Education Essay

Roseanna Singletary
Enc 1102- Warren
Education Essay- Final
April 17, 2013
Public Schools vs. Private Schools
A public school is a school that is tax free and is supported by public funds and
controlled by local government authority. A private school, on the other hand, is a school owned,
funded and controlled by a private firm, organization or person.
All parents want their children to have the best possible opportunities in life and
understand that a good education is the key. People are experiencing financial difficulties
globally so most parents are forced to send their children to public schools. For many years,
public schools have been the icon of the country, having large numbers of students attending
these schools. Although, there are many public schools in the country, it has become easier to
pin point those that perform below expectation. Nevertheless, there are countless advantages of
education in publics schools such as diversity, easy accessible, accommodation at no cost.
Public schools get most of their funding from taxes, local, federal and state (Yeakey). An
issue like tuition, which can easily deter students from less wealthy families, is not a hindrance
in public schools. The average cost of tuition in a private school is around eight thousand dollars
a year. In the current economy most household’s earnings are below the average rate of earning
(Council for American Private Education 225). Therefore, spending a fortune on tuition, not
including other expenses such as transportation and meals to send one child to private school
may not be a reasonable option for many.
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Another advantage of public schools is that the system offers diversity in its population.
This is beneficial to students in our increasingly global economy. In the global economy of today
knowing the similarities and differences between various cultures and races, and learning to
respect them is essential. Public schools also offer a number of different programs for children
with learning disabilities. While there are private schools that cater to children with disabilities,
they are few and very expensive resulting in fewer students enrolling ( Yeaky and Henderson).
One major disadvantage of public schools is the size of the classroom. Public schools
enroll as many students as they legally can; therefore, the number of students assigned to a
class is often double compared to that of private schools, resulting, in the ratio of student to
teacher being very high. This leaves teachers unable to give special attention to those students
who require it. Unlike private schools the teacher to student ratio is very small; most times the
curriculum for the year is not completed, leaving students at a disadvantage for the upcoming
school year.
Another issue being faced in the public school system is children with behavioral
issues. The older the child gets the worse the behavior gets, making them harder to deal with.
The environment in public schools is conducive for such behaviors ( Turtel). Students with
misconduct are most often just given detention. Since public schools are not allowed to expel
students as freely as private schools, students with bad behavior normally get away with it. In
private schools there is often more parent involvement and students are usually better mannered
have smaller class sizes and get more one on one time from their teachers.
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In public schools, socialization is praised as one of its main advantages. Children
learn essential social skills that will help them survive both at school and outside school.
However, children in public schools can only interact with their peers; these children may lack
the knowledge of social interaction with adults. Private schools, on the other hand, provide
socialization at all levels. Having fewer students allows interaction with everyone by default and
gives students socialization skills to deal with any and everyone.
Most of the things learned in the public school system are geared toward passing exams,
and not correlating with real life issues. The child may end up knowing a lot, book wise, but
comprehends very little ( Turtel 247). This is the area where children that attend private school
excel because they are proficient at facing issues in the outside world.
Education in public schools may not be perfect, but it has several advantages such as it is
easily available to everyone, teaches students about diversity and gives assistance to those with
learning disabilities.
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Work Cited
Parker, Lovvorn, J. Public Schools vs. Private Schools. 03 June 2005. Web. 14 Apr 2013.
Turtel, Joel. Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie to Parents and Betray Our
Children. New York: Liberty Books, 2005. Print.
Yeakey, Carol c, and Ronald D. Henderson. Surmounting All Odds: Education Opportunity,
And Society in the New Millennium Greenwich, Conn: Information Age. Pub. 2000.
Web.