Private schools' students are more prepared for their next step than public school students
There are not of topics a majority of people can agree on, but one thing that is that education is important and should be prioritized. Sending your child to school is a commonality that every family will eventually have to make when it comes to deciding which school and which type of school they will attend. Every child can attend their local public school freely but there is also the option for parents to send their child to a privatized school. There is a lot of controversy surrounding which type of school is better to attend and both types of schools have their fair share of pros and cons. Public schools are funded by taxes and there is no tuition cost to attend but private schools can charge thousands in tuition per year for students to attend. With education being encouraged, demanded by some, at such a high capacity it is a decision that can change a child's path of life post school. It would be easy to say that private schools are superior to public schools simply because parent's are forking over a large sum of money for an education that is offered for free in their neighborhood, but choosing a school is not just about the price or convenience, it should be based on what type of school students get the most out of to use in the rest of life. If deciding between private school and public school, a private school education will better prepare students for the next step than public schools because private schools share more characteristics with the most successful education systems in the world, they prioritize the continuance of education and they provide a safer place for students to attend.
Every year, education systems across the world are compared and contrasted against one another and every year American students are ranking well below other countries such as Finland, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. These countries have a lot of cultural differences from the United States and not all of their tactics could be implemented in the U.S. school systems but there are more similarities in the way U.S. private schools are structured and others countries methods for success than are seen in the public school system in the U.S.. In the Finnish education system, "some key characteristics the system has are a low student-teacher ratio, later start for primary school, single structure education for nine years, free meals, free education, less government input on curriculum and less government intervention" (Hancock, 2011). Finland has been one on the most consistently successful education systems around the world by implementing small class sizes, putting importance on education and having more freedom with the curriculum. the rankings of a nation's education system are based off of student to teacher ratio, the accessibility to quality education, completion rates and test scores. A majority of these characteristics that Finland holds in their education system the United States public school system does not possess. Private schools, on the other hand, have implemented these characteristics by having smaller class sizes which gives students more one-on one attention from teachers, students can have a more personalized instruction that they learn well from and there is more time to learn the information. Studies have shown that smaller class sizes hold a lot of benefits, "the mechanisms at work linking small classes to higher achievement include a mixture of higher levels of student engagement, increased time on task, and the opportunity small classes provide for high-quality teachers to better tailor their instruction to the students in the class" (Mosteller, 2019). The United States has made efforts to reform their public-school system for years now and one of the first characteristics implemented is smaller class sizes, private schools in the United States are created on these very characteristics that make other countries education systems thrive.
America's public-school system has been debated back and forth for years and have not been about to make significant strides to improve education due to the fact that it is a public matter and people have differing views on how the system should be structured. As people continue to debate with no reform "it is undoubtedly the case that low-quality public schooling increases the demand for private schooling" (Sander, 1999). Private schools are the "solution" to low-quality education that is often found in public schools. Studies done by the NCES show that private school students are more likely to continue their education after school. According to a study on students' journey that started in 2008 and concluded in 2016, "95.8% of private school students enroll in postsecondary school and only 70.9% of public-school students enroll in postsecondary school" (NCES, 2016). In our society today, it is becoming more necessary for students to attend postsecondary in order to apply for a job in a high paying career, based on these statistics alone it is clear that private school education puts an emphasis on the importance of learning and the importance to continue. Since private schools do put this type of emphasis it is easy for outsiders to fell as if private schools are not approachable and are only for the smartest and richest crowd, but anyone at any learning level and any financial level can attend a private school. Private schools are catered towards students and families that are dedicated to educational success, parents worried about the cost have many alternatives such as tax credit, full scholarships, partial scholarships, payment plans and more. Public schools are free to the public which serves an advantage over private schools however since public schools are funded by the government they must follow and abide by the rules and curriculum set in place. A contributing factor to private schools' success is the fact private schools are not bound to the same curriculum and gives students a chance to benefit from alternative teaching philosophies that could not be found in public schools. "This curriculum flexibility allows private schools to focus their teachings on areas they deem important, or on subjects that meet the school's basic philosophy. While public schools are often forced to teach to the test, private schools can take the time to develop the student's curiosity while building a life-long love of learning" (Turner, 2010). It is important for parents, teachers and students to understand different styles of learning and figure out what works the best for them individually. Public schools are not given the opportunity to teach or learn in new ways which is a huge disadvantage to students who are not receptive to public style teaching and can discourage students into feeling as if they are not smart enough when in reality they are just not being taught in a way that is receptive to them. Public schools have too many outsiders, the public and government, butting heads that no progress is being made to the system. Private schools give parents, teachers and most importantly students, an opportunity to learn in ways that will teach them to have a love of learning that will make them more successful in the future.
When a parent sends their child off to school it should be a peace of mind for them, that they are safe inside those walls and the only distractions are superficial ones that kids conjure up to distract from learning. Even since the 1900's there has been cases of school shootings but in more recent years there has been a rapid rise in school shootings all across America that are resulting in hundreds of students losing their life in a place that is supposed to be deemed safe. Evidence shows that private schools' students are less likely to be exposed to the wide spread of school shootings and violence at school. "Private schools are more effective at preventing shootings than public schools. There were 89 shootings since 1990, with 83 (93 percent) happening at public schools and only 6 (7 percent) at private schools" (Gulker, 2018). This statistic is frightening for parents, as it should be, because students have to attend school every day, unless they are homeschooled, and parents have this new fear that their child may not come home that day. Parents and students have enough to worrying about just navigating in normal teenage life trying to find their place in the world and do not need to the added pressure of buying their child a bulletproof back backpack or make them go through airport-like security just to attend school. Private schools have a different approach to violence and distractions, "we find that private schools are significantly less likely than public schools to experience problems such as student fighting, bullying, and, perhaps most importantly, weapon possession" (Gulker, 2018). As mentioned earlier, private schools are not bound to the same curriculum as public schools, giving them more room to teach students things such as resolving personal issues without violence, giving students more daily attention so they feel recognized, and instill that the main focus and only focus should be prospering as a student. A common practice among private schools is to enforce a dress code in order for students to stay focused on the education materials rather than materialistic aspects. In a study done by the NCES to test whether uniforms are effective in school, "in schools where students wear school uniforms, our study found that students listen significantly better, there are lower noise levels, and lower teaching waiting times with classes starting on time" (NCES, 2016). Uniforms could play a part in the decrease in school shootings without parents or students even realizing. Uniforms are a topic that is widely controversial as well, but it is proven that wearing uniforms at school does put more emphasis on learning and giving less attention to the distractions that could lead to fatal consequences.
Education is important, continuing education is important and loving to learn is important. These characteristics you can only find collectively inside of a private school in America. If deciding between private school and public school, a private school education will better prepare students for the next step than public schools because private schools share more characteristics with the most successful education systems in the world, they prioritize the continuance of education and they provide a safer place for students to attend. Private schools have implemented characteristics shared by the best education systems in the world, by having smaller class sizes which gives students more one-on one attention from teachers, students can have a more personalized instruction that is effective for from and there is more time to learn and comprehend the information. With public school reformation being a controversial topic that has not led to changes, private schools' have become the solution to low-quality education that is often found in public schools and leads to more students continuing their education. If none of the other statistics and information are convincing enough for parents then the safety factor will be the tipping point that deem private schools a better option for preparing students for the next step because there is more of a chance that their student will live to continue their education.
Struggling areas:
Usually when composing essays I tend to stray from my main point when constructing supporting points. There was a lot of controversial data found through research that made it difficult to find what data was biased and what data was real. I put more emphasis on supporting claims that made sense to me and those that didn't I feel like could be explained more as to why they support my claim. Lastly, I feel my bias plays a role in how I constructed the essay, I attended a private school for 6 years and a public school for two and feel as if I saw both sides clearly and there is more deciding factors that are personally relevant to me.
Guidelines:
instructed to write a 8-10 page research essay on topic of choice with minimum of 5 sources
