Private Education
The comparisons between a private and public education usually focus on outcomes, specifically in terms of test scores and grades in the next level of education. These are good reasons to send a child to a private school, but they are not the only reasons, and academic performance is not the only reason why parents choose private schools, nor why they choose a particular private school.
A sense of community and belonging is very important to both students and their parents. Public schools offer this through sports and extracurricular activities. Sports get everyone involved, foster school loyalty and a sense of belonging to those who may only know the school song and colors and do not actually play sports. And most private schools have sports and activities that promote school loyalty and a sense of belonging. But there is more to a community than cheering a team.
Real community in a school setting begins with people knowing each other. Private schools have smaller classrooms, which allow even the shyest of students to know the names of others and most importantly to be known by others. Lifelong friends and future networking often begin at school. Community, whether big or small is based on a set of shared values.
Parents can choose a private school based shared beliefs. For example, religious families can send their children to schools that promote and teach their religion and it values—something a public school cannot legally do. This, not only fosters belonging, but brings together a preexisting community. There are many choices when it comes to shared values promoted by private schools.
Private schools also foster community by specialization. Some schools have a strong emphasis on sports and athletic accomplishment, drawing students who want to excel in these areas. Schools can also emphasize an academic discipline such as math, science and languages. Some schools help gifted students by specializing in music, art, and other pursuits. Specialization promotes community based on common interests and a shared purpose. Besides community there are choices between consistent educational philosophies. This has to do with how a parent wants their child educated.
An example is Montessori education, which is based on eight principles that Montessori schools put into practice. Other philosophies may include classical education, progressive education and so on. The point is that private schools have the ability to adopt and be consistent with a particular philosophy of education, and well-informed parents can choose among these philosophies and methods.
Finally, there is no doubt that private schools have an edge when it comes to academic outcomes. U.S News reports, “The most recent NAEP data shows what other research has found: Private school students score better in almost all subjects … On college entry tests such as the SAT, NAIS found that students in private schools consistently outperformed their public-school peers in all subject areas.”
Students attending private schools make up 25 percent of all students. They are there because of parental choices based on intangibles like community, values and a sense of belonging, and more tangible things such as smaller classrooms, more individual attention, better academic outcomes, specialization, and choices between educational philosophies. Private schools offer parents and students more choices and better outcomes. Check out our complete guide at https://issuu.com/buckscountymagazine/docs/education_guide_24?fr=xKAE9_y9PJA