View our Private Schools Directory
Overview
Although
private schools often enjoy a better reputation than public, they are not
without problems. The typical private or parochial school is funded way below
its public school counterpart. In size, facilities, playing fields and
programs, public schools usually far outstrip private schools. Private school
teachers earn less than public school teachers. www.mccormacks.com
“Typical” has
to be emphasized. Some private schools are well-equipped, offer exceptional
programs, pay their teachers competitively and limit class sizes to fewer than
15 students. Private schools vary widely in funding. But even when “typical,”
private schools enjoy certain advantages over public schools.
The Advantages
Public
schools must accept all students, have almost no power to dismiss incompetent
teachers and are at the mercy of their neighborhoods for the quality of
students. The unruly often cannot be expelled or effectively disciplined.
www.mccormacks.com
Much has been
said about the ability of private schools to rid themselves of problem children
or screen them out. But tuition, even when modest, probably does more than
anything else to assure private schools quality students.
Parents who
pay extra for their child’s education and often agree to work closely with the
school are, usually, demanding parents. The result: fewer discipline problems,
fewer distractions in the class, more of a willingness to learn.
www.mccormacks.com
Classmates
When you
place your child in a good private school, you are, to a large extent, buying
him or her scholastic classmates. They may not be the smartest children — many
private schools accept children of varying ability — but generally they will
have someone at home breathing down their necks to succeed in academics.
The same
attitude, a reflection of family values, is found in the high-achieving public
schools. When a child in one of these schools or a private school turns to his
left and right, he will see and later talk to children who read books and
newspapers. A child in a low-achieving school, public or private, will talk to
classmates who watch a lot of television and rarely read. www.mccormacks.com
(These are,
necessarily, broad generalizations. Much depends on whom the children pick for
friends. High-achieving students certainly watch television but, studies show,
much less than low-achieving students. Many critics contend that even
high-scoring schools are graduating students poorly prepared for college.)
The Quality of Teaching
Do private
schools have better teachers than public schools? Impossible to tell. Both
sectors sing the praises of their teachers. www.mccormacks.com
Private
schools, compared to public, have much more freedom to dismiss teachers but
this can be abused. The private schools themselves advise parents to avoid
schools with excessive teacher turnover.
Although most
can’t pay as much as public schools, private institutions claim to attract
people fed up with the limitations of public schools, particularly the
restrictions on disciplining and ejecting unruly children. Some proponents
argue that private schools attract teachers “who really want to teach.”
www.mccormacks.com
Religion and Private
Schools
Some private
schools are as secular as any public institution. But many are
religious-oriented and talk in depth about religion or ethics, or teach a
specific creed. Or possibly they teach values within a framework of western
civilization or some other philosophy.
Public
schools teach the history of major religions and the basic tenets of each, and
they try to inculcate in the children a respect for all religions.
www.mccormacks.com
It’s hard, if
not impossible, however, for public schools to talk about values within a
framework of religion or a system of ethics. Often, it’s difficult for them to
talk about values. Some people argue that this is a major failing.
Many
religious schools accept students of different religions or no religion. Some
schools offer these students broad courses in religion — less dogma. Ask about
the program. www.mccormacks.com
Money
Private-school
parents pay taxes for public schools and they pay tuition. Public-school
parents pay taxes but not tuition. Big difference.
Ethnic Diversity
Many private
schools are integrated and the great majority of private-school principals —
the editor knows no exceptions — welcome minorities. Some principals fret over
tuition, believing that it keeps many poor students out of private schools.
www.mccormacks.com
Money, or
lack of it, weighs heavily on private schools. Scholarships, however, are awarded,
adjustments made, family rates offered. Never hurts to ask.
Choosing a Private School
1. Inspect
the grounds, the school’s buildings, ask plenty of questions. “I would make
myself a real pest,” advised one private school official. The good schools welcome
this kind of attention. www.mccormacks.com
2. Choose a
school with a philosophy congenial to your own, and your child’s. Carden
schools emphasize structure. Montessori schools, while somewhat structured,
encourage individual initiative and independence.
Ask whether
the school is accredited. Private schools are free to run almost any program
they like, to set any standards they like, which may sound enticing but in some
aspects might hurt the schools. A few bad ones spoil the reputation of the
good. To remedy this, many private schools sign up for inspections by
independent agencies, such as the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
and the California Association of Independent Schools. These agencies try to
make sure that schools meet their own goals. Some good schools do not seek
accreditation. www.mccormacks.com
3. Get all
details about tuition carefully explained. How is it to be paid? Are there
extra fees? Book costs? Is there a refund if the student is withdrawn or
dropped from the school?
4. Progress
reports. Parent conferences. How often are they scheduled?
5. What are
the entrance requirements? When must they be met? Although many schools use
entrance tests, often they are employed to place the child in an academic
program, not exclude him from the school. www.mccormacks.com
6. For prep
schools, what percentage of the students go on to college and to what colleges?
7. How are
discipline problems handled?
8. What are
the teacher qualifications? What is the teacher turnover rate? www.mccormacks.com
9. How sound
financially is the school? How long has it been in existence? There is nothing
wrong per se with new schools. But you want a school that has the wherewithal
to do the job.
10. Do
parents have to work at school functions?
11. Don’t
choose in haste but don’t wait until the last minute. If you can, call the
school the year before your child is to enter, early in the year.
www.mccormacks.com
12. Don’t
assume that because your child attends a private school you can expect
everything will go all right, that neither the school nor the student needs
your attention. The quality of private schools in California varies widely.
View our Private Schools Directory
