Private schools are indefensible

[Anonymous]

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!
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[Anonymous]

You'll have to fix your link, then.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

New poster:
Here's the link--front page of the Atlantic today.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/04/private-schools-are-indefensible/618078/

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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?

[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.

The article deals with the most elite private schools. There are many private schools that aren't elite and where the gap between what is offered at the public schools aren't that great. In addition, one thing missing from this article is that the most successful students at public school have access to supplementation by way of family support, private tutors, summer programs, programs for the gifted, and on and on. The effect of this supplementation results in privilege that isn't that different from a private school.

I suspect that the pandemic will give rise to a new breed of private school and private school parents who opt for non-elite privates because they feel that public schools let them down. Many of these families were like mine, staunch supporters of public schools, until they had an issue that caused them to lose confidence. For me, it happened before the pandemic. It was two kids with special needs and the time burden of dealing with the medical aspects of those needs along with a school day and calendar that does not align with the work day. Faced with losing my job (and health insurance) because I was struggling to cover all the bases, I found a smaller environment to be easier to navigate.


In truth, most of the positives of the small private school my kids attend are things that EVERY student, public or private should receive. I believe that the decision makers for public education have spend so much time chasing windmills that they have made the experience miserable for everyone, including teachers, parents, and students. The elite are always going to seek out advantages for their children. The real question should be why so many non-elite families, like mine, are giving upon public school. If you have visited social media at any time during the pandemic, there is building consensus that public school works best if one parent is at home. If your family doesn't fall into that category, it is only natural to seek out other options.

[Anonymous]

I was disappointed in this article, actually. We are new to private school this year (covid) and have done a lot of hand-wringing over whether moving to, or staying in, private school aligns with our values. So I came to this with an open mind and read the whole thing.

Unfortunately this is just a string of anecdotes about the excesses of very wealthy parents. It does not make arguments against private schools, other than that there's a huge equity problem in education. The author waits until the final paragraphs to acknowledge that public schools are broken, and that in a just society private schools wouldn't need to exist. Another way of saying that is that the school situation is a symptom not the problem.

A better article would have looked like this:
1. The state of public schools is indefensible.
2. The existence of private schools is a response to the state of public schools and, even more, to the inequalities we have created while pretending that merit drives success.
3. Both 1 and 2 are the result of profound disagreements in this country about what school is for, and what we are all obligated to do in support of the public good.

There will always be very wealthy, very demanding parents who provide something different for their kids -- in the old days, these people's children were educated at home with governors and tutors. Their existence doesn't need to affect education policy one way or the other, which is why this article's focus on them is disappointing.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the increased percentage coming form private schools can at least be partially explained by the applicant pool. Not all public school students are applying to college. I would guess that a greater percentage of private school students are applying to college. What percent of college applications are from public versus private? Then look at whether the percent accepted is disproportionate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was disappointed in this article, actually. We are new to private school this year (covid) and have done a lot of hand-wringing over whether moving to, or staying in, private school aligns with our values. So I came to this with an open mind and read the whole thing.

Unfortunately this is just a string of anecdotes about the excesses of very wealthy parents. It does not make arguments against private schools, other than that there's a huge equity problem in education. The author waits until the final paragraphs to acknowledge that public schools are broken, and that in a just society private schools wouldn't need to exist. Another way of saying that is that the school situation is a symptom not the problem.

A better article would have looked like this:
1. The state of public schools is indefensible.
2. The existence of private schools is a response to the state of public schools and, even more, to the inequalities we have created while pretending that merit drives success.
3. Both 1 and 2 are the result of profound disagreements in this country about what school is for, and what we are all obligated to do in support of the public good.

There will always be very wealthy, very demanding parents who provide something different for their kids -- in the old days, these people's children were educated at home with governors and tutors. Their existence doesn't need to affect education policy one way or the other, which is why this article's focus on them is disappointing.

+1 I am the poster about you and completely agree with what you wrote.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was disappointed in this article, actually. We are new to private school this year (covid) and have done a lot of hand-wringing over whether moving to, or staying in, private school aligns with our values. So I came to this with an open mind and read the whole thing.

Unfortunately this is just a string of anecdotes about the excesses of very wealthy parents. It does not make arguments against private schools, other than that there's a huge equity problem in education. The author waits until the final paragraphs to acknowledge that public schools are broken, and that in a just society private schools wouldn't need to exist. Another way of saying that is that the school situation is a symptom not the problem.

A better article would have looked like this:
1. The state of public schools is indefensible.
2. The existence of private schools is a response to the state of public schools and, even more, to the inequalities we have created while pretending that merit drives success.
3. Both 1 and 2 are the result of profound disagreements in this country about what school is for, and what we are all obligated to do in support of the public good.

There will always be very wealthy, very demanding parents who provide something different for their kids -- in the old days, these people's children were educated at home with governors and tutors. Their existence doesn't need to affect education policy one way or the other, which is why this article's focus on them is disappointing.

number 2 is demonstrably false. Privates have existed for as long as there have been schools in this country- the oldest literally predate the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The article deals with the most elite private schools. There are many private schools that aren't elite and where the gap between what is offered at the public schools aren't that great.

Exactly. Drawing the line at "public" vs. "private" is dumb. My kids go to a small religious private school where a good chunk of the student body is lower-income. The school is not academically selective. Full tuition is about half the cost of the upper tier privates in my city, and out of pocket costs after school vouchers are about $6K per kid. Families who earn less than 250% of the federal poverty level attend for free.

[Anonymous]

Public schools have tons of money sloshing around, in addition to the $15-30k per pupil from property taxes, fed and title 1 they also pay for a ton of administration, defined benefit plans and healthcare plans for life for all retirees.

Maybe you should look into why their budget is 50% benefits and then 50% active salaries and facilities. And let’s not forget the mandatory teacher union dues each paycheck for the lobby group.

[Anonymous]

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]

Troll.

Private schools are not inherently better than Public. As a matter of fact, many public schools have way more offerings of higher math and science.

You have no idea what you are talking about!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was disappointed in this article, actually. We are new to private school this year (covid) and have done a lot of hand-wringing over whether moving to, or staying in, private school aligns with our values. So I came to this with an open mind and read the whole thing.

Unfortunately this is just a string of anecdotes about the excesses of very wealthy parents. It does not make arguments against private schools, other than that there's a huge equity problem in education. The author waits until the final paragraphs to acknowledge that public schools are broken, and that in a just society private schools wouldn't need to exist. Another way of saying that is that the school situation is a symptom not the problem.

A better article would have looked like this:
1. The state of public schools is indefensible.
2. The existence of private schools is a response to the state of public schools and, even more, to the inequalities we have created while pretending that merit drives success.
3. Both 1 and 2 are the result of profound disagreements in this country about what school is for, and what we are all obligated to do in support of the public good.

There will always be very wealthy, very demanding parents who provide something different for their kids -- in the old days, these people's children were educated at home with governors and tutors. Their existence doesn't need to affect education policy one way or the other, which is why this article's focus on them is disappointing.

number 2 is demonstrably false. Privates have existed for as long as there have been schools in this country- the oldest literally predate the county.

The fact they're old doesn't mean they aren't a response to inequality. If there is no public school at all, or if the public school is a one-room school house that serves a whole region, then a private school is still a reaction to that lack of public investment in education.