Some families are lucky enough to live close to an excellent public school. But if you don't, you've probably considered a private education for your child at some point.
Private schools specially shine if your child has needs and abilities that lie outside the narrow average range: either above or below average ability, or with special learning needs (for example, dyslexia.)
If your child is struggling at a public school, academically or socially, it is even more important for them to learn that they have other strengths, and to explore these. And if they are above average in academic skills, or in art, music or sport, a private school will encourage your child to make the most of his or her talent.
Let's look at look at some of the factors you might want to consider in making your decision...
The Academic Advantage: Is it real?
We know that private school students in grades 4, 8 and 12 score well above the national average in reading, math, science and writing.
(National Center for Education Statistics)
But a recent report (PISA in focus) argues that students in public schools in a similar socio-economic context as private schools tend to do equally well.
So does this mean that the so-called academic advantages of private schools are just an illusion?
To find out, we need to delve a little deeper. And in fact, there is no one clear answer, simply because public schools vary so widely from one school district to another – and private schools vary even more.
The thing to keep in mind is that in the real world, you don't have any control over the "socio-economic context". And that means your comparison is between the public schools in your area, and the private schools that are close enough geographically to consider (and within your price range too).
Bottom line:
Students from private schools are consistently shown to have a real edge in getting into college and completing a degree, according to the U.S. Department of Education (see their report Private Schools: A Brief Portrait): "Students who had attended private school in 8th grade were twice as likely as those who had attended public school to have completed a bachelor's or higher degree by their mid-20s (52 versus 26 percent)."
School Safety
Will your child be exposed to violence or bullying?
Both violence and bullying are on the rise in schools these days. We hear in the news about the horrific shootings such as Columbine and Sandy Hook... but these are only the extreme tip of a very large problem.
This report, jointly released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics in February 2012, compares public and private schools on several measures, from the percentage of teachers reporting being threatened with injury, to students being exposed to hate-related graffiti. On all measure the public schools showed more safety issues than public schools, with one of the most significant differences being the percentage of students reporting that gangs were present in schools (22% for public schools, compared with 2.3% for private schools).
These differences continue into a whole range of behavior problems reported by teachers, from simple student apathy and unwillingness to learn (30% in public schools compared with 4% in private schools), to showing open disrespect to teachers (17% at public schools, compared with 5% at private schools).
We know that children are highly influenced by their peers, and the behavior they observe around them. So in many public schools, not only is there the risk of your child being victimised by other children, but even more, there is a real risk that he or she will begin to model these behaviors too.
And even if neither of these things happen, this sort of environment will most likely affect the morale of the teachers, and the amount of time and energy they have to pay attention to your child.
Teaching Your Child Values
Values are hard to quantify, and for most people, even harder to put into words. Our values are what underpin our core choices about life... and we want our children to operate from these values too.
For a lot of people, their choice of a private school comes from their desire for their children to have a religious and spiritual education that instills moral and ethical values. If this is a priority for you, then it will be a factor that governs your choice of school, and it may make your decision more clear-cut.
But whether or not you want a specific religious education for your child, you will undoubtedly be looking for a school that teaches your child social responsibility and ethical values, as well as such things as self-discipline, independent thinking, emotional awareness, and respect for others.
These less tangible benefits are not easy to measure, but private schools almost always will provide a more values-oriented environment for your child, and for many people these are even more important than the academic benefits of a private school education.
Extra-Curricular Activities & Resources
Art, music, sports: also important for a full education
Education is about a whole lot more than academic development.
We recognise easily enough that very young children learn by moving around, interacting with their environment, and expressing themselves in dance, music and art. As children get older though, we often ignore these skills, taking the attitude that only the talented few should be encouraged to continue with these other activities. Yet learning any sort of skill teaches a person discipline, self-control, patience, and the meta-skills of learning from mistakes to achieve a goal. And each one of these skills also teaches fine motor-coordination, which in turn trains the brain in ways that are subtle yet definite.
An extra benefit for children in participating in these activities is that they will be more likely to discover their own particular talents - not every child is destined to be an academic star, but learning that they can excel in a sport, or in music, or in languages, or in performing arts, will give a massive self-esteem and confidence boost.
And private schools are much more likely to offer a range of opportunities for learning and skill development outside the core academic curriculum.
In Summary
So do your own research into the schools in your area, using some of the aspects I have discussed here.
Use a resource such as Private Schools In Nashville or one of the other many great websites dedicated to giving you the specific information that you need to make your decision.
Private schools specially shine if your child has needs and abilities that lie outside the narrow average range: either above or below average ability, or with special learning needs (for example, dyslexia.)
If your child is struggling at a public school, academically or socially, it is even more important for them to learn that they have other strengths, and to explore these. And if they are above average in academic skills, or in art, music or sport, a private school will encourage your child to make the most of his or her talent.
Let's look at look at some of the factors you might want to consider in making your decision...
The Academic Advantage: Is it real?
We know that private school students in grades 4, 8 and 12 score well above the national average in reading, math, science and writing.
(National Center for Education Statistics)
But a recent report (PISA in focus) argues that students in public schools in a similar socio-economic context as private schools tend to do equally well.
So does this mean that the so-called academic advantages of private schools are just an illusion?
To find out, we need to delve a little deeper. And in fact, there is no one clear answer, simply because public schools vary so widely from one school district to another – and private schools vary even more.
The thing to keep in mind is that in the real world, you don't have any control over the "socio-economic context". And that means your comparison is between the public schools in your area, and the private schools that are close enough geographically to consider (and within your price range too).
Bottom line:
Students from private schools are consistently shown to have a real edge in getting into college and completing a degree, according to the U.S. Department of Education (see their report Private Schools: A Brief Portrait): "Students who had attended private school in 8th grade were twice as likely as those who had attended public school to have completed a bachelor's or higher degree by their mid-20s (52 versus 26 percent)."
School Safety
Will your child be exposed to violence or bullying?
Both violence and bullying are on the rise in schools these days. We hear in the news about the horrific shootings such as Columbine and Sandy Hook... but these are only the extreme tip of a very large problem.
This report, jointly released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics in February 2012, compares public and private schools on several measures, from the percentage of teachers reporting being threatened with injury, to students being exposed to hate-related graffiti. On all measure the public schools showed more safety issues than public schools, with one of the most significant differences being the percentage of students reporting that gangs were present in schools (22% for public schools, compared with 2.3% for private schools).
These differences continue into a whole range of behavior problems reported by teachers, from simple student apathy and unwillingness to learn (30% in public schools compared with 4% in private schools), to showing open disrespect to teachers (17% at public schools, compared with 5% at private schools).
We know that children are highly influenced by their peers, and the behavior they observe around them. So in many public schools, not only is there the risk of your child being victimised by other children, but even more, there is a real risk that he or she will begin to model these behaviors too.
And even if neither of these things happen, this sort of environment will most likely affect the morale of the teachers, and the amount of time and energy they have to pay attention to your child.
Teaching Your Child Values
Values are hard to quantify, and for most people, even harder to put into words. Our values are what underpin our core choices about life... and we want our children to operate from these values too.
For a lot of people, their choice of a private school comes from their desire for their children to have a religious and spiritual education that instills moral and ethical values. If this is a priority for you, then it will be a factor that governs your choice of school, and it may make your decision more clear-cut.
But whether or not you want a specific religious education for your child, you will undoubtedly be looking for a school that teaches your child social responsibility and ethical values, as well as such things as self-discipline, independent thinking, emotional awareness, and respect for others.
These less tangible benefits are not easy to measure, but private schools almost always will provide a more values-oriented environment for your child, and for many people these are even more important than the academic benefits of a private school education.
Extra-Curricular Activities & Resources
Art, music, sports: also important for a full education
Education is about a whole lot more than academic development.
We recognise easily enough that very young children learn by moving around, interacting with their environment, and expressing themselves in dance, music and art. As children get older though, we often ignore these skills, taking the attitude that only the talented few should be encouraged to continue with these other activities. Yet learning any sort of skill teaches a person discipline, self-control, patience, and the meta-skills of learning from mistakes to achieve a goal. And each one of these skills also teaches fine motor-coordination, which in turn trains the brain in ways that are subtle yet definite.
An extra benefit for children in participating in these activities is that they will be more likely to discover their own particular talents - not every child is destined to be an academic star, but learning that they can excel in a sport, or in music, or in languages, or in performing arts, will give a massive self-esteem and confidence boost.
And private schools are much more likely to offer a range of opportunities for learning and skill development outside the core academic curriculum.
In Summary
So do your own research into the schools in your area, using some of the aspects I have discussed here.
Use a resource such as Private Schools In Nashville or one of the other many great websites dedicated to giving you the specific information that you need to make your decision.
