If You've Had Kids in Private and Public, Which Did You Like Better?

[Anonymous]

I wanted to believe in public and tried, but with the standardized testing, common core crap, 30 kids in a class, they just can't compete. Back to private next year.

[Anonymous]

I have one in each. The high schooler wanted out of his public school (academic test in) and we decided that he needed an all male environment. Likes it way better.

Younger son is super happy in public, but has in IEP for reading and gets tons of extra help.

Honestly, the only reason I can think of sending to private besides that kids' personal needs, is if you want a super private and you know the only time you'll get in is at kindergarten.

I don't see a huge difference between the schools because I don't do a whole lot at either. Both have very great facilities and teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have one in each. The high schooler wanted out of his public school (academic test in) and we decided that he needed an all male environment. Likes it way better.

Younger son is super happy in public, but has in IEP for reading and gets tons of extra help.

Honestly, the only reason I can think of sending to private besides that kids' personal needs, is if you want a super private and you know the only time you'll get in is at kindergarten.

I don't see a huge difference between the schools because I don't do a whole lot at either. Both have very great facilities and teachers. [/quote

+1 same for us. Good and bad teachers at both. If u had to do it over again. would just send the Older one for HS. private for elementary was a complete waste of money.

[Anonymous]

We have experience in both. I would choose private, but with that said, only a top tier private school. We've had experiences in a second tier private, public, and top tier private. The top tier private was best, and second tier private was good but not worth $30k.

[Anonymous]

Private Catholic, hands down. Small community, responsive administration, and teachers who know my child and treat him like an individual. Precisely what my experience was as a child in public school before NCLB and the accountability culture incentivized teachers to regard my child as a set of numbers on a spreadsheet instead of a human. Until and unless NCLB and the accountability craze goes away, we will be avoiding public school, and feel blessed and grateful that we have the financial ability to make that choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think if the child has educated parents, the benefits of private really start in middle school. That's when we moved our kids to private. Before that, if there are any deficiencies, they can usually be made up at home.

I disagree. IME private has afforded my child with critical social/emotional learning opportnities in the early grades that publics don't have the luxury to provide since they must obsess from day one of K about performance on standardized tests.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, Catholic schools can be a far less expensive option. It will cost me and my DH and the equivalent of one year's salary to put two children through Catholic school for 13 years. Not a bad investment IMO given how many other less important things that money could be used for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if the child has educated parents, the benefits of private really start in middle school. That's when we moved our kids to private. Before that, if there are any deficiencies, they can usually be made up at home.

I disagree. IME private has afforded my child with critical social/emotional learning opportnities in the early grades that publics don't have the luxury to provide since they must obsess from day one of K about performance on standardized tests.

I think that parents who have not had a child in public school may overestimate the effect of this. Here is a list of all of the standardized tests that children take in MCPS in K-2:

Maryland Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (once, at the beginning of kindergarten)
MAP-P (three times a year, in K-2)

That's it.

More about the Maryland Kindergarten Readiness Assessment: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/marylands-kindergartners-face-important-early-test-of-their-readiness-for-school/2014/10/31/62a11caa-60fd-11e4-8b9e-2ccdac31a031_story.html

The MCPS elementary school testing calendar: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/calendar/estesting.aspx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have experience in both. I would choose private, but with that said, only a top tier private school. We've had experiences in a second tier private, public, and top tier private. The top tier private was best, and second tier private was good but not worth $30k.

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if the child has educated parents, the benefits of private really start in middle school. That's when we moved our kids to private. Before that, if there are any deficiencies, they can usually be made up at home.

I disagree. IME private has afforded my child with critical social/emotional learning opportnities in the early grades that publics don't have the luxury to provide since they must obsess from day one of K about performance on standardized tests.

I think that parents who have not had a child in public school may overestimate the effect of this. Here is a list of all of the standardized tests that children take in MCPS in K-2:

Maryland Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (once, at the beginning of kindergarten)
MAP-P (three times a year, in K-2)

That's it.

More about the Maryland Kindergarten Readiness Assessment: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/marylands-kindergartners-face-important-early-test-of-their-readiness-for-school/2014/10/31/62a11caa-60fd-11e4-8b9e-2ccdac31a031_story.html

The MCPS elementary school testing calendar: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/calendar/estesting.aspx

You've missed my point entirely. I have had a kid in public and the problem is not with the testing itself, but with tying the testing to school funding and promotion and tenure for teachers. The incentives you provide drive behavior. This particular incentive drives teachers to focus on teaching to the test, which is what the administration forces them to do. It's all about the money, outcomes, numbers on a spreadsheet. And most decidedly not about my kid. I know of what I speak, because I was in junior high when my state passed a "reform" bill similar to NCLB, and I know the effect it had on my experience at school (i.e. not good). It's only gotten worse in the past 30 years. I personally know a handful of former public school teachers who left for privates or left the profession altogether. Which is sad, because they were all smart, good people who cared deeply about their profession and about their students. But their intelligence, drive, and creativity were increasingly stifled by a system that treats them like crap, and the students even more poorly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You've missed my point entirely. I have had a kid in public and the problem is not with the testing itself, but with tying the testing to school funding and promotion and tenure for teachers. The incentives you provide drive behavior. This particular incentive drives teachers to focus on teaching to the test, which is what the administration forces them to do. It's all about the money, outcomes, numbers on a spreadsheet. And most decidedly not about my kid. I know of what I speak, because I was in junior high when my state passed a "reform" bill similar to NCLB, and I know the effect it had on my experience at school (i.e. not good). It's only gotten worse in the past 30 years. I personally know a handful of former public school teachers who left for privates or left the profession altogether. Which is sad, because they were all smart, good people who cared deeply about their profession and about their students. But their intelligence, drive, and creativity were increasingly stifled by a system that treats them like crap, and the students even more poorly.

Teaching to which test?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if the child has educated parents, the benefits of private really start in middle school. That's when we moved our kids to private. Before that, if there are any deficiencies, they can usually be made up at home.

I disagree. IME private has afforded my child with critical social/emotional learning opportnities in the early grades that publics don't have the luxury to provide since they must obsess from day one of K about performance on standardized tests.

I think that parents who have not had a child in public school may overestimate the effect of this. Here is a list of all of the standardized tests that children take in MCPS in K-2:

Maryland Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (once, at the beginning of kindergarten)
MAP-P (three times a year, in K-2)

That's it.

More about the Maryland Kindergarten Readiness Assessment: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/marylands-kindergartners-face-important-early-test-of-their-readiness-for-school/2014/10/31/62a11caa-60fd-11e4-8b9e-2ccdac31a031_story.html

The MCPS elementary school testing calendar: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/calendar/estesting.aspx

And yet my mcps Kindergartener is taking the PARCC test

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You've missed my point entirely. I have had a kid in public and the problem is not with the testing itself, but with tying the testing to school funding and promotion and tenure for teachers. The incentives you provide drive behavior. This particular incentive drives teachers to focus on teaching to the test, which is what the administration forces them to do. It's all about the money, outcomes, numbers on a spreadsheet. And most decidedly not about my kid. I know of what I speak, because I was in junior high when my state passed a "reform" bill similar to NCLB, and I know the effect it had on my experience at school (i.e. not good). It's only gotten worse in the past 30 years. I personally know a handful of former public school teachers who left for privates or left the profession altogether. Which is sad, because they were all smart, good people who cared deeply about their profession and about their students. But their intelligence, drive, and creativity were increasingly stifled by a system that treats them like crap, and the students even more poorly.

Teaching to which test?

Really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And yet my mcps Kindergartener is taking the PARCC test

No, your MCPS kindergartener is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You've missed my point entirely. I have had a kid in public and the problem is not with the testing itself, but with tying the testing to school funding and promotion and tenure for teachers. The incentives you provide drive behavior. This particular incentive drives teachers to focus on teaching to the test, which is what the administration forces them to do. It's all about the money, outcomes, numbers on a spreadsheet. And most decidedly not about my kid. I know of what I speak, because I was in junior high when my state passed a "reform" bill similar to NCLB, and I know the effect it had on my experience at school (i.e. not good). It's only gotten worse in the past 30 years. I personally know a handful of former public school teachers who left for privates or left the profession altogether. Which is sad, because they were all smart, good people who cared deeply about their profession and about their students. But their intelligence, drive, and creativity were increasingly stifled by a system that treats them like crap, and the students even more poorly.

Teaching to which test?

Really?

Yes, really. Which test? If teachers are "teaching to the test" in K-2, which test are they teaching to?