Public Education : Pros And Cons Of Public Vs. Public Schools

Many parents find that public schools simply do not fit their students’ needs. In such cases, parents have to research schools that will fulfill not only their students’ needs, but also their own. Some families find that Charter schools, and Private schools are the two best choices. While some students find that main stream schooling is the right option for themselves, some students find that they are not reaching their full potential at public schools. Depending on the student at hand, and the families financial situation, private or charter schools could be the right choice. After all, each student is different in what they need as a learner.

In the United States, getting an education is very important. Children spend thirteen years of their life learning English, history, math, science, and various other subjects so that they may one day be a productive college student or a working class citizen. In fact, “There are 33,619 private schools in the United States, serving 5.4 million PK-12 students. Private schools account for 25 percent of the nation’s schools and enroll 10 percent of all PK-12 students” (“Council for American Private Education”). Parents face many issues when deciding which school is right for their child. However, the factors that determine their choice of a private or public school are often the results of various essentials that closely mirror the parent’s ideology in regards to education. Parents should send their children to a private school because private schools have smaller class sizes, the curriculum is more challenging, and the school environment is much safer than public schools.

Why choose to go to Charter School rather than public school? Charter schools are public school of choice, meaning families choose for their children. Federal legislation provides grants to help charters to manage start-up costs. They create better educational opportunities for the students therefore they have higher expectations in teaching. Charter Schools and zoned (public) schools are tuition free but unfortunately not everyone can get in to Charter school, since it works by lottery. Everyone has the opportunity to apply and has a choice to attend Charlet School if the students are lucky enough to get in. Charter schools are more effective for three reasons: they have higher graduation rates, teachers are more prepared and devoted to their students, and teachers take a greater responsibility for their students as they compete against Zoned Schools.

With the many diverse characteristics of the Unites States, perhaps the most troubling is the rising gap in the distribution of wealth. As the wealth gap in the United States rises exponentially, the gap in the quality of public schooling rises with it. For a country that prides itself in prestigious outlets of education, the system of public schooling seems to be miserably failing. Public education, a system that some fight to destroy while others fight to preserve, is perhaps the only source of academic opportunity for many individuals living in this country. The fact that someone can live in a certain area and receive a higher quality of public education than someone else living in a different area in the same country—even in the same state—is a problem that should not trouble a ‘progressive’ democratic society. Unfortunately, areas of lower socioeconomic status receive much less funding than areas of higher socioeconomic status, where property taxes account for 45% of funding in public school districts. Naturally, the impoverished residents of poor neighborhoods pay a harsh price in this situation, sending their children to an underfunded school with little to no resources, where sometimes teachers must supply the classroom from their own pocket. As Rogerson and Fernandez note, “a system that allows the accidents of geography and birth to determine the quality of education received by an individual is inimical to the idea of equal opportunity in the marketplace”

Linda Nathan states public school systems are open to the general public whereas private schools may select their students (Koonce, 2015).

In America today, Americans have progressively paid more attention to the schooling process, trying harder to get the best education possible for their children. Catholic schools and Public schools both have advantages and disadvantages. Today, parents choose whether they would like to have their child in a public or private school. Both schools provide education and opportunities for students, but the decision of where to go is based on preferences of the parents. As educational institutions, Catholic Schools and Public schools are similar, yet different.

For a long time now our school systems have been pretty straight forward. It was always private schools versus public schools. Usually families with more money are able to send their children to private schools, and if not, children attended public schools.

Public schools might also be a better option for your child if they are hoping to be able to attend a course in technology or art because the school has a specialized class designed to teach them that. On an extracurricular activity standpoint, public schools tend to have better sports teams that are more likely to get recognized by higher ranked colleges because of the previous year's and previous players. They also tend to have more after school clubs so more kids can get

Public schools are in crisis, and not because of any shortages of public funds (more money is spent on public education than ever before, but with declining results). Many people like to think the problem with our schools is precisely that they are public: "Government schools" are run like the rest of

The greatly discussed dilemma of having a child be taught in a public school setting versus a homeschool setting has been evaluated by parents since the idea was first introduced in the 1970’s. Public schooling had been the standard method of teaching since it is a requirement for states to provide public, free education for children in grades K-12. However, the backlash against the system began when two educational theorists and supporters of school reform, John Holt and Raymond Moore, started to question both the techniques and the products of public schools. Some parents went on to support the ideas of them and began to teach their children in the environment of their own homes for several different reasons. Some included moral or religious reasons, a desire for high educational achievement, dissatisfaction with public schools’ instructional program, or concerns about drugs and peer pressure in a public school environment. Child development specialists believe that homeschooled children are isolated from the outside world, therefore making them socially handicapped. If being exposed to this type of education on an elementary school level, the child can suffer from the lack of fundamental development of effective social skills needed for a lifetime ahead of them.

Attention Getter: According to NCES data, 88 percent of private high school students apply to college, compared to 57 percent of public high school students. Every day parents contemplate whether to send their children to private or public school. There are many dangers that come with public school like exposure to drugs, alcohol, bullying, and violence. Private school promotes, honor towards authority, an outstanding scholastic standpoint, and an overall professional boost for college. (www.capenet.org)

A good education is an essential part of a child’s development. Today, parents have a choice in their child’s education and can evaluate both public and private schools. Although both public and private schools provide education and opportunities for students, parents should evaluate the differences and choose the option that best suits their child and families’ needs. In this paper, I will compare and contrast five major areas that relate to public and private schools including class size, cost, curriculum, services, and teachers.

Students have a greater chance of excelling in grade school and beyond with more qualified teachers. Obviously, private schools are at a disadvantage. Without the leadership of competent, experienced teachers, a student's academic achievement is considerably limited.

The quality of teaching and the expectations of the students differ from the two schools. Advocates of private school argue that the education received in one of these facilities is more valuable and

The issue of whether private education is better than public has been debated for many years. Strong advocates of public education feel that children grow and progress better in a mixed environment. Although most private educational institutions do not harbor racial discrimination or discrimination against sexes, they do not have certain classifications that may not suit the masses. For example, a large number of private schools are religious based. Additionally, private school education is not paid for by the state, thus children who attend these facilities generally come from a financially stable background. The danger in this environment is that student