When it comes to raising our children, education plays a highly important role. With so many advancements in education, not all schools are capable of providing a high level of education or meeting the needs of every individual student. For many parents, deciding a school for their children may be quite difficult.
The most common comparison we have is of public and private schools. Public schools are cost-effective, but because most of them face budget cuts, they have limited resources and larger classes. Whereas, private schools do not have such issues, but they are extremely expensive, which makes you wonder if they are worth the investment.
When it comes to comparing private schools and public schools, there are things that you need to consider. This can help you decide which school is better for your children, in order to give them the quality education they deserve.
How many students are in a Class
Public schools have up to 25-30 students per class, and in some cases even more. Whereas, private schools keep their classes to 10-15 students. Teachers can give attention to each student individually in classes with fewer students, and they don’t hesitate in giving long or complicated assignments, as they are not afraid to grade too many papers.
Teachers
When considering a school, it’s very important to learn about its faculty, because your children spend most of their academic time with them. A good school is known by its teachers, whether it’s public or private.
There are many parents who believe in home school tutoring because they don’t trust others to educate their children as well as they can. But, if you plan to send your children to school, then you need to make sure the teachers are good. For a public school teacher, it is necessary to have certain certification and documentation. The same rule does not apply to private schools; the teachers there do not need a formal certification though most private schools have a faculty of teachers, who have masters and doctoral degrees.
Think About Security
You only have to look at the mass shooting statistics to know that there can be security risks in schools. Unfortunately, this has been on the rise in recent years. They tend to occur far more in public schools than in private schools. It doesn’t matter what school you decide to send your children to, you need to make sure that there are adequate security measures in place should anything bad happen. This doesn’t just cover problems with weapons, but natural disasters, perimeter security, etc. When you visit the school, make sure you ask these questions and scope it out to see what kind of security systems they have in place to protect their students and your children. When weighing up private and public, school security has to come into your decision-making process. Private schools usually have more stringent security methods in general, but this isn’t always the case. It depends on the location and of course, the school itself. You need to actually visit the schools in question to make the right decision when security comes into the equation.
How good is the School in Preparing Students for College or Post-High School Life
Several public schools have proven to do a marvelous job when it comes to preparing their students for the post-high school or college life, and there are also many public schools which have failed to do so. Private schools, however, have higher rates of graduates who go into renowned colleges after graduating from high school. Most private schools do a great job of preparing students for college, but this varies from school to school.
What is the Attitude of the Students regarding their School
There are students of all kinds in public schools, as their admission criteria are very vast, and their goal is to educate as many children as possible. That is the reason; you find children from all kinds of backgrounds enrolled in public schools. Some may look at this like a chance for their children to grow in an environment where they learn to accept all kinds of people, but some may look at this negatively as a not-so groomed environment for their kids.
However, private schools have selective procedures for admission. Most schools choose children who they find to be highly motivated. This makes up for an environment where most students are keen to learn, allowing your child to grow around students who are ambitious about their academic achievements. Students who aren’t getting enough challenge at their current schools, switching them to a school full of motivated students can improve their learning experience.
Does the School Provide other Activities besides Academics
Public schools have to follow state laws regarding what to teach and what activities to offer to their students; this puts them under great restrictions. Whereas, private schools have to follow no such laws, and that is why they are able to offer unique programs to their students. This helps them build a deeply engaging environment for children, where they can spend hours of their day engaging in different extracurricular activities. After school programs also mean, getting to attend school for more hours as compared to students of public schools. This can keep your children out of trouble outside of school, as they will be spending more time doing different activities in school.
Many private schools offer religion classes, some special-education schools offer to counsel, and some schools even provide advance programs in arts or sciences.
Conclusion
Whether you choose a public school or a private school, the most important thing is to look for a school that can give your children a stable education foundation, and prepares them well for the future. You must understand that there are both good public schools and good private schools, choose the one that suits your children the most. Before admission, do your research, and even if one school does not work out well, there are plenty of others to choose from.
