Forum Index
»
Private & Independent Schools
What is the bottom line with this private school thing?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| I guess the analogy would be getting into a fancy BMW is nice, but I want to know about airbags and crash test ratings, before I buy. I do not assume that because it is BMW, it is safer than Toyota. |
Anonymous
| That would be a good analogy if you could quantify intangibles like personality, learning style etc. |
Anonymous
the writer "itself"??? |
jhuber
Member Offline
Member Offline
|
This topic of quantifiable data vs. quality has been brought up on other threads before, I believe, and it strikes at the core concern that a number of (potential) independent school parents have. My school differs in ways both great and small from our surrounding schools, but it would be a mighty challenge (as well as against AISGW/NAIS guidelines) to put up a simplistic numerical comparative rank. We see the differences as our teachers and parents engage in curricular review, as it affords us the opportunity to take one particular subject area and see how we compare to other independent / parochial / public schools. To add to the complexity, of course, is that parents are investing in a process, rather than a product. To be sure, some parents may seek a specific outcome - admission into their chosen college / university of choice, for example - but there are certainly no guarantees for even the most respected independent schools.
Take something as basic as test scores. If it's a school's mission to advertise its students' high test scores, that can be achieved through broad measures such as stringent admissions standards / curricular emphasis only on test subjects / significant test preparation. But a more interesting measure might be to see how students improve on their standardized tests. In other words, if a child consistently ranks at the 95th percentile, that's one thing, but if over time another child's percentile increases from 25th to 75th, that's something quite different and much more interesting. I hope that all are off to a wonderful start to their school years. John |
Anonymous
I agree. That is one of he main reasons my kids are in public schools. Of course, I live in Arlington so that decision wasn't really hard. My sister and I went the top (or 2nd, ;-0) girls' school in the area. Public school kids were alien creatures to us. Sounds bad but we really didn't know ANY. The culture of the private school world and the peers are a great deal of what you pay for. Those are the main reason my sister's kids are in private. She sees feeling elite as a positive - equates it with BEING elite. I don't and I feel I am far happier and live a more enriched life for it. If that sounds smarmy - sorry. I really mean it. |
Anonymous
|
Now that you mention that, I think I know one private kid to whom I was the only public kid that she knew. I went to a mediocre public, lived in the poorer side of town, but our moms were friends and sometimes visited each other.
I just remember how everytime she would tell me what a great school she goes to and how hard she works and how wonderful it is. At the time I just wondered why she could only talk about school, I guess she had picked up on the eliteness. Strange that I only realize this now years later. To me the private school kid was a mystery. Because they only talked about school. |