Private schools are superior to public schools…
Last night, my spouse and I attended a fundraiser for our nephew’s private school, which masqueraded as a “Gala.” Now, I’m not really a Gala-gal, so I had preconceived notions of what last night’s festivities would include: sitting at a round table with strangers, starting with a salad that would have something on it I wouldn’t be able to eat, eating a meal that was different than I’m used to, lots of alcohol, rich people, and dessert. Thankfully, last night’s Gala met all my expectations.
What struck me, though, was when the very young principal proclaimed, “We continue to outperform our neighborhood schools in math and reading!” I saw red. See, I’m a retired public school teacher, and comments like that really chap my hide.
I watched parents and family members bid on items like a handmade cake by a nun, which sold for $3000. Yes, you read that right. Or the families that gave $15,000 each for a better security system in the school. Many attendees paid $50 per card for a chance to win a “free prize.” One woman paid $2000 for a necklace that was a “free prize.”
Even the round table where we sat was paid for by my brother-in-law. It had to have cost at least $1000 in addition to the $350 he spent on bids. Some generous families paid $100 for each teacher to attend–so they didn’t have to pay it out of their own pockets.
There’s a reason a school like our nephew’s “outperforms” neighborhood public schools: privilege. One of the greatest struggles in public schools is poverty, but private schools, as a whole, don’t worry about that. Their parents are generally in higher socio-economic brackets. Another factor with private schools is that most of the parents are highly educated. Socio-economic status and levels of education influence our students.
Private schools are not subjected to the politically driven “reforms” either. They can actually teach what their students need to know. They don’t have to accept students with physical, emotional, or learning disabilities. And they aren’t required to take the ridiculous number of standardized tests that public school students have to take.
Class sizes in private schools are small; it’s much easier to teach a class of 20 or fewer than a class of 30 or more. Teachers can provide more one-on-one instruction to struggling students and can better finish their grading in a timely manner so they can reach out to strugglers. Parents are more involved in private schools, which means they tend to better support teachers and enforce expectations like homework.
Public school teachers are required to teach the test d’jour because public school funding and governance is dependent on test scores. Public schools are required to admit every student regardless of behavior, disability, language skills, or citizenship.
Furthermore, public school classroom sizes can range from small–under 20–to 45 students per class with one teacher. It is physically impossible for a single teacher to reach every single student who struggles with the subject. While there are parents who support teachers, there are more parents who do not. They won’t enforce rules at home, including homework, which makes teaching material more difficult. In fact, the anti-homework movement has done much to eliminate this time management skill. Many students come from unstable households, or have parents who work 2–3 jobs each, or who provide a level of childcare when parents can’t do so because of work. I have had students who missed school because they had to take care of a sick sibling so a parent wouldn’t miss work. This is a reality in public schools.
Private schools can disinvite any student who causes trouble, who underperforms, or who has attendance issues. Public schools abide by loose expectations set by a board of education and the courts, and they often have to keep students who disrupt learning, cause trouble, deal drugs, or are habitually absent and/or tardy. When it’s possible to eliminate the underperformers, it’s possible to keep the best and brightest of students who perform at or above grade level.
One reason so many public school students want to take advanced classes is to get away from those students who don’t want to be in school. Those kids, the ones who would rather drop out, disrupt classes, cause problems, show up high or drunk, challenge teachers, bully other students, and deliberately fail the requisite standardized tests. Private schools don’t have to cope with them; instead, they can kick them to public schools.
Another difference with public and private schools is language. Students who are learning English rarely qualify for private school, and private schools do not necessarily have the resources to help English language learners. But public schools do. It’s ironic, though, that English language learners are required to take the standardized test d’jour, regardless of their English proficiency. Then their scores are factored into the overall school score, which often indicates a school is “failing.” It’s like some politically-minded folks are trying to discredit and destroy public schools!
Let’s also not forget students with learning disabilities. Private schools can refuse entrance to anyone with a learning disability, rightfully claiming they have no resources available to help those students. Guess who has resources? Right! Public schools. It’s not unusual to have 5–15 students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) in ONE classroom with another 15+ students of average intellectual abilities. And one teacher. Each IEP is to be individually honored by the classroom teacher, and each IEP can be many pages long with accommodations. Private school teachers don’t have to contend with IEPs or 504s (another learning plan for students with needs that are not necessarily disabilities), nor do they spend hours planning their individualized instruction, documenting their IEP students, or in meetings with their special education teachers.
Public schools have become responsible for providing mental health care, food, clothing, and community services far beyond the expectations of their private school counterparts. For example, in many large districts, there’s an office that helps families struggling with homelessness. These district employees try to help families find places to live, transportation, jobs, clothes, and medical care. Public school counselors spend hours each week on Suicide Risk Assessments (SRAs) because so many students report feelings of hopelessness. Public school counselors are supposed to help guide students toward colleges or careers. Counselors are also responsible for administering standardized tests.
I’m not sure that claiming superiority over public schools is fair or accurate by private schools. Based on what I saw last night and because of the money flying around the room, our nephew’s private school should be more successful than the neighborhood schools. It’s called privilege. And just to add a little jibe about privilege, I saw only two or three people of color in the entire room. So let me be clear: this is wealthy white privilege.
And wealthy white privilege beats the competition all the time.
The next time we’re invited to a “Gala” fundraiser, I’m not going. I’d rather invest my money in public schools, which provide opportunities for all students, not just the elite.