Private and public school - Essay Example

Private and Public Schools Debate Introduction Education has become a significant but also complex topic of debate in the modern context with parents and guardians seeking to give the best education to their children. The statistics given by the Institute of Education Sciences, IES observes that since 1929, there has been a decrease in the number of public schools as private schools increase rapidly. Contrary to the postulate that private schools are better than public schools, public schools have been ranked better with regards to economic and academic impact.

The first advantage of being in a public school over private school is cost. It is much less costly to learn in a public school which is offered free by the government than a private school. Of course, with private schools dependent on tuition, private grants and donations to finance their operations, they would have to be costly. IES gives an estimate of the average tuition fees for US private day schools at $12,000, $13,000 and $15,000 for grades 1 to 3, 6 to 8 and 9 to 12 respectively. In most cases, these figures exclude the cost of books and other school supplies.

It therefore makes economic sense to enroll into a public school.Generally, students in public schools receive the most current curricula, thus gain appropriate skills to survive in the modern world. As noted by Strauss, public school teachers would be more likely to have certification and undergo continuous training in their respective areas of studies. This keeps them up-to-date on research-based instructional standards and also on resources supported by relevant professional entities. On the other hand, private school teachers would be rarely impelled to undertake such trainings.

Despite much criticism, it would be appreciated that current instructional practices and teacher certification play a critical role in the performance of students in public schools.However, critics of public schools argue that private schools perform better academically than public schools. As noted by Strauss, a majority of private schools are operated in a closed door fashion. This has been noted to boost their performance. Additionally, proprietors of such schools do all within their means to make sure their students pass so as to be competitive in their business.

Teachers spend more time with the students than would be the case in public schools. They even develop customized assessment systems for their students to better understand their learning styles and help them succeed academically. Nonetheless, credible studies that statistically adjust these findings contradict this argument (Peterson and Llaudet 2). Adjusting for the difference in background of the students and their performance in math, it would be noted that public school students perform better academically.

ConclusionA majority of parents and guardians have been keen to enroll their children into private schools postulating them to be better than private schools. However, it would be appreciated that public schools are better than private schools as they offer less costly access to education and further apply more current instructional approaches than their private counterparts. Whereas critics argue for better academic performance in private schools, studies that adjust for the differences in background and math performance of the subjects affirm the preference for public schools.

Therefore, the cost and academic performance advantages make public schools a better option than private schools.Works CitedInstitute of Education Sciences. “Fast Facts: Educational Institutions.” National Center for Education Statistics. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Peterson, P. E. and E. Llaudet. “On the Public-Private School Achievement Debate.” Paper Prepared for the Annual Meetings of the American Political Science Association. Harvard University. Aug. 2006. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Strauss, V.

“Are Private Schools Better than Public Schools? New Book Says ‘No.”” Washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. 5 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.