Public HS and college acceptances

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There can be great public schools. But the issue is they are public. Before you all have an attack, let me clarify. I don't want to send my kid to a school with parents who could care less about their kids' education, who just dump them there, and who are basically entitled to do so. (PS, obviously no one on this blog!)...but when you do public school, you MAY land in with a group of parents for whom education is important, who raise well behaved children, and you may NOT. It's public. The greatest parents in the world send their kids to public school. And so do the worst.

I am not saying that the parents of private school kids are better. But I will say there is at least one screening process. And I don't consider the screening process whether or not they have money. I myself am struggling to put my son in a private school. I'm not rich. The screening process is that they are willing to make a sacrifice to send their kids to a school they have to pay for. For me, that is important. I want my child in a school where I know no one is bringing in a gun, where the child can be kicked out easily for bad behavior, where the children AND parents are held to a standard.

OMG. I have to second the post that this is the stupidest thing I've read on here. Possibly ever. Writing a check does not make you an involved or caring parent. And to imply that all kids who go to private school are smart and well-behaved is hilarious. The "screening" process you note is a joke in terms of what you seem to think it filters out (or in). There aer some good private schools, there are some bad ones. There are some good public schools, there are some bad ones. Kids with involved, caring, and supportive parents will most likely do well in any school and can be found in any school. The opposite is also true. I would strongly urge you to get a better grip on reality before you "struggle to put your son in a private school."

I'll third this. I've know a lot of kids who were basically dumped in private schools, especially boarding schools. Take a look at the recent New York magazine cover piece on Horace Mann if you want to know how private school kids can be just as poorly behaved as public school kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:About Whitman... (and I suspect a host of other good area public schools) -- there is some truth in the fact that its not necessarily that the Whitman TEACHERS who are so great that makes the school so good. At lot of it DOES have to do with the types of families that live in that area and send their kids there. In that respect, I think the parents of Whitman kids care every bit as much about their kids' educations (and are every bit as involved) as the parents of kids at St. Albans, NCS, or elsewhere.

But that is part of the reason why I really don't think you're chances of getting into an ivy are diminished by going to any of the good public schools here. People who keep pointing to these statistics that 50% (or whatever it is) of St. Albans' graduating class got into ivies are missing something... It may well NOT be the school. You think George W. got into Yale because of his steller education and grades? No. And any number of kids at St. Albans (et al) are kids of diplomats, senators, and other "dignitaries" for lack of a better word. Not to mention, the number of parents who are alumni at Harvard/Yale/etc.. I'm not saying the school isn't good, and I'm sure the same phenonmenon accounts for a number of Whitman kids who get into the same schools. All I'm saying is that I think you're kidding yourself if you're "Joe Parent" and you think that sending your "Joe child" to St. Albans is going to give him a 50-50 chance of going to Harvard. The reality is, if he's smart enough to be validictorian at St. Albans and go to Harvard, he's also smart enough to be valedictorian at Whitman and go to Harvard. So, that's just my 2 cents, but I think all of this jockeying for the "best" private school is a bit silly. Maybe not if you live in Ballou H.S.'s district... but if you live in a district like Whitman/Langley, etc... I think it makes very little difference. And, as far as quality of teachers is concerned... PUBLIC schools in this area routinely pay MORE to teachers than these elite private schools do... so where do you think the better teachers go?

Interesting post. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Then why are people paying for private school?

I do understand that public school teachers are often paid more. That may also be because the work is harder, because they have no control over who goes there and may have to deal with discipline problems, etc.

Do you really think the vast majority of private school parents are there just to dump their kids?

[Anonymous]

They are paying for a perception. They are paying for a name brand. They are paying for the "screening" the earlier poster referred to. They are paying for some guarantee that their kid will get "the best." They are paying for a leg up in life.

I'm sure they get some of these things from private school. But most of their kids would do just as well in life in a decent public school, as long as they're getting support and encouragement at home.

[Anonymous]

I am the one that went to Whitman and criticized the teachers ( I didn't really criticize them). I did not mean to imply that private school teachers were any better. I know about the pay differential between private and public. Keep in mind, MC does some funny things when allocating resources. It seems that the better schools do, the less they get. So I still say that a lot of what goes on at Whitman is about the students.
That said, I am sending my ds to private school for primary school, only because he is likely to get more attention.
I do however applaud the family above who is committed to DCPS. I believe that it ALL great academic achievement can be attained in ANY school IF the parents are committed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dad was a public school teacher in Maryland for 35 years, and he taught at a number of schools with reputations that were mediocre (at best). His belief is that a kid whose family values and emphasizes education can do very well at pretty much any school that has a strong core (say, 5-10%) of high-achieving, motivated kids. Every year kids he taught in his AP/gifted classes went off to top schools, including Ivies; often the advanced classes were small, but the kids were no less smart or less well-prepared to enter rigorous college programs.

My husband and I could send our kids to private, but we intend to stick with DCPS all the way through. We are an education-focused family, so we're pretty confident our boys will do well wherever they are, and we've heard good things about our neighborhood HS (Wilson).

And, frankly, I couldn't care less whether they go to Ivies; I want them to choose the paths in life that makes them happy. OP's post upsets me because her husband seems to have defined success very narrowly for his children; what if they don't want to go to Ivies? Worse, what if they can't get in?

Yes, but as you mentioned, family. Let's face it there are some kids who don't have "family" to speak of, who attend poor public schools, and are A students. Unfortunately, they are being told by their schools that they are competitive and doing well, ...until they go to college and find out what else is out there.
The system fails these kids.

[Anonymous]

I am wondering if it is a whole bunch of posters or one who is just connected to the computer like it's a subcutaneous drip. Everytime anyone posts anything that is REMOTELY critical of PUBLIC schools, which dares to say that private schools may be better (even though that clearly is ridiculous, because they're filled with rich people, who are clearly all only interested in status and a place to park their ruffians) always gets bashed.

[Anonymous]

For stats on a few area public high schools, watch for Bethesda magazine. Each year they publish a chart that details the number of applicants vs. the number accepted at 50 or 100 top colleges from Whitman, BCC, Walter Johnson, and a few other local high schools (I think maybe the Potomac and Rockville schools.) The stats are self-reported, so who knows if they're true, but as a parent in the BCC district I found them highly encouraging. The acceptance rates for all the Bethesda high schools were pretty good at a wide range of great colleges. I believe that the survey is published in the spring or summer. Anyway, it's just one data point, and there's plenty to suggest that private school students do well also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Then why are people paying for private school?

I do understand that public school teachers are often paid more. That may also be because the work is harder, because they have no control over who goes there and may have to deal with discipline problems, etc.

Do you really think the vast majority of private school parents are there just to dump their kids?

I was the poster above who made the point about private school acceptance rates. I will definitely concede that there IS a difference between public and private schools. Primarily, IMO, its one of ENVIRONMENT. For some parents and some students, that is WORTH paying for. For others, its not.

I think private school kids DO get more attention. The class sizes are much smaller. But it reminds me a little bit about the difference between small liberal arts colleges, and larger state institutions. Is William & Mary a "better" school than UVA? Maybe. Or maybe they're just different. Is Oberlin or Colgate "better" than Univ. of Michigan? Or UPenn? maybe.

Some kids really really benefit from that individual attention. Some kids really NEED it. Others don't.
And, there is something to be said for private schools, because they CAN kick out the really bad apples much more easily than a public school. But at a place like Whitman, 95% of the school doesn't have discipline problems. They're good kids who study hard. Taking all "honors" courses is pretty standard, and the "cool" kids are all in multiple AP classes. Its a group of kids who are high achievers (probably because their parents are high achievers). But if you're unmotivated, or need more personal attention... it may be hit or miss as to whether a teacher wants to (and has time to) give you that extra attention... whereas in private schools, its part of what you're paying for.

I'm not knocking private schools. I would send my child to one if I felt he needed that extra attention (for whatever reason). But I think choosing your school should be child specific. Each child needs something different to thrive. So when I see blanket statements by parents about how ALL of their children will go to private schools, I think they're in it for some other factor (prestige), and not necessarily because it is the best place for their particular child.

[Anonymous]

That was a very nicely thought out reply, not riddled with generalizations. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

The reality is that there are certain parents who would never consider sending their children to public schools and my husband and I are such parents. We were brought up in the private school system and find that there are no real disadvantages to going that route. The advantages of the smaller classes, individual attention, the excellent education, the "edge in life" that it gives you, the "grooming" it provides, and not least because its is “just what one does”, are but a few reasons in a whole host that mean that as long as we are fortunate to be able to afford it, we will send all our children to private schools.
We are in no position to criticise the public school system because we have never been a part of it although we respect the decisions made by others to send their children that route. It is however disingenuous to say that when parents decide to send all their children to private schools “ they're in it for some other factor (prestige), and not necessarily because it is the best place for their particular child” as the 10.13 pp stated. In our case, I would say that the same private school may not be suitable for all our children and we are certainly open to considering other private schools that may be more suited to our individual children’s needs and that remains to be seen but we are highly unlikely to ever go the public route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that there are certain parents who would never consider sending their children to public schools and my husband and I are such parents. We were brought up in the private school system and find that there are no real disadvantages to going that route. The advantages of the smaller classes, individual attention, the excellent education, the "edge in life" that it gives you, the "grooming" it provides, and not least because its is “just what one does”, are but a few reasons in a whole host that mean that as long as we are fortunate to be able to afford it, we will send all our children to private schools.

"Grooming" is great if your child is a horse. Otherwise, not so much.

Feel like quantifying that "edge in life"? Or explaining why something that is "just what one does" is a good reason for doing it yourself?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that there are certain parents who would never consider sending their children to public schools and my husband and I are such parents. We were brought up in the private school system and find that there are no real disadvantages to going that route. The advantages of the smaller classes, individual attention, the excellent education, the "edge in life" that it gives you, the "grooming" it provides, and not least because its is “just what one does”, are but a few reasons in a whole host that mean that as long as we are fortunate to be able to afford it, we will send all our children to private schools.

"Grooming" is great if your child is a horse. Otherwise, not so much.

Feel like quantifying that "edge in life"? Or explaining why something that is "just what one does" is a good reason for doing it yourself?

Firstly, you obviously do not understand the meaning of "grooming" in the context in which I have used it but that can't be helped and secondly, while I do not really have to justify why we have made the decision - I think we are all mature enough to respect each other's opinions- frankly if the meaning of the phrases you highlight are lost on you then you probably would not understand either what they mean or what value they are even if I were to explain them so we'll just leave it at that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that there are certain parents who would never consider sending their children to public schools and my husband and I are such parents. We were brought up in the private school system and find that there are no real disadvantages to going that route. The advantages of the smaller classes, individual attention, the excellent education, the "edge in life" that it gives you, the "grooming" it provides, and not least because its is “just what one does”, are but a few reasons in a whole host that mean that as long as we are fortunate to be able to afford it, we will send all our children to private schools.

"Grooming" is great if your child is a horse. Otherwise, not so much.

Feel like quantifying that "edge in life"? Or explaining why something that is "just what one does" is a good reason for doing it yourself?

Firstly, you obviously do not understand the meaning of "grooming" in the context in which I have used it but that can't be helped and secondly, while I do not really have to justify why we have made the decision - I think we are all mature enough to respect each other's opinions- frankly if the meaning of the phrases you highlight are lost on you then you probably would not understand either what they mean or what value they are even if I were to explain them so we'll just leave it at that.

I'm not the poster who likened "grooming" to horses, but I have to say, the pretension of your post did make me chuckle. And your response here even moreso. The poster most assuredly understands your not too complicated terminology - he/she was mocking your tone and attitude. It's called sarcasm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are paying for a perception. They are paying for a name brand. They are paying for the "screening" the earlier poster referred to. They are paying for some guarantee that their kid will get "the best." They are paying for a leg up in life.

I'm sure they get some of these things from private school. But most of their kids would do just as well in life in a decent public school, as long as they're getting support and encouragement at home.

Yes, we're paying for these things (and more). We're in the BCC school district. We are a minority family, and unfortunately in this country that often means we're constantly faced with having to validate and qualify ourselves. It happens to my husband and me almost every day in run of the mill interactions with people and in the workplace. We don't wear Ivy League on our shoulders. But you'd be surprised at the leading questions we receive, and how one is treated differently based on the answers. It's insulting, but it's the reality. So yes, I need my male minority kid (who'll probably be judged countless times) to go to St. Albans, Sidwell, GDS.......undergrad at Duke, Harvard, Stanford....graduate school at Duke, Harvard, Stanford, etc.