics. I'd rather have a well rounded public school graduate.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by rkb0305

I'm all for public schools. I teach my kids "family values" at home. I don't need my school to do that. Both public and private schools have extracurriculars. I feel it is important to expose kids to the real world, rather than sheltering them in a school full of others who are like them. That's not the way the world works. I think life experience is as important as academics. I'd rather have a well rounded public school graduate.

Again, you need to look at the individual school. My kids go to a private school where there is a lot of diversity. Not all private schools are alike.

The following data is from my kids school (PK3-12):

Black 15.3%
White 55.4%
Hispanic 22.2%
Asian/Pacific Islander 5.6%
American Indian/Alaskan Native 1.6%

Another private school (both non religious PK-12) in the area has the following demographics:
Black 4.2%
White 81.3%
Hispanic 11.1%
Asian/Pacific Islander .1%
American Indian/Alaskan Native 3.3%
As you can see, not all private schools are exactly the same. You really really really cannot make sweeping statements that cover all (or even most) schools based on their public/private nature.