what do you think about public schools over private?
92568
As it turns out, Public school is better. They adhere to strict teacher qualification guidlines. They MUST have a specified number of Teaching credits which includes Early Childhood Developement. Private schools do not have these Standards! Many children who transfer to Public after attending Private test well below the state standard for their particular age/grade level and must catch up! If you are interested in Private, make sure you ask questions and compare their teaching criteria & goals with the state standard.
852261
Private, charter, or home schooled.  Parents don't have enough say in what the public schools are teaching because the federal government is too involved in education.  Public education went downhill after Jimmy "Mr. Peanut" Carter pulled the cabinet position of secretary of education out of his ass.  It needs to be done away with and parents should take some responsibility in what the schools teach their kids.
893945
It depends on the quality of the high school.  There are bad public schools and bad private schools, and the opposite is true.  They universities understand there are different high school qualities.
773668
Not really.  The teachers aren't even required to have a degree in private schools.  They are also way underpaid because they don't have the Masters Degree and therefore can't get a better paying job at a public school.  \n\nPrivate schools make their owners rich.  That is their purpose.
143725
NO NO NO. If taxpayers start paying, then it is no longer a private school, but rather public.
828257
I think it is a great idea.  If the public schools don't do their job, as judged by the parents, the parents should get their per pupil allotment in a voucher to use elsewhere.\n\nIncentive for the school to do better, ability for our children to get better education if private schools can do it better for the same amount.
846096
Private schools have more funding than public schools to give for scholarships and financial aid.
473047
Education: some public schools are good, some private schools are good.  Some public schools are not so good, and some private schools are not so good.  Some private schools cannot even get accreditation.\n\nBehavior: If one misbehaves in a public school, it takes forever to get them expelled, and sometimes they are not expelled.  In a private school, they can kick out anybody they want who does not act right.
876315
Private schools have the advantage of smaller classes, which means that students can work more closely with their teachers. Teachers can tailor their lessons to the learning style that best works for the student. We don't all learn the same, and when there are thirty kids in a class, the best that a teacher can do is teach to the majority. In a class of ten, you can spend time with each individual student.\n\nPrivate schools also have the advantage of money. They can pay for the best teachers - the ones who are the most motivated, the best able to get the students interested. Teachers are (for the most part) in it for the love of teaching. That doesn't mean that they won't look for the best paying job that they can get. \n\nFinally, it's almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. Students at private schools are expected to perform better, so they do. They work harder, and they are competing against others who are working harder. \n\nNow, I think that there are some pretty fine public schools, and within the public schools there are some teachers and some students that are as good or better than any found in private schools. It's just that overall, private schools have a higher concentration of better teachers and more motivated students.
27703
I teach at a Catholic school and have frankly been afraid to go teach at a public school for the exact reasons you mention. I love my job. The kids are great and there is an atmosphere of happiness most of the time. I am thrilled I don't have to teach to the test. I am glad that I am not questioned on everything I do and held publicly accountable for my teaching decisions. I think it would be so hard to work in an atmosphere where everyone sizes you up based on your students' test scores printed in the newspaper. Yikes!\n\nIs the substituting going better for you? Would you consider going back to Catholic school to teach? How's the money in both?
787507
it's the government's responsability to provide good public education for children.  parents do have a choice- they can send their kids to private schools if they want.  but the government shouldn't pay for it.\nwe don't want to just pass the problem off by handing out money.  public education can and does work, if it is properly funded.
566309
The voucher program is a LIBERAL plan- not a CONSERVATIVE plan.  If it were up to us conservatives, the entire government school systems would be wiped out and started over from scratch.  I feel that all schools should be private and a school should have to EARN government dollars by enrollment numbers.  For each child you "recruit" you get a certain dollar amount... the more students you recruit, the more money you get to that school.  This would MAKE schools compete to be the BEST school... more children and parents would want to enroll there child there, and therefore more money to that school.  So anyone who thinks public schools are conservative's idea has it ALLLL wrong.  LESS GOVERNMENT THE BETTER!
416056
I went to public school and was generally happy there. If you live within a district of a good school system, I'd say go with that. If you live in a more questionable area but can afford a private school, go ahead.\n\nHome schooling, I feel, puts children at a disadvantage because they lose much of the interaction with others that they receive at an actual school. It also puts a new burden on you and possibly limits the child's education to what you can teach him/her.
708083
it is always best to send your son to school rather than home study. i agree with others that he will have more balance student life in a school whether private or public. i still go for private school.
824815
There are actually a ton of differences in the two... The first one you will notice is the size of the school... Most of the time private colleges are much smaller than state schools.  This allows the private school to offer smaller teacher to student ratios and boast that there is more 1 on 1 attention for their students (which is true) On the flip side, the larger school can offer a wider variety of classes (even if they are taught by Grad Students rather than true professors).  Socially there are advantages to both larger schools give you more of a stereo-typical college atmosphere.  Smaller schools offer a closer community feel... more like high school.\n\nThe next thing you may notice is the price-tag.  All colleges and unversities are getting more and more expensive... the difference is that private colleges where more to start with.  It would not be uncommon to pay $20,000 or more per year.  At state schools it can be half that much.  This for a variety of reasons... State schools make money through reseach grants and by publishing and other avenues such as hospitals and through some athletic programs... Private schools rely more heavily on tuition and donor dollars.\n\nThere are tons more differences.. typically private schools have a more competitive admissions policy than public schools do... Private schools offer more financial aide etc... but the best way to make your decision is to visit campus and spend time around the students and see where you fit in the best.
1180023
I'm a public school band director from Georgia...here's your answer:\n\nAt private schools, teachers are more relaxed because they have less troublesome students. There are virtually no fights are problems of this kind, because parents are PAYING to have their kids go to private school. Therefore, more work gets done each day. I used to teach at a private middle school by the way.\n\nAt public schools, you have your good kids, your bad kids.....ones that do what they're supposed to and the ones that get in trouble every week. Also, the public schools have to abide by many many many many state regulations or people can lose their jobs. This is a very basic answer but its one you can easily understand. Schools need more days to handle these kind of things, and also because its harder to educate and entire class to specifications because of the new "No Child Left Behind" Act of 2001. Ask a teacher about that. \n\nI could answer further but I don't want to bore you. There's your basic answer. Hope this helps!
620954
I choose to homeschool for many reasons, but mostly to fit my children's education, tailor it to their learning style. Some kids don't learn BEST by sitting in a chair and fillout out dittos, or reading pages and pages of material.  When my kids don't 'get' a subject, we go about it a new way.  Videos from the library, brainpop.com, workbooks, manipulatives, visit a museum or similar, talk to someone who works in the field we are following.  It's great.\n\nWhile I think public school has it's serious problems, not all but some, it is good for some.  It's not for everyone.  The crime, the rules, the taking God out, the bullying, the hours themselves...a bummer to say the least.  But I homeschool because I can teach my kids better than local schools can.