Public schools vs. Private schools

[fireheart17]

I'm going to put a few questions here for this one, but a little background.

GIven that we have a diverse population on this board, I'm going to explain public v. private as it is in Australia. It might be a bit different overseas. The models apply to both private and public schools. They are also known as Government and Non-Government or Independent schools. Catholic schools are a third branch but for the most part, fall under private.

Public: run by the government, education is free except for a materials and services fee paid by the families and can be set by the school. Usually nonreligious. Sometimes they have a special program run but not always (some of the schools in my state have a Special Music program, which is a bit more thorough than your standard music class, others have a Special Sport program which replaces PE for them. Music usually runs to Year 12, Sport can go to either Year 10 or 12)

Private: Not run by the government, education is paid for entirely by the families. Mostly religious, some special schools are run this way (either schools for kids with disabilities or schools that have a specific focus i.e. senior school only). In my state (South Australia), all the male-only schools are private, while all but two of the female-only schools are private.

So basically, my questions to you are as follows:

1) Does private schooling necessary mean a better education? And I don't mean just in the classroom either.
2) If you were an employer conducting interviews, would what school they went to matter?
3) Does private schooling mean better-behaved kids?
4) Should a person's school be used to further their career or life?

I put all of these above as a student of public schooling.

[protege]

I went to a Catholic grade school, but a public high school. Did it prepare me for high school? Nope.

Why, you ask? Simple. Most of the textbooks were a good 20 years out of date, and most of the material was repeated every year. Yet, the religious texts were usually brand-new Also, the "computer class," used a bunch of ancient Tandy dumb-terminals. Keep in mind that it was the late-1980s, and PCs had taken over. I knew pretty much what I was doing with them, however, in other subjects, I felt I had to "relearn" many things...simply because they'd been glossed over.

One thing I still remember, is the "our view is the only right one" held by many teachers, and even some of the students. That is, you weren't allowed to have a different, or even an opposing viewpoint. If you did, you'd lose points for it.

[AdminAssistant]

I should start off by saying that I went to a public school in Arkansas, and that public education in the American South is notoriously terrible. I was lucky in that my school was very small and I had several very good teachers.

1) Does private schooling necessary mean a better education? And I don't mean just in the classroom either.
No. Your education is what you make of it.

2) If you were an employer conducting interviews, would what school they went to matter?
It shouldn't, especially at the high school/elementary school level

3) Does private schooling mean better-behaved kids?
Doubt it. Kids are bratty all over - in public and private schools.

4) Should a person's school be used to further their career or life?
Yes, your education can and should be used to further your career/life/whatever. For me, doing well in school provided an escape path from my hometown. People are born there, they live there all their lives, and they die there.

[tropicsgoddess]

I'm in South Florida and there's a few private schools we have that have a very high reputation in the county and possibly the state. I've gone to public schools all from kindergarten to my last year of high school. To be honest, the education in a private school is far better than public school, especially given that these past few years so much emphasis is placed on prepping the students on passing the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test -which is a standardized test in the state to go on the next grade and to get your high school diploma) so the school would get a better rating and more funds while all you're learning how to do is fill out fucking scan-tron sheets than the stuff students really should be learning. Not only that, but also the student -teacher ratio, equipment is far better than public schools.

[Boozy]

1) Does private schooling necessary mean a better education? And I don't mean just in the classroom either.
No. Your education is what you make of it.

I completely disagree. Private schools may not be any better than public, but it's not true that your education is what you make of it. You can only learn as much as you have access to, and many schools are too poor to give kids access to much of anything.

I was intensely intellectually curious as a child. But I lived in a very small town and attended very small, poorly funded schools. I read every book in my elementary school's library. Twice. When I went to high school, I had a very limited number of options for courses and access to a very outdated library.

When I started university and met students from all over the country, I was amazed at the opportunities my classmates had been given that had been denied to me.

Their high schools offered the basics as well as courses in art, music, drama, Latin, Greek, film studies, economics, anthropology, and physics. I was given the basics with an option to take one music OR one art class.

They went to Europe and New York City on their field trips, as well as concerts, art galleries, and museums. We went to the local dairy farm.

Now I'll admit, I was admitted to and graduated from the same university as these other students, so I did just fine. But the quality of our educations up to that point was just not comparable. It's true that good students will likely do well regardless of what schools they attended, but its wrong to say that the quality of schools doesn't matter.

[Slytovhand]

I was public for primary (yrs1-7) , and private for secondary (8-12).

Does private education mean better education... usually. Private will pay more for teachers and equipment, while the public will have to wait for the government to get around to funding them (this seems to be getting a lot better under Rudd than Howard... but still the private's are getting way too much in comparison! How the hell can some of the richest private schools in the country get funding well and truly over and above much more needier schools in less affluent areas???) Given that the pay will be higher, in theory, the teachers will be better (in theory...). BUT.... there are great teachers in both systems, and crap teachers in both systems. There are students who want to learn, and there are students who don't give a stuff.

Employers looking at schools... well, since I've gone through the private sector, and I know what little shits they often tend to be (either that, or well and truly indoctrinated to whatever belief system said school endorses),yes, it would make a difference to me. Not a huge one, not one that would over-ride what the individual is like, but enough for me to look for certain traits... like arrogance, self-righteousness, bullying, etc etc..

Better behaved kids?? Possibly. Depends on what 'behaved' is supposed to mean. Some private schoolies (and I'm referring to the ones with super rich parents.. my parents weren't - they just figured I'd be better off there...HA! were they wrong!) will have a serious attitude. They're rude, offensive, arrogant, and given to bullying and intimidation. IMNSHO, and my experience, private schools have a much greater caste system than in public... based on parents' wealth. In public schools, the caste system is a lot flatter, and also, the kids are more likely to know each other, cos they're all from the same area. Private school kids can come from a long way off, which makes it easier to clique in. The punishment systems are usually quite different between private and public as well, and that in itself will have an effect on behaviour...

Using a school to advance yourself? Ummm... there's another reason for their existence? Well, other than keeping kids away from parents for a few hours a day.

[DesignFox]

It's funny that everyone seems to be saying private schools are better than public. In my area, things tend to the opposite.

In private schools, the kids got very little socialization because the kids were all in the same class with one another year after year. Since private schools are so expensive, and tuition increases every year, those classes also tended to get smaller and smaller.

In public school, there was a lot better socialization- more kids around, bigger (but not uncontrollably large) classes, and the chance to change classmates each year. I mean, overall you knew the same people because they lived in your area, but you interacted with different kids in different classes and half the classes would get swapped around every once in awhile.

Also- the private schools tended to just skip you ahead a grade if you were an advanced student. Whereas the public school had an honors program for advanced learners. So at public school, you weren't the youngster in with the big kids- you got to stay in your age group.

I know this stuff because I started off in private schools, and my parents, being unhappy with my education, switched me to public school. I flourished in the public schools, whereas I had floundered in the private schools because I was bored to tears with the material. My public school set me up in an honors program so I could do more advanced work- and told my parents I should have been placed in the program sooner.

Around here also- From speaking with teachers, I have learned that public school teachers are also far better paid than private school teachers. In addition, you are more likely to get a quality teacher at the public school because they have very specific standards in place; private school teachers do not have to follow the same standards.

Do I think your education should or will have an affect on your employment? Probably. But from my experience, the employer doesn't look at WHERE you went to school, just that you earned your diploma. Bonus points if you went to college. And especially after your first job, no one cares if you were a D student or an A student.

And yes, some schools will offer kids better opportunities than others. Things that sucked in my school- never enough budget for our marching band (despite this setback we were always champions in our division), broken lighting equipment/low budget for our drama program- (we learned to be creative and resourceful and managed to get ourselves nominated for some awards despite the setback), low budget for the arts- (we never got a photo lab, or enough tables/supplies in the general art classes). That being said- we really learned to work well. We never slacked because we couldn't afford to. We weren't wasteful. We learned to use our brains and make things work.

Now, things that my school HAD that others didn't...well...the biggest thing that sticks in my mind is our Ceramic studio. We actually had a fantastic Ceramics lab. As I was searching for an art school to attend, I got high praise for my ceramics work. Many colleges didn't have access to what I had in high school when it came to Ceramics.

*shrug* Toss up. I think as a parent, it's up to you to do some research and decide where to send the kids.

[AFPheonix]

It was the opposite for me, Designfox. I went to public school through grade 6 then got sent to private Christian school.

What the private school had over the public was smaller class sizes, MUCH better instruction in language arts, and very attentive teachers.
The public school was better at math and sciences by far. They also had better art,music, and sports programs. My high school didn't even have a band, I joined a public school's equestrian team and lettered with them. I didn't earn one from my school.

The quality of the education you get from public or private really dependent on the kid and the school. Even public schools here in the states vary widely in quality, even within the same school district. Here in Portland there are high schools that are very high performing and get a lot of funding due to more affluent kids attending, and then there's crappy ones full of poorer kids.

[DesignFox]

<snip> My high school didn't even have a band, I joined a public school's equestrian team and lettered with them. I didn't earn one from my school.
<snip>

And I totally wish I had grown up in an area with an equestrian team. Alas, I found this hobby so late in life. *sigh*

[AFPheonix]

The first year the program came to Oregon was my senior year, so I only got to do it the once. It was still pretty fun for the one year though

[kiwi]

1. I have been to all three, I found Catholic school the best (although the one I attended was very progressive) then private school and public school last. I hated public school, every single minute of it. I loved private and catholic school.
At public school I was another number to push through the system, very few of my teachers cared about any of the students, even the ones who put in decent effort. At both my private and catholic school my teachers were kind to the students and very devoted, the parents were expected to be involved much more and the general feeling was much more inclusive.

2. No

3. No

4. Should it, no. Does it happen, yes all the time. My private school was very bad for that. Most of the parents knew each other and did business with each other... they expected their kids to network even at a young age so that they could have someone on the inside later in life if they needed them.

My personal experiance most likely isnt a typical one, I experianced intense physical and mental bullying from students and teachers (two teachers) in public school. It was only after I went to catholic school did I flourish and begin to learn. My dyslexia was not picked up by any of my public school teachers and despite a proof of a diagnosis many of them believed I was just lazy or stupid. Lucky for me my mother took action on her own and I had tutoring outside my public schooling and could keep up. I was swept through the system until I was 9 years old before I could read... then in desperation she sent me to St Johns and I loved it there.

My children will be going to Catholic (progressive again) or private school depending on what we can afford.

I have no problem with public school persay but I hated my experiances there. I think it depends on the person and which school type they suit. Private school does not make you a smart person. My student exchange was to one of the best private schools in the USA and my prom date asked me how come I could translate from SPANISH so well.... he thought NZ was in Europe. He wants to be a senator like his daddy one day... watch out!

[fireheart17]

Guys just to clarify, apologies for lack of clarify, but number four was referring to the actual "school" itself being used to further career i.e. Person says they went to so-and-so school, people assume that they're brilliant and person gets ahead in life.

[Slytovhand]

Awww... I want equestrian too

One of the things that I haven't really noticed come up, except once, but in reverse to what I'm going to say... socialisation.

If you go to a private single-sex school, it can really stuff up your social skills! You don't get to associate with the opposite sex, and thus, you don't get to see them as a person (presuming, of course, that you don't have a lot around you otherwise... such as myself). I sort of hated my school (way too indoctrinated into 'we are the best' and all that parochial type crap). I would have much rather gone to either of the other 2 public schools in the area, with the guys and girls I went to primary school with... I would have turned out a much different person.... (terrifying, but different )

[Nyoibo]

1) Does private schooling necessary mean a better education? And I don't mean just in the classroom either.
2) If you were an employer conducting interviews, would what school they went to matter?
3) Does private schooling mean better-behaved kids?
4) Should a person's school be used to further their career or life?

I put all of these above as a student of public schooling.

1. Yes, depending on which one you went to, better facilities, better teachers, better syllabus.
2. I'd possibly say no, but depending on what I was hiring for if I knew they'd been taught things a certain way I'd let it sway me.
3. Hell no!, with a resounding "Hell no!"
4. In a fair world no, but it's not a fair world.

Me being the product of the 2nd/3rd most expensive private school in Adelaide.

[Giggle Goose]

I don't necessarily think one is "better" than the other. I think for early years, a private, especially a parochial, school would be best because of the strict rules and discipline. I've subbed in public schools and kids get away with WAY too much. Most of my friends that went to Catholic schools were used to no-nonsense teachers, and that's the way it should be. Unfortunately, everyone seems to be too afraid of lawsuits and mean, scary public school teachers giving bratty kids what they deserve.

But after that, it might be helpful to go to a public midde/high school to understand how the world works outside of the micromanaged "bubble" that is private school.