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Isn't it usually the urban schools that are of concern? Not that all urban schools are bad, but those are the ones that get the attention as being underperforming, dangerous, etc.
Gosh, that is certainly true in places like NY or Chicago. In smaller cities like Seattle or Atlanta or Charlotte, San Antonio, Cleveland and Minneapolis (examples I know of first hand), it can be a different story.
From what I have observed, smaller cities tend to have areas within city boundaries that cater to the wealthy. You see a large percentage of the affluent population living in in-town enclaves (Buckhead in Atlanta, Alamo Heights in San Antonio, Queen Anne in Seattle and so on). The schools associated with these areas tend to be amongst the best in the states.....if not, private schools are solid options. Then within the same city and also within city boundaries, you might have other schools of varying degrees of competence but usually, the sampling within an individual city is very mixed.
In those same cities, you also tend to find several decent-enough suburban public schools in very similar looking towns. New towns with tony town center malls, new McMansions etc. Those towns fare pretty good with the schools. Nothing brilliant but good enough...
I will tell you though what I have learned tend to be the WORST schools--the thoroughly rural schools. These tend to be areas that are rural and have been ignored due to a history of negative or flat population and economic growth. Many of these areas are now tending to illegal and undocumented immigrants and are, as a result, literally bursting at the seams because the demand for services are being outstripped. Please know this is not meant to be a anti-immigrant thing. I honestly have much sympathy for the plight of undocumented folks in this country. I am just making an observation. Our friend's nanny's 8year old daughter goes to school in a trailer, every single day. She is of Mexican origin but born here and her mom drives 90 minutes to come to work. They are proud she is in school--however, from what I can glean, this child's education is sub-par at best.
IF you are from NJ and have always lived there, I am not sure if I can draw an adequate comparison. I simply cannot think of a single area in NJ that I could even compare it to. NJ is simply too densely populated and that phenomenon just has not happened there. Most of the folks who through circumstances find themselves in the fringe tend to congregate in the cities (Dover, Newark, Paterson). By contras in newer, less dense areas, folks on the fringe can find housing etc in these rural enclaves.
The longer I am away from NJ, the more I realize there is a huge disparity in shared experience between northeasters and other parts of the country....Not judging either to be good or bad, just making an observation. I still remember a NJ friend of mine who was thoroughly perplexed to hear that I lived within Atlanta city boundaries and was not in an apartment or a condo. When she saw my rural looking street (1 mile from the center of the action!) she was stumped. "What is this place? Suburb or city or what?"
I believe private schools are better, not taking away from public schools. But private through my expierence is better structured and smaller class size making for better teacher to student communication. My two kids go to Far Hills Country Day school and am very satisfied. It's all in what you want for your kids.
I believe private schools are better, not taking away from public schools. But private through my expierence is better structured and smaller class size making for better teacher to student communication. My two kids go to Far Hills Country Day school and am very satisfied. It's all in what you want for your kids.
Why not open this debate again? LOL
I agree that I prefer private schools. While I am the very first to say that there are GOOD public schools and there are BAD public schools. Also, there are GOOD private schools and there are BAD private schools.
One thing I don't like about public in recent years though is the fact that they must comply with the "No Child Left Behind Act" which has basically served as a dumbing down of the entire system. In a private school teachers have the ability to teach in the manner they choose, that may be best for the individual child, they don't have to "teach to the test."
I believe private schools are better, not taking away from public schools. But private through my expierence is better structured and smaller class size making for better teacher to student communication. My two kids go to Far Hills Country Day school and am very satisfied. It's all in what you want for your kids.
What is it that makes Far Hills better?It's the open compition from public schools that makes them keep a step ahead and some just aren't.Very few privet schools in your area,Mooristown Beard,Oak Knoll,Kent Place,Delbarton,Pingry etc can match Millburn at the price.
I believe private schools are better, not taking away from public schools. But private through my expierence is better structured and smaller class size making for better teacher to student communication. My two kids go to Far Hills Country Day school and am very satisfied. It's all in what you want for your kids.
I think its more than what you want for kids. It has to do with the individual. I feel that there are some kids that will thrive in most settings (im talking about decent to great schools) and then there are kids that NEED the small settings in order to get the right amount of attention.
I think its more than what you want for kids. It has to do with the individual. I feel that there are some kids that will thrive in most settings (im talking about decent to great schools) and then there are kids that NEED the small settings in order to get the right amount of attention.
Excellent point.
It's about choice. I chose private (and I'm against vouchers! LOL)
sorry to disagree with you but my kids in private school were way ahead of their peers in public schools
Private schools are good and bad. But if your child is really smart and gifted, you should consider Bridgewater and its Academically Independent Program for gifted kids. It is a real challenge - it's very difficult to be admitted because the child has to pass a few tests but it is AMAZING. Only 16-20 children are admitted every year but they have a great curriculum. My youngest child got into that class last year. Compering to Pingry, where my daughters used to go for a few years, AI class is better: more interesting, a lot of projects etc. This class is for children who would be bored in regular classes. Many families are looking for houses in Bridgewater only because they want their children to attend AI.
All 3 of my children got admitted to Pingry with no problems whatsoever. It was a big disappointment: like someone mentioned before, another Jaguar, another Short Hills shopper. The difference between a regular school in a good district and Pingry: you do not pay extra $30,000 a year. Do you think your child is going to have a different curriculum? No. Same math, same English, maybe an hour extra of a foreign language (it is cheaper to get a tutor). Worth $30,000? Nope. My daughter was bored because other students learned what she had already known and it was impossible to place her in a different class (I assume we are talking about $$$).
When I found out about Bridgewater and its IA program, I spoke to a few parents whose children had been already attending the class and we decided to move to Bridgewater. To make the story short, my child L-O-V-E-S her class, she is not bored and I saved a lot of money. I wish had known about this program before, I would not have wasted my older kids' time and my money. Good luck.
Ahhh... I love this controversial subject. It makes the best of us bear teeth!
Having four children, and having them all in public and then switching my eldest to private in 7th grade, I have had a lot of experiences that have helped me to form my opinion. In my situation, I would send 3 of my children to private school, from my two gifted children and the one in the middle, if I could afford it, and the reason is that so many of the private schools in the area are just so terrific. I would only keep my child with special needs in public. In a good private school, it is cool to be smart, kids don't grow up so fast in their behavior/dress/attitude, every child is afforded the opportunities that are available to students in a gifted and talented program, and the community is more inclusive -- inviting all kids to parties, etc.
My main problem with public schools are the giant middle schools, which can easily loose a good, smart kid. I do plan to move to another school district, and when I do, I will choose a district that has a K-8 school. K-8 schools statistically have better success then the elementary and middle school model.
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