Private Schools The Students example essay topic

As time has gone by, Americans have increasingly paid more attention to the schooling process, trying harder all the time to get the best education possible for their children. As a result, more parents are turning from the public school systems to the private schools. This happens for several reasons. First, students that graduate from private schools tend to be better prepared for college. Second, private schools open up many opportunities to succeed in the business world. Last, the private schools allow the parents and the student to decide which school they feel will give the student the best education possible.

Overall, private schools offer a better education for high school students than do public schools. Students that graduate from a private school tend to succeed more in colleges than students that graduate from a public school. There are several reasons that this occurs. First, the study skills that are learned in a private school far exceed the skills that are learned in a public school. One of the most important skills is being able to manage ones time effectively.

Time management can be one of college life's hardest habits to learn. The difficulty-level of each course also plays a large role in the preparation for college. In private schools it is expected that the courses will be more difficult than at a public school. The second area of strength is the peer pressure.

In public schools the pressure is very rarely pressure to work hard in school, but in private schools the peers pressure the others to do good in school. This also causes more people to become helpful and involved, which in turn lowers the crime rate and causes the school personnel and the students to feel safer. This feeling of security allows the students to learn more, which allows them to retain more knowledge. When more knowledge is retained, the students do better on tests, and get into a better college as a result. A survey was done in 1982 showing that "public schools employed one security guard for every 1,824 pupils while Catholic schools employed one guard for every 17,055 pupils" (Lieberman, Private 117) The competition to get into the private school of choice reflects the competition to get into a college. The private schools prepare the student for the application process by keeping the students on a very competitive level.

The competition also teaches the students discipline. Private schools also prepare the student for the business world. There are many strategies to becoming a successful businessperson. One of these traits is the ability to work as a team. In private schools the students have more chances to grow in that area because of the class size.

However, public schools are more centered on the idea that students must fend for themselves, and teachers "are accountable to multiple constituencies, while needing to respond to the varying capabilities and needs of their students" (Benveniste 52). Another large part of being successful in the business world is the communication skills. In a private school the class size is smaller so each teacher knows each student, which allows for the student to ask more questions and the teacher is able to teach on more of a one-on-one basis. Also the student body is smaller so the students have a better chance of getting involved in the student council or other leadership positions that will help them in the business world. Not only do private schools prepare the student for college and the business world, but they also give the student a choice of specialized schools.

The choice factor is convenient for several reasons. One of which is the cost involved. There are several grants to help pay for a private education, but the other option is that of vouchers. A study was done in 1999 that determined "that 63 percent of the general public knew very little or nothing about vouchers... ". (Weil 81).

Another reason is that of helping the student to become more active in determining his or her future. "The phrase 'school choice' covers a multitude of student assignment plans that vary significantly in their... procedures. Their common denominator is that they encourage or require students and their families to become actively engaged in choosing schools" (Cookson, Jr. 14). Choice "can also refer to choice of program, course or teacher" (Lieberman, Privatization 5).

This can be helpful for those students who have a career in mind. In conclusion, privatization of the school system is becoming a reality instead of something that is thought of for the future. This switchover is being caused by several factors. The first reason is that private schools better prepare the student for college.

The second reason is that the students are better prepared for the business world. The last reason is that school choice opens the door to a more personalized schedule and school. Overall, the result of private schools in America providing an excellent education for the students, is that the public schools must work that much harder to keep up.

Bibliography

Benveniste, Luis, Car noy, Martin, Rothstein, Richard. All Else Equal: Are Public and Private Schools Different? New York: Routledge Falmer, 2003.
Cookson Jr., Peter W. School Choice: The Struggle for the Soul of American Education. NewHaven: Yale University Press, 1994.
Lieberman, Myron. Privatization and Educational Choice. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989.
Public Education: An Autopsy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993.
Weil, Danny. School Vouchers and Privatization. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2002.