Economic Effect on NYC Private Schools

[znycgirl]

Most people who I know professionally were educated in public schools.

I believe... excepting for disabilities... the critical difference comes in during Middle School & High School.

I went to an ordinary elementary & middle school, but an excellent public High School...which sounds a whole lot like a private school as described by viralmd. Same hours, same dedication of teachers, ect. Nope...I was never really taught a foreign language in a regimented way before High School...(though they did start teaching Spanish in 3rd grade at a pretty average public school). But in High School, I took Spanish literature & read novels & poetry with a professor w a PhD in Spanish lit. Only catch is, the competition to get in is VERY heavy (imagine...free private school). It's amazing what kind of opportunities exist for those who search & work for it...

My take (and I've said it here before) is that life is what you make of it. I've seen all kinds of students in my career...the single predicting factor of those who were going to achieve prestigious positions at work were those with initiative.

[homeowner35]

Originally Posted by znycgirl

Here's the NYTimes link.
It's a great article about "The sudden charm of public schools."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/re...s&st=cse&scp=6

Thank you.

[tpk-nyc]

My boss is moving from Manhattan to Westport partly to save on tuition. He has four kids in private schools and spends $150k a year on tuition. He makes seven-figures, but that's still a lot of money.

[sxr71]

Originally Posted by zdg

I know I've asked something like this before, but...

Are the publics really "that bad"? I mean, we've got our kid in public school here in Houston and she's in one of the 11 best elementaries in the city, so it's great. Much better than any private we could possibly spend a fortune on.

Are the parents in uptown just killing themselves to get kids into private schools because of status/prestige or is it really the difference between privates and publics there is so huge that kids at public are at a massive disadvantage?

I know here in Houston the public schools are considered "so awful" that you'd be insane to send a kid there for all 12 years if you wanted them to go to a decent college and yet...if our child could stay at this elementary for all 12 years (it's only thru 5th grade), I'm not sure you'd ever hear about how awful the system here is.

Truthfully, I was content to send our kid to any of the public schools in uptown but it seems like every other article you read talks about how horrible they are (but it's hard to tell if those articles are written by uptight upper middle class folks who are only interested in the status of private school anyway).

There are good public schools around and some of the most intelligent and successful people I know went to them. They end up getting pushed to the top end of the public school system to places like "Bronx Science" but it's very tough on the kids who have to travel far to get to them. But some of these places churn out the best and the brightest.

Some public schools though I would not want my children going to.

[sxr71]

Originally Posted by clevedark

Hmm. That's tough. I have heard that in many cities elementary public schools are fine and that it gets tougher in middle school and high school to find a satisfactory school. You might want to visit the middle school your kids will go to--it might be really obvious just setting foot in the place that you would not be comfortable sending your kids there.

And I went to a very competitive private high school (as well as a different private school for elementary) that was one of the top 25 in the country for Ivy League admissions--I got a great education, but I'm not so sure it was that much better than what I would have received in a top public high school. I can say for sure that my ability to get along with people different from me was hampered by being in an elite environment, and I've spent many years discovering the delights of what I missed.

As a matter of fact, I'm sending my kids to a fantastic public school and plan to keep them there through high school. I am confident they will get a thorough and well rounded education, and I hope they'll be ready to take on the world afterwards!

Very well said. I was in the whole private school/private university track until I decided to do a post-baccalaureate. I went to a state school. I simply could not believe the quality of education and diversity I was exposed to for what was maybe 15% of the tuition of the private schools I'd been going to.

The difference is that your hand doesn't get held as much. You don't deal with elitists who think they are great for going to an elite institution and grade inflation isn't so rampant.

You want an "A" you get it by being in the top 10%, no exceptions.

I don't blame a school for needing to give "A" to 25% of the class when the average SAT is 1350 or higher. It wouldn't be fair to only give the top 10% of that group an "A". However, you can go to public school, pay less and still do whatever you want in the world except bank on those high-end connections you make at the private places.

If your chosen field is one that is more about merit and less about connections, you will be fine. Otherwise I guess there is a purpose in paying the 600%+ premium.

[tpk-nyc]

I think 50 percent (or more) of learning, in any school, comes from your peers, not your teachers. If you're surrounded by smart people who challenge you, you will work harder and receive a better education. Diligent and engaged parents can compensate for less than stellar teachers, but it's hard to replicate peer interaction.

The elite public schools, like Stuyvesant and Bronx Science, are great partly because of the teachers, but also because their selectivity mimics private schools. The student are smart and want to learn. This applies to college as well.