Families who can afford private but go public, why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a growing consensus in our neighborhood that as the population of the publics continue to go up and the County does more 'experimenting' with curriculum and pathways, the overall education is getting worse by the year. It is not the same school system neighbors with even fairly recent college graduates had.

There has been an ever growing increase in the number of private school families in our NoVa neighborhood. Some switched in elementary, some in MS, but a great deal more switch for 9th. The large grade sizes also mean a lot less opportunity to participate on sports teams, etc. There are the same number of spots for a HS with 3,000 students as other public HS with 1,500, etc.

We had a great public elementary school. Middle school has been 'okay'. My kids don't seem to have to do much of anything for As. There is very little focus on writing/grammar and the math acceleration pathways are a known problem for not teaching 'depth' in the subject. Sure, kids can go and score a 600 on a MULTIPLE choice Algebra SOL--but the foundation is not solid.

Also, this is not a matter of getting kids into a better college. In fact, given that it is much harder to gets As in many competitive privates you might have a better chance with your 4.85 public school GPA, BUT when they do get to college they are so much better prepared.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a growing consensus in our neighborhood that as the population of the publics continue to go up and the County does more 'experimenting' with curriculum and pathways, the overall education is getting worse by the year. It is not the same school system neighbors with even fairly recent college graduates had.

There has been an ever growing increase in the number of private school families in our NoVa neighborhood. Some switched in elementary, some in MS, but a great deal more switch for 9th. The large grade sizes also mean a lot less opportunity to participate on sports teams, etc. There are the same number of spots for a HS with 3,000 students as other public HS with 1,500, etc.

We had a great public elementary school. Middle school has been 'okay'. My kids don't seem to have to do much of anything for As. There is very little focus on writing/grammar and the math acceleration pathways are a known problem for not teaching 'depth' in the subject. Sure, kids can go and score a 600 on a MULTIPLE choice Algebra SOL--but the foundation is not solid.

Also, this is not a matter of getting kids into a better college. In fact, given that it is much harder to gets As in many competitive privates you might have a better chance with your 4.85 public school GPA, BUT when they do get to college they are so much better prepared.

The impossible task of closing achievement gaps that form in very early childhood and don’t get wider after 1st grade has consumed many school districts. It’s a problem that consumes a larger share of resources every year. That’s why people go private. 20 years ago there was just a greater acceptance of these gaps. Not anymore. Public schools are supposed to fix society’s problems and function as social services offices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a growing consensus in our neighborhood that as the population of the publics continue to go up and the County does more 'experimenting' with curriculum and pathways, the overall education is getting worse by the year. It is not the same school system neighbors with even fairly recent college graduates had.

There has been an ever growing increase in the number of private school families in our NoVa neighborhood. Some switched in elementary, some in MS, but a great deal more switch for 9th. The large grade sizes also mean a lot less opportunity to participate on sports teams, etc. There are the same number of spots for a HS with 3,000 students as other public HS with 1,500, etc.

We had a great public elementary school. Middle school has been 'okay'. My kids don't seem to have to do much of anything for As. There is very little focus on writing/grammar and the math acceleration pathways are a known problem for not teaching 'depth' in the subject. Sure, kids can go and score a 600 on a MULTIPLE choice Algebra SOL--but the foundation is not solid.

Also, this is not a matter of getting kids into a better college. In fact, given that it is much harder to gets As in many competitive privates you might have a better chance with your 4.85 public school GPA, BUT when they do get to college they are so much better prepared.

. I am not sure how you can say this with any reliability. Both my children graduated from McLean HS and found themselves extreme wel prepared in their college classes. I can’t imagine them being more prepared. I think you underestimate the quality of education in the public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a growing consensus in our neighborhood that as the population of the publics continue to go up and the County does more 'experimenting' with curriculum and pathways, the overall education is getting worse by the year. It is not the same school system neighbors with even fairly recent college graduates had.

There has been an ever growing increase in the number of private school families in our NoVa neighborhood. Some switched in elementary, some in MS, but a great deal more switch for 9th. The large grade sizes also mean a lot less opportunity to participate on sports teams, etc. There are the same number of spots for a HS with 3,000 students as other public HS with 1,500, etc.

We had a great public elementary school. Middle school has been 'okay'. My kids don't seem to have to do much of anything for As. There is very little focus on writing/grammar and the math acceleration pathways are a known problem for not teaching 'depth' in the subject. Sure, kids can go and score a 600 on a MULTIPLE choice Algebra SOL--but the foundation is not solid.

Also, this is not a matter of getting kids into a better college. In fact, given that it is much harder to gets As in many competitive privates you might have a better chance with your 4.85 public school GPA, BUT when they do get to college they are so much better prepared.

The impossible task of closing achievement gaps that form in very early childhood and don’t get wider after 1st grade has consumed many school districts. It’s a problem that consumes a larger share of resources every year. That’s why people go private. 20 years ago there was just a greater acceptance of these gaps. Not anymore. Public schools are supposed to fix society’s problems and function as social services offices.

There has been a huge "teach to the test" push for the past decade or so--whether its SOLs, AP tests, etc. The type of 'deep thinking' vs learn facts to regurgitate is what is missing. Sure- kids come out fine and will be able to succeed, but it is an entirely different type of intelligence and depth that is lacking. Public school teachers are held to a strict curriculum and most of it is so that their kids can regurgitate on a multiple choice test at the end of the year. It's just the way it is which is why America is ranked so low when they rank education in countries around the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a growing consensus in our neighborhood that as the population of the publics continue to go up and the County does more 'experimenting' with curriculum and pathways, the overall education is getting worse by the year. It is not the same school system neighbors with even fairly recent college graduates had.

There has been an ever growing increase in the number of private school families in our NoVa neighborhood. Some switched in elementary, some in MS, but a great deal more switch for 9th. The large grade sizes also mean a lot less opportunity to participate on sports teams, etc. There are the same number of spots for a HS with 3,000 students as other public HS with 1,500, etc.

We had a great public elementary school. Middle school has been 'okay'. My kids don't seem to have to do much of anything for As. There is very little focus on writing/grammar and the math acceleration pathways are a known problem for not teaching 'depth' in the subject. Sure, kids can go and score a 600 on a MULTIPLE choice Algebra SOL--but the foundation is not solid.

Also, this is not a matter of getting kids into a better college. In fact, given that it is much harder to gets As in many competitive privates you might have a better chance with your 4.85 public school GPA, BUT when they do get to college they are so much better prepared.

The impossible task of closing achievement gaps that form in very early childhood and don’t get wider after 1st grade has consumed many school districts. It’s a problem that consumes a larger share of resources every year. That’s why people go private. 20 years ago there was just a greater acceptance of these gaps. Not anymore. Public schools are supposed to fix society’s problems and function as social services offices.

There has been a huge "teach to the test" push for the past decade or so--whether its SOLs, AP tests, etc. The type of 'deep thinking' vs learn facts to regurgitate is what is missing. Sure- kids come out fine and will be able to succeed, but it is an entirely different type of intelligence and depth that is lacking. Public school teachers are held to a strict curriculum and most of it is so that their kids can regurgitate on a multiple choice test at the end of the year. It's just the way it is which is why America is ranked so low when they rank education in countries around the world.

Students at most high schools in FCPS, especially the top AP schools, do very well on the PISA assessments relative to students in other countries.

[Anonymous]

On a 'public school' forum you will get responses that favor public school. Not shocking. Just like on the 'private school forum' you will get responses that favor private school.

Parents have legitimate reasons for doing either. I found when neighbors found out we were sending our kids to private for HS they got very catty and judgmental. They kept demanding we tell them 'why' and then they would get very defensive and bitchy. I tried to keep it to the reasons specific for our kid---single sex education, smaller student body, etc. and they basically wanted to fight and talk behind my back about it. It's not about being 'better' or feeling superior. Such petty crap.

[Anonymous]

The state of public education would be better if more private school parents had skin in the game and weren’t giving in to their displays of conspicuous consumption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The state of public education would be better if more private school parents had skin in the game and weren’t giving in to their displays of conspicuous consumption.

We had skin in the game in public from K-8. My kids aren’t going to be used as a social experiment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a growing consensus in our neighborhood that as the population of the publics continue to go up and the County does more 'experimenting' with curriculum and pathways, the overall education is getting worse by the year. It is not the same school system neighbors with even fairly recent college graduates had.

There has been an ever growing increase in the number of private school families in our NoVa neighborhood. Some switched in elementary, some in MS, but a great deal more switch for 9th. The large grade sizes also mean a lot less opportunity to participate on sports teams, etc. There are the same number of spots for a HS with 3,000 students as other public HS with 1,500, etc.

We had a great public elementary school. Middle school has been 'okay'. My kids don't seem to have to do much of anything for As. There is very little focus on writing/grammar and the math acceleration pathways are a known problem for not teaching 'depth' in the subject. Sure, kids can go and score a 600 on a MULTIPLE choice Algebra SOL--but the foundation is not solid.

Also, this is not a matter of getting kids into a better college. In fact, given that it is much harder to gets As in many competitive privates you might have a better chance with your 4.85 public school GPA, BUT when they do get to college they are so much better prepared.

The impossible task of closing achievement gaps that form in very early childhood and don’t get wider after 1st grade has consumed many school districts. It’s a problem that consumes a larger share of resources every year. That’s why people go private. 20 years ago there was just a greater acceptance of these gaps. Not anymore. Public schools are supposed to fix society’s problems and function as social services offices.

There has been a huge "teach to the test" push for the past decade or so--whether its SOLs, AP tests, etc. The type of 'deep thinking' vs learn facts to regurgitate is what is missing. Sure- kids come out fine and will be able to succeed, but it is an entirely different type of intelligence and depth that is lacking. Public school teachers are held to a strict curriculum and most of it is so that their kids can regurgitate on a multiple choice test at the end of the year. It's just the way it is which is why America is ranked so low when they rank education in countries around the world.[/quote]

Isn't the achievement gap the real culprit for this? in other words, we have many more students who don't have access to a quality education than the more-egalitarian countries who outperform us. The public-school education MC/UMC in the D.C. area (and other well-to-do areas) do fine on the international tests. Or am I wrong about that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The state of public education would be better if more private school parents had skin in the game and weren’t giving in to their displays of conspicuous consumption.

The state of public education would be better if more parents had increased choices of where to send their children.

Forcing everyone into the system where they must accept curriculum, hours, teaching style, philosophy and so on means no incentive for the schools to respond to parental opinions and dissatisfaction or even good research and data.

If the public schools are really best let them show it.

[Anonymous]

A McLean pyramid parent testified that her older goes to private school because McLean high is so crowded. The family moved here years ago for the pyramid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A McLean pyramid parent testified that her older goes to private school because McLean high is so crowded. The family moved here years ago for the pyramid.

Testified? What are you even talking about?

[Anonymous]

Went to both in MoCo, graduated from public. I stay in touch with friends from both schools, but I will contend that my public school friends show more grit, and have been far more successful in life than the private school crowd. That said, one of my friends from private is the most successful of the bunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A McLean pyramid parent testified that her older goes to private school because McLean high is so crowded. The family moved here years ago for the pyramid.

Testified? What are you even talking about?

Were the subpoenaed in Court ? lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A McLean pyramid parent testified that her older goes to private school because McLean high is so crowded. The family moved here years ago for the pyramid.

Testified? What are you even talking about?

Were the subpoenaed in Court ? lol

*they