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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It isn’t politically correct to say so, but mainstreaming of special ed kids has occurred at a cost to grade level and advanced kids, especially at the elementary level.  If I had to go back to public, I would only do so at a school system with a separate magnet track.[/quote]
Wow, this comment is horrifying on so many levels.  I have a severely disabled sibling who was mainstreamed as a child.  I can assure you that mainstreaming took absolutely nothing away from my own public school education, and possibly even enriched my experience and those of the kids around me!

Non-special ed kids with behavioral challenges were a whole other story, and they absolutely did impact my education.  But I assure you they always have been and always will be in every classroom in both public and private schools.

My own kids are in private school.  But only because I selected one with a curriculum that I think really does teach them something very specific that is not available in the public schools.  Not in any way because I am trying to get my own kids away from special ed kids.  Wow.[/quote]

People casually (carelessly?) use “special ed” as stand-in for any kids with chronic behavioral or other needs that impact classroom dynamics. So, it’s both over- and under-inclusive depending on the circumstances, which can be frustrating for families navigating these spaces.

But, however they are classified, at private schools, high-needs kids don’t become a center of gravity or resource-diverter as they often do at public schools (for perfectly defensible and practical reasons). This is a premium aspect of private schools in general, though certainly not the case for any school in particular.

FWIW, our kids were in Title I public schools through 5th grade before going private for middle. I wouldn’t change anything about their experience and didn’t have too many real-time complaints because we understood what the school could and couldn’t do given what they had to work with and the related constraints and obligations they labored under.  My kids have very fond memories of their public elementary school.

But, after going private, it was impossible not to notice and appreciate the difference when all the kids are well-resourced, supported, and generally low-need.

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