Wanted: Opinions on School Choices
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Wanted: Opinions on School Choices
| Wed, 10-27-2004 - 4:48pm |
Private, Public, or Charter Schools:
Assuming money and district boundaries were not an issue, where would you send your kids to school? Why?
Those of you who have your kids in private school, what do you see as the pros and cons?
Thanks for your opinion.

1. Public.
2. Charter.
3. Private - but only if it was not religious.
The public school system in Las Vegas, in certain areas, is very good. Children can get an outstanding education, and they are exposed to so many different things that I think is so important. Diversity.
Charter schools here are constantly battling to keep their licensing - although some of them are very good. I like that kids who go to charter schools and their parents have to really be on board in supporting their kids educations.
I would never desire to send my child to a religious school. I attended a religious school my Freshman year of high school and absolutely hated it. I felt it was very elitist, very snobby, and that the students, teachers and parents there were all very self-righteous. Also very intolerant, and absolutely no diversity, at all. I want my children to realize and understand that not everyone believes the same way we do, at all, and I want my children to realize if they want something, they must work their butts off for it, and it will not be handed to them on a silver platter. I feel - especially with working with parents and knowing their children who attend private schools - that children who attend private schools - especially religous ones, have a huge superiority complex and a HUGE sense of entitlement that really turns my stomach. And - in my year of private school - I never encountered more materialistic people.
Mindy
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That WAS on my list of things to do today, Gabriella. Looking into local charter schools for Tyler.
My reason? Based on what I already know about them, and on the opinion of parents who HAVE sent their children, I think this will be the best academic environment for Tyler.
They are first and foremost highly geared toward the basics (RR and R!)
Second, they seem to have the capability to help children who are not handicapped or otherwise learning impaired, but simply learn DIFFERENTLY than the majority. I am increasingly frustrated with Ty's teachers as they keep trying to "fit him into a box" and then in the end suggest ADD medications. He does not display attention deficit issues at home. BUT, he does not learn like I do either. I have trouble helping him at home one on one. I need some better help.
This might be a huge generalization, but it seems to me that the kids/parents who participate in charter schools do so because education is important to them, rather than just "the thing your kids do while your at work" It seems to be more of a partership between parents and teachers.
I don't know a ton about it yet, but here's what I know about Ty's current school (he's in 5th grade)
http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/co/649
Here in Florida, the schools, particularly the public schools, are very crowded. Because of the large immigrant population here, the grades for the public schools are not very high on the standardized tests when compared to private schools. Additionally, the percentage of children who go on to college from public schools are not that high when compared on a national level and to private schools.
I attended Catholic school from first grade through high school, with a stint at public school in the middle. I would, and did, choose Catholic school for my son for the following reasons:
- Christian values throughout school; I love that my son can learn the true meaning of Christmas and Easter and that he attends Mass once a week
- Christian education WITHOUT having to attend CCD
- Nice families that attend our parish - most are young professionals
- Opportunities for me to volunteer and be heard
- Catholic school disciplinary system is far superior to public schools in this area
- More leverage with principal and teachers
- Better treatment for my son's peanut allergy
- Higher grades on standardized tests - not only as compared to other public and private schools but this school is one of the highest for Catholic schools as well
- High percentage of children who attend college out of the Catholic High Schools here
- More likely to get accepted to Catholic High School when coming from Catholic grade school
- Tuition is much cheaper at Catholic school versus private schools here - about $4000 per year instead of $12,000.00 for other private schools
- More diversified ethnic background here versus other private schools
- Uniforms are worn with strict dress codes
I researched this quite a bit and interviewed many parents in this area before deciding. One parent in particular helped my opinion for this school. Her husband's father owned the Pro Player Stadium so she obviously can afford to send her children anywhere. She chose the same school for its warm family atmosphere and parental involvement. She did not want her kids to attend a rich, stuffy "hoity-toity" school.
So now you have it. I don't mean to offend anyone - I know this is probably more passionate than the "living together" discussion. And I am passionate about this subject.
I want to add that I have never seen a shooting or rape in a private school, yet these events happen quite often at public schools, particularly here in Florida.
Edited 10/27/2004 7:14 pm ET ET by west1745
My kids are presently in public elementary school. If I had the money I'd send them to private school. Not Catholic school but private school.
I do like the school they attend for the most part but I do not like that they are basically scrambling to teach the kids enough to pass the standardized tests and that is really the focus now. I don't blame the teachers or the principal, I know this is not the way they want it to be.
I went to public school until high school and then I went to Catholic School. I can tell you, I had a cocaine dealer from a wealthy family sitting behind me in French class and 5 of the girls in my Senior class were pregnant before they graduated. One teacher got fired for sleeping with one of the girls in my class. So I don't believe that a private or Catholic school is necessarily a safe haven, I just think they have a little more freedom in teaching the students what really should be taught.
If I can't manage to get scholarships for my kids to go to private school for middle and high school, I am seriously contemplating home schooling as much as I would hate to do that to them.
Tara
My DF (a researcher for the county) was telling me about a study (kept rather quiet) that came out that did not support charter schools. Parents are pulling out their kids and putting them into these charter programs...but they're the special ed kids, the special needs kids and their academic performance remains the same.
On the flip side of things...IF you are in a school district with MONEY, I would stick with that. Affluent school districts have a lot of electives and AP tests to offer their students. I grapple with that all the time...I don't live where I work, but my kids can go there because I work there...and it's got some really strong programs...but then they would miss out on the grounding you get from religious schooling.
If the sky were the limit, I would still be sending my kids to their present school, a Jesuit high school and then wherever they land, private or public. If I lived where I worked, I think that I would pull them out and put them in public schools because those parochial schools aren't that strong...but I still want them at the Jesuit high school in SF.
I've never had experience with a Charter school.
I attended public school from sixth grade on and enjoyed it. Dylan goes to public school too. He is having a blast. Of course after he finishes this school, they will wear uniforms to school. The middle school he's supposed to attend, I hear is not that great so I might consider putting him in a private or charter school. But we'll see.
I doubt I was much help, but that was my experience.
Mel
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For me it's really an issue of proximity.
Kim
In our community, Savannah, Georgia, the educational situation is exactly the way Min described hers.
If money was no object, I would send my children to public schools, mainly because of my daughter's ADHD. The private schools by me are much less tolerant of kids with special needs. Their attitude is, were a private school, we don't have to take them, and we don't want to deal with them. A public school has to take everyone, but I really think my daughter has access to more help in a public school than she would in a private school. We don't have any charter schools by me and the private schools are all religion-based. They go to a public school now, and so far, they are doing everything they can to help my daughter.
I live in a suburb of Chicago. Most of the suburban public schools, no matter whether you live north or south, are very good. The public schools in the City of Chicago are horrible, and most people who can afford it send their children to private schools if they live within the city borders.
I grew up in Calumet City, IL, which is very close to the border of Hammond, IN, which was a very big steel town. Most of the people living in and around that area were steelworkers. My town was a very middle class town. I went to a Catholic school for grade school. I don't think there were any rich kids that went there, because if you were rich, you certainly wouldn't be living in Cal. City. As far as my Catholic education goes, I think it was very lacking, especially in math and science. That's because we had a lot of nuns teaching, and they weren't very educated. For high school, went to a public school, simply because there were five of us, and my dad couldn't afford it. Plus he said he would rather have money to send us to college than a Catholic high school. Most of my nieces and nephews go to Catholic grade schools, so I know things have improved academically, because they offer honors programs, something not offered in my school. I do agree with the people saying that people going to private school tend to be very snobby. My oldest sister just pulled her kids out of Catholic school and put them in public school. She said her daughter (7th grade) has made more friends in 2 months of public school than she had in 6 years of Catholic school.
Things sure have changed since I've been in school. I graduated grade school in 1979 and high school in 1983. There was only one girl that was pregnant in my high school and none in my grade school. But I don't think that has much to do with the school; just the changing of the times. One time when I took my kids to the public pool this past summer, I overheard a group of girls talking. They were going into 8th grade in the fall. One girl was telling another girl that her boyfriend wanted her to give him a jb. I was shocked, and I don't consider myself to be a prude at all. All I know is that when I was in 8th grade, if a boy asked me to give him a bj, I would have had no idea what the heck he was talking about. Like I said, times have changed. My oldest sister lives in an upper middle class suburb with very good schools. She said there were so many girls pregnant in the high school that they took the shop room and made it into a nursery. I also agree with what someone else said about pregnancies at a Catholic high school. I feel that if a kid is sexually adventerous, he or she will be no matter what school they go to, private or public. The most shocking thing that happened in my grade school was when a couple of kids snuck some of their parents' beer and drank it before our 8th grade play. Boy, that was scandalous back then. Now, it would probably be no big deal. I guess I'm just getting old.
Donna