NYC Private Schools (neighborhood, best schools, tax credit)

[concordancevr]

Originally Posted by stvincent

I recently read an article in the New York Times about how hard it is to get into Manhattan private schools. I could not believe the length that parents will go to get their children into schools like Dalton and Trinity. Do any of you have kids in these prestigeous private schools. Do you think it's worthit? Are NYC's public schools really so bad that every middle class to upper class parent regardless of race feels the need to send their child to a private institution for a K-12 education?

Now, before I make it seem that I am against private schools, I wanted to say that I reside in the Vinings area of Atlanta and my kids go to The Lovett School, one if the best private schools in the South. I would say that about 80% of the families in my community and in neighboring areas send their kids to private schools. I know why we do it, I just wanted to know what the frenzy was about in New York.

I'm not a NY resident, but a sophomore at Vanderbilt University and a few of my friends in my class attended Poly Prep, Browning, Loyola School, Greenwich school, and Solomon Schechter - most of them boast that having had their backgrounds in education at these institutes college level work is not nearly as challenging as it is to say, some of their public school educated peers. My boyfriend graduated from Rye Country Day. Both my sister and I attended private secondary schools growing up and I imagine the frenzy in NY over private schools is similar to that of the private school frenzy that exists here in Brentwood/Nashville, TN with schools like Harpeth Hall, Montgomery Bell Academy, St. Cecelia, Battle Ground Academy etc.

[Hustla718]

Private/Catholic school is worth it.

[scatman]

You know what's so sad?????

If you research the history of the public school system in the City of New York, you will find lists of alum of these institutions that read like a who's-who of American life!!!!!!!! And for the school system to decline despite that is downright atrocious!!!!!!!!

[mead]

Well the best example is CUNY. Lots of nobel prize winners used to come out of CUNY back in the 1930s/1940s/1950s. This is really no longer the case. They should have never allowed an open admissions policy in the first place. That was the first mistake that CUNY made.

[scatman]

Originally Posted by mead

Well the best example is CUNY. Lots of nobel prize winners used to come out of CUNY back in the 1930s/1940s/1950s. This is really no longer the case. They should have never allowed an open admissions policy in the first place. That was the first mistake that CUNY made.

Actually, I was thinking elementary to high schools. I am a recent CUNY alum (Masters, Baruch), and the CUNY system is great. CUNY was on down times, but the re-toughening of its standards (i.e. computer and writing competency requirements) have put CUNY on the comeback trail. Add to that huge endowments (Bill McCaulley's $15(?) million grant), system/school upgrades, great professors and students opting to go public instead of overexpensive private, and you have CUNY's rebirth.

[scatman]

Mead,

I'm sure you probably know, the open admissions was supposed to address accusations of admissions discrimination at the hands of CUNY. Unfortunately, by addressing the discrimination problem, it went over the line by dropping its standards. Add to that the fiscal crisis (one of my professors says it took 5 years to get that two weeks pay the City cut off in 1976), and you have a downward spiraling City University of New York.

Those were the days!

[Melabi]

How do you rate PS 208 (Allan L Locke at 21 W 111th St) to PS 208 ( Elsa Ebeling at 4801 Ave D)

[kort677]

Originally Posted by Rachael84

if you live in lower Manahattan, the majority of those public schools will be easily comparable to any private school in the city, maybe even a little better.

bwahahahaha, keep deluding yourself

[Rachael84]

Originally Posted by kort677

bwahahahaha, keep deluding yourself

Well, i've heard from parents that they sent their kids to private schools, then to the public schools in the village and they said the village schools were better than private.

[kort677]

Originally Posted by Rachael84

Well, i've heard from parents that they sent their kids to private schools, then to the public schools in the village and they said the village schools were better than private.

could it be that maybe their little angels were having problems in the privates and wound up in the publics, or maybe daddy lost too much moola and the hedge fund dumped him so they had to leave their private school, either way it might be that dear mommy who is trying to save face puts down the privates?

To be honest, a truly exceptional kid will excel regardless of a school being public (as long as the public is reasonably competent) or private, the difference is with the majority of kids who are average or better, private schools usually offer smaller classes that cover more ground than the publics can and this shows up after a few years, like when competing for high school, the private school kids are a year or two ahead of the public school kids, the private school kids have better work habits and study skill than the public school kids and in the end the private school kid is usually a better "product" than a publicly educated one.
Now I know someone will refute this with an extreme example of an extraordinary kid who came out of some under performing public school and is getting a free ride at MIT, and there's always a couple of private school kids who turn out to be clunkers, but remember I am talking about the mainstream in both settings.

I am very anti public school because of the way they are forced to educate, and the way they are incapable of being creative in their methods of educating. Their one size fits all system, just isn't working.
It is a shame that people like me who pay taxes to support public schools are forced not to use them, we have to pay high tuitions and we don't get any kind of tax write off of any kind, people will argue that we choose private schools over public ones and don't deserve any tax credits, but the spots the private schools don't use, don't cost the government a dime either.