<p>I saw an exchange--"Beyond Stereotypes & Raincoats"--in another forum & I thought it might be of interest to parents here. </p>
<p>Beyond</a> stereotypes and raincoats - nickdennis.com/blog</p>
<p>Some</a> clarification of my position on private schools. | dougbelshaw.com/blog</p>
<p>Education:</a> sometimes it’s not complex (a reply to Nick Dennis). | dougbelshaw.com/blog</p>
<p>It is an interesting exchange. As the debaters are British, it’s fascinatingly different–“two countries separated by a common language (and different school systems.)” </p>
<p>First, both men assume the schools in the private sector are better. I’ve read, and participated in numerous debates on this point, both online and with friends. I’ve never been in a group of American parents who will universally agree private schools are better. It always breaks down to particulars–some independent schools are better for some children – and vice versa. And most American parents point out that the private schools would have to be much, much better, to justify the cost of tuition.</p>
<p>It could well be the British private schools are better than the state schools. How could I know? I have read that the lion’s share of university spots in Britain are allotted to the graduates of independent schools. According to this article, the private schools offer more academic options, and their students score better on exams. [A-level</a> results show private school pupils three times as likely to score highest grade | Education | The Guardian](<a href=“http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/aug/19/a-level-private-schools]A-level”>A-level results show private school pupils three times as likely to score highest grade | A-levels | The Guardian) </p>
<p>However, if that’s so, the gentleman blaming parents for sending their children to private schools, (or the more competitive state schools), is demanding parents choose to send their children to schools he feels everyone thinks are worse–essentially because he says so. Because he objects to “walled gardens.” </p>
<p>And yet, every school is a “walled garden.” The world could be reduced to two state-funded schools. There would still be differences, because they would be run by different people, and their student bodies would differ. Even if the students were assigned by lottery, each school would have a different array of interests and talents in its classrooms. Within a school, every student receives a different education.</p>
<p>A good deal of credit for the high academic performance of independent school kids goes to self-selection of the families. </p>
<p>It’s not just the monied class that invests in private-schooling for their kids. In the U.S. state where we formerly lived, we observed that in poor public school districts, the working class parents who put a priority on education are willing to fork out their own scarce dollars to put their kids in a private-school environment full of kids with parents who similarly esteem education.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, not all private schools are better than state schools, but there is generally a lot less variation in state school quality than in the US. I go to a state funded grammar school (explained in the first link) and around half the students applied to private schools as a back up, as the other state schools were of a far far lower standard.
I agree that the issue is a lot more complex than stereotypes make out. I had three years of tutoring to pass the entrance exam (11+) to get into a specific state school, including from very expensive private centres. Many parents wouldn’t be able to afford that, and although brains help you pass the test, a lot more of it is down to practice (it’s SAT style verbal reasoning mostly). MY school is probably a lot less socially diverse than some cheaper private schools who offer bursaries/financial aid.
I think that school type is a very small part of whether or not a child is kept in a ‘walled garden’. Surely it has more to do area, ECs done in/out of school, how young the child goes into private education and just how globally aware they are.</p>
<p>A random point; I’m not happy with the education I’m recieving at my state school so I’m applying for private schools for my last two years of high school, including Wellington, mentioned at the beginning of the first article.</p>
<p>I’m a huge proponent of public schools if a child is ‘neurotypical’ (for want of a less pejorative term). Our son has attended them through grade 10. Our local public high school (1800+ students) has resources that eclipse some colleges. [Yes, it’s a nice neighborhood, but not insanely upper class – most folks are (like myself) typical working stiffs.]</p>
<p>However, if a child (even a very intelligent one) has learning differences, then even the most wonderful public school may not work out. The conventional educational model just doesn’t adapt well, if only because raw numbers (20+ students/class, 1:100+ teacher:student ratio at our excellent local high school) mitigate against effective remedial measures and timely, actionable feedback. The core curriculum teachers don’t have the bandwidth to keep a Learning Skills teacher current.</p>
<p>While his grades are now out of the cellar, my son has spent far too much of his academic career on ‘damage control’.</p>
<p>In this situation, the private school model has becomes very attractive – class sizes of ~12 (the boarding school average), much smaller student:teacher ratios and vastly improved timely feedback.</p>
<p>I hasten to add that many (if not most) private schools are pressure cookers and are likely not the right place for students with learning differences. But I think the private school model is more readily adaptable, and many schools have adapted (and not only those schools whose mission is solely focused on LD kids – I’m not a huge fan of that model either).</p>
<p>I am the author of the original blog post and it is interesting to read the reactions of people outside the UK context. A few things I would like to point out:</p>
<p>1) Private schools are not inherently better than maintained schools.
2) There is a great deal of variation in the maintained sector as there is in the private sector
3) It was not a defence of independent schools but an attempt to move the debate beyond the narrow boundaries for more productive thinking is to exist.
4) In two of the private schools I have worked in, the students with learning needs were looked after exceptionally well and was seen as part of our ethos of care for all students. </p>
<p>I also think it helps to read the whole piece but I am very interested in the comments!</p>