Public Schools vs. Private Schools

Public Schools vs. Private Schools

Literature Review (in Progress)

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute study results published in "Where Do Public School Teachers Send Their Kids to School?" (Doyle et al. 2004) may be surprising to many parents whose children attend public school. Teachers are expected to be the individuals that know the most about what is going on in schools because they work there every day, with access to the classroom, school resources, school administration, and every aspect of the education system. One would expect that teachers would take pride in their schools and have their own children attend the public schools in which they teach; this would be a strong vote of confidence for the public schools. However, if teachers themselves chose not to send their children to public school, this is a strong indicator that our public schools are in bad shape. According to this study, "urban public school teachers are more likely than either urban households or the general public to send their children to private schools." (Doyle et al. 2004) the chancellor of New York City schools is among the influential school administrators that is very concerned about the fact that the public school systems across the nation are not in admirable shape, and he is proposing a complete reform for the school system that goes beyond vouchers or school choice. As far back as 1983, a story in Detroit revealed that Michigan public school teachers were twice as likely to send their children to private school. Subsequently, it was found that forty-six percent of Chicago's public school teachers sent their children to private schools, while only twenty-two percent of the general public sent their children to private school in Chicago, which is more than twice as likely. In fact, in Chicago it was so common for public school teachers to send their children to private school, that one private school held parent/teacher conferences on public school holidays so that the parents could attend. With those reports in mind, these researchers found through the year 2000 census information that the national percentage of all families, including urban, rural, and suburban, that send their children to private schools is just over twelve percent. However, the national percentage of public school teachers that send their children to private schools is nearly twenty-two percent. Additionally, as the income level decreases for the urban public school teacher, the likelihood that the teacher will send his or her children to private school actually increases. There are two possible factors that cause this phenomenon. First, urban school teachers are usually very well educated and believe that a good education is extremely important, and therefore they would be willing to make a greater sacrifice financially to send their children to the best schools. Second, the urban schools that these children would be likely to attend are usually in worse conditions than schools which pay teachers a higher salary, so the lower salary of the teacher may be indicative of a greater need for the student to attend a different school. There are many factors to consider which are brought to the surface by these figures. Teachers in the public school system may be of the opinion that the schools simply are not up to par with the education that should be expected for children, and teachers themselves are seeking alternative schooling methods, including private schools, public charter schools, and moving to other districts so that the student can attend a "better" school than the one at which the teacher is employed. See Appendices I and II for statistical information about public school teachers and private schools.

Charter schools are a unique situation in the public vs. private school discussion. Charter schools are operated using public funds, however they are not subjected to the same regulations as normal public schools. The hopes of charter school supporters is that because they have more freedom from regulations that determine school policies in the public school system, as well as freedom from union contracts, there will be higher performance from the students. Nancy Coleman and Stephaan Harris (2005) discuss a new study released by the Economic Policy Institute which addresses some of the particular issues of the Charter schools regarding enrollment and achievement. It was previously believed by most people that charter schools served a disproportionate number of economically disadvantaged students, however this new study comes to the opposite conclusion. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, and previously conducted state studies formed the basic data pool for this study. The data simply did not support the notion that socioeconomic differences between charter school students and regular public school students are the reason for the differences in academic performance of the students in the charter schools. Charter schools are not serving a student body that is more difficult to teach, therefore alternative explanations for the lower achievement of these students must be sought out. Charter schools are supposed to provide a more specialized education that will give students an advantage not available from the regular public school district because of the different structure, but without the high costs of private schools. When the NAEP data was first released showing that the charter students did not have any measurable performance advantages than normal students, a controversy ensued. The charter schools attempted to dig their way out of this hole with the claim that the students at charter schools were more disadvantaged, therefore having equivalent academic performance to the average public schools was in fact a higher achievement, because the same students would be below average if left in the normal public school system. There are significantly more black students percentage-wise enrolled in charter schools than normal public schools, which is where the assumption that the students were more disadvantaged came from. However, the black students in charter schools are less likely to be eligible for lunch subsidies than those in public schools, which means that charter school students are actually at a socioeconomic advantage. Seventy-six percent of students in regular public schools are from low-income families, while only sixty-eight percent of students in the charter schools are low-income. Standardized test scores show no higher performance from charter school students, and in some cases lower performance in comparison to the public school students, even in a direct comparison of low-income to low-income students. Students in charter schools also appear to show no greater gain overall in achievement improvement than those in public schools.

Further findings of this study come as a surprise to many people who believe charter schools may be the solution to the public school dilemma. (Coleman & Conner 2005) Hispanic students in charter schools are also at no disadvantage in comparison to Hispanic students in public schools. This is further evidence that the overall students at charter schools are not more disadvantaged. Overall, charter schools may even have fewer minority students all together, as well as having fewer socially disadvantaged students. In California, Asian and Latino students in the charter schools had composite test scores, including literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies, that were up to five percent lower than the Asian and Latino students in the public schools. In Washington, D.C., a study of thirty charter schools showed that more students in the charter schools scored in the lowest possible category on the SAT 9 exams in comparison to standard public schools. In North Carolina, students that attended both public and charter schools had much lower achievement gains during their time in charter schools than the time in public schools.

The very basis on which charter schools are founded in an attempt to provide a better alternative to students may in fact be the cause of the lower performance of the students. "Some charter advocates claim positive returns from typical charter school traits such as liberation from unions and regulations, and they insist accountability is stronger and competition with public schools produces results. These claims are not supported by the research evidence." (Coleman & Conner 2005) Bureaucracy certainly causes setbacks for public schools. However, freedom from this will only benefit students if the school takes the responsibility of ensuring quality upon itself, which charter schools do not appear to be doing. In one study, ninety-three percent of public school teachers were shown to be certified, but only seventy-two percent of charter teachers are certified. Freedom from bureaucracy cannot benefit students if that freedom is used to hire less qualified teachers. Charter schools are not being held accountable for academic performance.

Additionally, although it is the honest goal of charter schools to enroll needy children above all, the necessary school choice procedures can prevent that goal from being reached. (Coleman & Harris 2005) Now, this is not to say that charter schools are failing all students who attend them. Charter schools are experimental, and there have been specific cases where charter school performance and increased achievement among students has surpassed the comparable students at normal public schools. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the norm for students participating in charter programs. Inconsistent evaluation methods between public, private, and charter schools, as well as the ever-present problems with whether or not achievement is actually measured accurately by standardized test scores, are two issues that must be taken into account when evaluating the findings of this report.

Despite all of this negative press for charter schools, some studies do appear to show that these schools may be a positive learning atmosphere for students and that academic achievement may be comparable to public schools. Caroline M. Hoxby (2004), with Harvard University and the National Bureau of Economic Research, compares the reading and mathematics proficiency of charter students vs. public school students. An important aspect of Hoxby's study is that ninety-nine percent of charter students are included in this study. This is especially important because less than two percent of all students are enrolled in charter schools, which means that not including any measurable portion of the charter school students in the study will significantly skew the results of the study. Another recent charter school study only took three percent of Charter students into consideration when determining the results; that sample represents a total of four students in the fourth grade in Connecticut schools, only fourteen students in Washington, D.C. schools, and so on. A handful of students, or even a handful of classrooms, cannot be used to properly represent the entirety of charter schools, which is why Hoxby's study may be of particular importance. Hoxby's comparison of charter school students to public school students specifically used the public schools that charter school students would most likely be attending otherwise. The racial composition of schools and neighborhoods of the directly comparable schools are almost always close to the same. Hoxby's study found that charter students are four percent more likely to be proficient in reading, as well as two percent more likely to be proficient in math, based on state standardized tests. In states where the charter schools have had the opportunity to become well-established, the advantage appears to be even greater. Arizona charter schools have students that are seven percent more likely to be proficient in math and reading as the students in public schools. In California students are eight percent more likely to be proficient in reading and three percent more likely to be proficient in math, while in Washington, D.C., the advantage is a startling thirty-five percent or higher for charter students. Hoxby did find that North Carolina charter students had a four percent disadvantage in reading and math proficiency in comparison to public school students. In many states, charter schools have not been established for long enough to determine evaluative statistics, and many studies use statistics from schools that are not comparable or other biased sources for information, which may account for some of the disparage between study findings. See Appendices III through VIII to review some of the statistical findings of Hoxley's study in comparison with the statistics collected by other charter school studies.

There are many alternatives to the traditional public school system, and many parents are seeking a new kind of education in private schools. Far from there being only conservative, religious schools available among private schools, there are a wide range of experimental schools that are attempting to apply modern educational theory to the learning environment. Ann Bauer (2004) relates her story about taking her child to an alternative school when the public school system was failing him. Unlike many parents who chose to take their children out of the public school system, Bauer does not think poorly of the public school system. She supports the public schools and think that they have a lot to offer many children, including her other two children, but that certain children need individualized, unique education that cannot be expected from the public schools. The public school that her son Andrew attended was not a bad school, but Andrew was not able to learn in that environment, so they jumped at the chance to enroll him in a private, experimental, small school.

The tuition was $4,500 a year, and the school was called Classical Academy, and it was started by a small group of private school teachers. Classical Academy evolved out of a cooperative home-schooling group. They called their learning plan Integrated Learning Solutions, and it included nutritional guidelines, exercises called brain gym, self-improvement methods, and traditional academic subjects. Bauer's son Andrew responded very well to this environment, and he quickly became interested in school, and successful in his academic studies. The situation appeared to be perfect, but it was not long before administrative petty arguments started interfering with the goals of the school. The structure of the original school changed drastically, but the school did survive and it remained a great environment for the author's child. However, the crisis of this school nearly lost her son's faith and interest, and the author is not certain if Andrew will be returning for a second year at the alternative school; many parents withdrew their children from the program when it started showing signs of falling apart. This is one of the dangers of experimental programs that can be found in private schooling options (or the experimental charter schools); it can be a "gamble on placing him in a small private school with no track record, no written curriculum, no definite plan, and no guarantees." (Bauer 1997) Parents must weigh the possible benefits and possible harmful effects of using their children as guinea pigs.

Not all private school options are experimental like the Classical Academy example; some private school options have been around for a very long time. Boarding schools are a tried-and-true schooling option, and while they have been held in the highest esteem by many academics for ages, they have been met with growing resistance from the less conservative new generations of students. Boarding school is often equated in the minds of the public with such horror stories as Pink Floyd's "The Wall." However, recent studies show that boarding schools may actually be a positive option and prove that many of the negative stereotypes that surround the boarding school experience and culture are quite disputable. The Art and Science Group (2004) of Baltimore, MD, found that students who attend boarding schools are actually more successful in college and in life, based on the experiences of two thousand seven hundred subjects. See Appendices IX through XIII to review charts containing the results of this intensive comparative study. Boarding school students were compared to both private day school students and public school students, and they were shown to reach managerial positions in their career much earlier in life than their non-boarding school counterparts. Boarding school students are also destined to reach higher management positions in their careers. Boarding school students are also less likely to watch television or play video games, both during the school years and as adults, than their peers who attend normal private school or public school, so boarding school may be an effective cure for the couch potato epidemic.

Boarding school students also obtain a sense of giving to the community, and they are more likely to be philanthropic and to have learned about the importance of service while in school. There are many negative stereotypes about boarding schools which were addressed by this study, including those relating to boarding schools being cesspools of right, upper-class students, or of them being full of troubled children that get sent away from home because they are unmanageable. Boarding school students, by and large, are not sent away or banished to the school. Students are an active part of choosing to enroll in boarding schools, and most of them are drawn to the high academic standards of the school. Boarding schools are not segregated or divided by class status, race, or other superficial factors, they are integrated educational systems in most cases. Contrary to what the popular media might convey about drugs and alcohol on boarding school campuses, most boarding school students surveyed said that their social lives did not revolve around drugs and alcohol.

The director of the Association of Boarding Schools, a nonprofit association, said in regards to the study, "We undertook this detailed study to explore the differences of boarding school, private day, and public school education to better understand how the opportunities for interaction and learning beyond the classroom found at boarding school impact a student's life at school, and into adulthood, We were especially pleased to see that the leadership skills and community focus of our students continues to play an important and distinguishing role in their lives beyond the boarding school experience." (the Art and Science Group 2004) the data for the study was collected over sixteen months, and it deals not only with common stereotypes and myths about private boarding schools, but also many other aspects of the boarding school experience, attitudes of the students, and how the boarding school experience contributes to college and later life achievements and associations. Students revealed also why they applied to boarding school, and how their daily life compares to students in public schools and students in private day schools.

First, boarding school students and alumni reported higher satisfaction with their academic experience in comparison with students enrolled in other types of schools. (the Art and Science Group 2004) Approximately sixty percent of students enroll in boarding schools in order to get a better education, and according to them, they get it. Ninety-five percent of boarding school students surveyed reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their academic experience. Only eighty-six percent of students in private day schools or public schools that were surveyed felt this way about their school, which means that boarding school students are nine percent more satisfied. Ninety-one percent of current boarding school students find their school to be academically challenging, while only fifty-three percent of students in private day or public schools felt their curriculum was academically challenging. Among boarding school students, ninety percent say that their teachers are high-quality, while approximately half of public school students feel that their teachers are not high-quality; only sixty-two percent of private day school students feel that their teachers are high-quality. Boarding school students are challenged in many ways, including spending about seventeen hours on homework every week, while public school students only spend around eight hours per week on homework, and private day school students only spend about nine hours on homework. Seventy-five percent of boarding school students say that their peers are motivated, which is an important factor in motivation of the individual student. Less than half of public schools students report being surrounded by motivated peers, and only seventy-one percent of private day school students feel their peers are motivated. Among graduates of boarding school, eighty to ninety percent of them report that they would repeat the boarding school experience; very few public school students would chose to repeat their high school experience.

A second significant finding of this study is that boarding schools students are more productive with their time than students from other schools. (the Art and Science Group 2004) Extracurricular activities are emphasized and encouraged in the boarding school environment. In boarding school, twelve hours every week are dedicated to exercising or playing sports, while only nine hours are dedicated to exersize and sports in public or private day schools. Boarding school students average about six hours each week on creative endeavors of their choice, such as performing music, or creating art like painting. Among public school students, only about five hours are dedicated to creativity every week, and among private day school students, only four hours are dedicated to creative arts. Extracurricular activities other than sports are also important to boarding school students, such as student government and clubs, and thirty-five percent of boarding school students spend between seven to fourteen hours on such activities. In other schools, only twenty-seven percent of students spend that much time on non-athletic extracurricular activities. One of the most significant findings was that boarding school students spend less time watching television than other students, and they are less likely to become addicted to watching television. Boarding school students only watch an average of three hours of television per week, while other students watch an average of seven hours of television per week. After graduation, boarding school students continue to watch less television than graduates from public or private day schools.

A third significant finding of this study is related to the personal development of the students; boarding schools appear to be more influential on students' personal values and ethics than public or private day schools. Seventy percent of boarding school students say that their "school helped them develop self- discipline, maturity, independence, and the ability to think critically." (the Art and Science Group 2004) Leadership opportunities provided by the school were reported by seventy-seven percent of boarding school students, while only fifty-two percent of public school students felt that their school offered leadership opportunities, and only sixty percent of private day school students felt these opportunities were available to them. The boarding school environment is described as supportive by seventy-five percent of the students, while only half of public school students feel their school has a supportive environment, and only seventy percent of private say school students feel this way. Approximately nine hours of student outside class time is spent with teachers, coach, and other staff in boarding schools, while only four hours per week are spent outside of the class with school staff for the average private day school and public school student. Cheating is also less common by a significant amount in boarding schools. Only twenty-six percent of boarding school students report there being any cheating at their school, while fifty-four percent of public school students report there being cheating, and sixty percent of private day school students report cheating.