Reply to The case for "low rigor" at highly competitive private lower schools?

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "The case for "low rigor" at highly competitive private lower schools?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Hi,
Our blessed buttercup will be starting at a highly selective private school this year. Many of our friends and colleagues have cautioned/warned/indicated that there is not much rigor in those early years: the pace at which math and reading are taught is slower than the high-quality public schools in Bethesda/VA, and also likely below the level at which many children are capable of (given they have supportive parents, perhaps often high test scores, etc.). We are told in 9th grade, when a bunch of top-performing kids from public schools join, the 'lifers' are perhaps even at a disadvantage.

Certainly the highly selective private lower schools must be aware of the claim that they could be pushing the children more (and aware that many parents engage in supplementary math, etc.). But they seem to deliberately choose a more relaxed curriculum.

I'd love to get peoples views on whether they do they do so because:
a) they don't think there is much value to "pushing" learning in elementary school years, because kids will catch up anyway (e.g., the theory that you rarely meet a 9 year old who can't read, so why stress whether a child is reading at 3, 4, or 5)
b) they do more social/art/presentation type skill development, which the public schools neglect, and which has value later in life
c) elementary students at highly selective private schools are in fact less prepared to learn than in Bethesda public schools, so they are teaching to the level [in other towns, i've heard it said that the only kids who go to private school are the ones who can't hack it at the good public schools]
d) there is no such difference, and kids in private schools are learning as much or more than top public schools
e) Something else we're missing?

We're committed to the private school because of location considerations, but are a bit curious, as we have heard this claim a few times.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics