Private schools are indefensible

[Anonymous]

The author is Caitlin Flanagan which makes every single word suspect. She is not remotely a trustworthy journalist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can only speak to FCPS but I never planned on sending my kids to private school but I also didn’t expect my kids to not be offered in person education for a full year. I think the FCPS severely mishandled education during the pandemic & they're the ones that forced me to send my kids to private next year. We are a dual working parent household and I want my kids in school while I work.

FCPS didn’t have to be so bad. If they had opened hybrid in the fall when the governor allowed - I think my kids would have stayed enrolled. I think that’s indefensible and in this climate - I am not going to feel guilty another my private school choice.

Exactly the same for us, but change FCPS to MCPS. I'm a product of public schools and we chose our house in a good school district for that reason, then MCPS dropped the ball massively.

I expect we'll have some other big "event" in the next decade where MCPS will have the opportunity to drop the ball again, so we're just going to stay at private and avoid that.

[Anonymous]

There are over 1,000 universities in the US. Why focus so much on the 10-20 "elite" universities. People can and do perfectly well at any of the other universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The author is Caitlin Flanagan which makes every single word suspect. She is not remotely a trustworthy journalist.

Could you elaborate on this?

[Anonymous]

Read about Caitlin Flanagan's history of misogynist articles before you waste brain cells on this one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/...hools-are-indefensible/618078/

Don’t let the title turn you off and give this a read!

This article was SO good and thought provoking. None of it was surprised because I figured things were the way they were regarding the chasm between private school and public schools; As well as the wealthy and everyone else.

The world has gotten more competitive. Hence the obsession with getting kids into the right school. Furthermore, I do think it’s unfair that public schools don’t have the same amount of resources as private school. I always knew they had more but I didn’t realize they had *that much more*. It’s no wonder that so many people that make it to the top come from private schools. It feels as if there are no hope for regular public school kids.

Again, really think that every parent should give this a read. Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts!
[Report Post]

This is nonsense. 70% of students at top colleges are from public schools and always have been.

this is what the author wrote "Less than 2 percent of the nation’s students attend so-called independent schools. But 24 percent of Yale’s class of 2024 attended an independent school. At Princeton, that figure is 25 percent. At Brown and Dartmouth, it is higher still: 29 percent." are they incorrect?

But the stats represented are dealing with all public schools in the entire country. Very different situation if you are looking at only the DMV, where there are lots of very good public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/...hools-are-indefensible/618078/

Don’t let the title turn you off and give this a read!

This article was SO good and thought provoking. None of it was surprised because I figured things were the way they were regarding the chasm between private school and public schools; As well as the wealthy and everyone else.

The world has gotten more competitive. Hence the obsession with getting kids into the right school. Furthermore, I do think it’s unfair that public schools don’t have the same amount of resources as private school. I always knew they had more but I didn’t realize they had *that much more*. It’s no wonder that so many people that make it to the top come from private schools. It feels as if there are no hope for regular public school kids.

Again, really think that every parent should give this a read. Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts!
[Report Post]

This is nonsense. 70% of students at top colleges are from public schools and always have been.

this is what the author wrote "Less than 2 percent of the nation’s students attend so-called independent schools. But 24 percent of Yale’s class of 2024 attended an independent school. At Princeton, that figure is 25 percent. At Brown and Dartmouth, it is higher still: 29 percent." are they incorrect?

But the stats represented are dealing with all public schools in the entire country. Very different situation if you are looking at only the DMV, where there are lots of very good public schools.

the stats also include southern white flight privates and conservative religious schools- those kids aren't going to elite institutions either and the have far more students than elite coastal privates. Even in this area, the number of kids who attend Sidwell/NCS/whoever the third is are swamped by the number of kids in less elite schools. The point is that the most elite privates are over represented at the most elite colleges and universities and the author is correct

[Anonymous]

“ The point is that the most elite privates are over represented at the most elite colleges and universities and the author is correct”

I can speak to this a bit. I went to an Ivy college from public and actually worked as a college admissions counselor a bit. I don’t think my kids need to go to elite private schools.

In fact - i think grad school & im going to encourage my kids to go to public college & save money for grad school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The author is Caitlin Flanagan which makes every single word suspect. She is not remotely a trustworthy journalist.

I haven’t read the article yet, but I like Caitlin Flanagan. I’ve listened to her on a few podcasts and I don’t agree with her on everything, but I think she’s far from untrustworthy. She was also a teacher and counselor at Harvard-Westlake in LA, so I always enjoy her views on elite private vs. public education.

[Anonymous]

^^ sorry I meant to say I think grad school is the new college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/...hools-are-indefensible/618078/

Don’t let the title turn you off and give this a read!

This article was SO good and thought provoking. None of it was surprised because I figured things were the way they were regarding the chasm between private school and public schools; As well as the wealthy and everyone else.

The world has gotten more competitive. Hence the obsession with getting kids into the right school. Furthermore, I do think it’s unfair that public schools don’t have the same amount of resources as private school. I always knew they had more but I didn’t realize they had *that much more*. It’s no wonder that so many people that make it to the top come from private schools. It feels as if there are no hope for regular public school kids.

Again, really think that every parent should give this a read. Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts!
[Report Post]

This is nonsense. 70% of students at top colleges are from public schools and always have been.

this is what the author wrote "Less than 2 percent of the nation’s students attend so-called independent schools. But 24 percent of Yale’s class of 2024 attended an independent school. At Princeton, that figure is 25 percent. At Brown and Dartmouth, it is higher still: 29 percent." are they incorrect?

I have no reason to believe they are incorrect. But the question is, what do they tell you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“ The point is that the most elite privates are over represented at the most elite colleges and universities and the author is correct”

I can speak to this a bit. I went to an Ivy college from public and actually worked as a college admissions counselor a bit. I don’t think my kids need to go to elite private schools.

In fact - i think grad school & im going to encourage my kids to go to public college & save money for grad school.

good for you, it doesn't change the fact that elite privates sends disproportionate numbers of students to elite colleges

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/...hools-are-indefensible/618078/

Don’t let the title turn you off and give this a read!

This article was SO good and thought provoking. None of it was surprised because I figured things were the way they were regarding the chasm between private school and public schools; As well as the wealthy and everyone else.

The world has gotten more competitive. Hence the obsession with getting kids into the right school. Furthermore, I do think it’s unfair that public schools don’t have the same amount of resources as private school. I always knew they had more but I didn’t realize they had *that much more*. It’s no wonder that so many people that make it to the top come from private schools. It feels as if there are no hope for regular public school kids.

Again, really think that every parent should give this a read. Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts!
[Report Post]

This is nonsense. 70% of students at top colleges are from public schools and always have been.

this is what the author wrote "Less than 2 percent of the nation’s students attend so-called independent schools. But 24 percent of Yale’s class of 2024 attended an independent school. At Princeton, that figure is 25 percent. At Brown and Dartmouth, it is higher still: 29 percent." are they incorrect?

I have no reason to believe they are incorrect. But the question is, what do they tell you?

that life isn't fair? The whole Horatio Alger narrative of doing well in high school and then getting into an elite university and going on to fame and fortune is a fantasy. The reality is that the hedge fund manager's kid goes to the elite private with the other rich kids. Those kids, by and large, go to elite universities and then begin adult life with immense advantages. For some reason people still insist that there is a meritocracy, but they are demonstrably wrong- this is just another data point

[Anonymous]

here are over 1,000 universities in the US. Why focus so much on the 10-20 "elite" universities. People can and do perfectly well at any of the other universities

The whole premise of the article is that there shouldn't be elite private high schools. And her reason for that is because these private schools send too many to elite private COLLEGES.

I'm confused. Logical fallacy here. Illogical premises.

[Anonymous]

I've been a democrat and a liberal my whole life, but the constant refrain of "it's not fair" and "it's not perfectly equal" and "I don't agree with that so whoever said it has to be punished or mauled on social media" has me rethinking whether I will shift to independent. It is so tiring and so contrary to our country's well-being; and no; it's one thing to do our best to achieve racial, gender, and the like justice, but we now seek at times to go beyond that.