Public vs. Private Schools

As time goes by, many people have gradually paid more attention to the schooling process, trying harder and harder to get their children the most promising education. As a result, more parents are turning to the private schools from the public school systems. There are many various aspects that help to differentiate between private and public school systems. Such as, the facilities, class size, teaching, budgets, and administrative support. Another deciding factor for parents is that in most circumstances students that graduate from a private school have a tendency to be better equipped for college. Overall, a majority of the of private schools across the united states offer a better education for high school students than do public schools.
Certain public school facilities are impressive. However, others are mediocre. The same is true of private schools. In the public school system, both political support and economic proceeds are critical. Public schools also mirror the financial situation of their location. Prosperous suburban schools will have more amenities than inner city schools as aresult. In private schools the capability to receive donations and other forms of financial support are just as important. Private school facilities reflect the success of the school's development team and that of the school to continue to generate alumni support. Some private K-12 schools have facilities and amenities which surpass those found at many colleges and universities. For example, Hotchkiss and Andover, have libraries and athletic facilities that are on the same level of those at Brown University and Cornell University. They also offer academic and sports programs which make full use of all those resources. It is difficult to find similar amenities in the public sector.
Most private schools dominate on the issue of class size. This is because, most private schools have small class sizes. One of the main points of private education is individual attention. Student to teacher ratios of 15:1 or better must be withheld to achieve the goal of individual attention. Unlike the private school system, the public school system is required to take almost anyone who lives within its borders. In public schools you will generally find much larger class sizes, sometimes exceeding 35 students in inner city schools. At that point teaching quickly transforms into babysitting.
Public school teachers are usually paid better than Private school teachers. In most cases, teacher salary varies depending on the economic status of that town or schools district. Unfortunately, paying teachers low salaries decreases the amount of teacher retention in many public school districts. The benefits of teaching in a public school have always been excellent; however, pension and health costs have risen so radically in the past and are continuing to rise, that public educators will be forced to pay more for their benefits. Compensation for a private school teacher tends to be slightly lower than that of a public school teacher. Much depends on the school and its financial resources. Private school pension systems vary widely. In most private schools pension providers such as the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association are used.
Both public and private schools require their teachers to be trained and licensed in a particular profession. This means that he or she has a degree along with a teaching certificate. Private schools have a tendency to hire teachers with advanced degrees in their subject over teachers who have an education degree. For example, a private school hiring a Spanish teacher will want that teacher to have a degree in Spanish language and literature as opposed to an education degree with a minor in Spanish.
Due to the fact that local property taxes support the majority of public education, a school’s annual budget program is a serious economic and political business. In less fortunate communities, or communities that have most of their voters living on fixed incomes, there is little room to fulfill budget requests within the basis of projected tax revenue. Donations from foundations and the business community are vital to creative funding in the public school system. On the other hand, private schools can raise tuition, and they can also raise substantial amounts of money from a number of different development activities Such as, annual appeals, cultivation of alumni, and solicitation of grants from various corporations and foundations. The powerful bond between private schools and their alumni makes the chance of having success with fund-raising probable.
It gets harder to make descions as the adminitration gets bigger. The public school education system is well know to be old-fashioned for having work rules and pompous administrations. This is because of union agreements and accomidations of political considerations. Unlike public schools, private schools more commonly have a tough management structure. Every dollar spent has to come from operating income and endowment income. However, resources such as these are limited. Another difference between administartive support in the private and public school system is that, seldom do private schools have to deal with teacher unions.
Although the quality of one’s high school’s facilities, teachers, and college preparation tend to have an impact on the chance of getting into a better college, the type of high school you attend is not the deciding factor for any college admissions department. It has been indicated that college acceptance and college graduation rates are higher for private school graduates. However, that doesn’t mean that every private school student who applies to college gets accepted. It also does not mean that a public school student has less of a chance of being accepted to college. A student’s GPA, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities and personal essay will be the determining factors in your college acceptance.