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Comparing and contrasting public and private schools
Compare and contrast of public and private schools
Comparing and contrasting public and private schools
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The United States prides itself on its public education system making it a core value of many families. The level of education a person has will influence their career achievements. Americans expect their public system of education to provide a solid curriculum. Most of the people in the United States place their trust in the public school system in which they support through taxes. This trust although is contradicted by the public system of education’s current shape. Much of the schools in the United States are either deteriorating, or failing all together. The drawbacks of public education create an unhealthy environment for student learning. Many people think public school can dip their hands into the public treasury for funding if they are ever in need of money; however many schools do not qualify to get these funds. “The disparate funding for public schools and between states and within metropolitan areas has turned some public schools into meccas for affluent students and others into decaying infrastructures with overcrowded classrooms and soaring drop-out rates” (PBS). People who attend the schools that cannot get their hands on the funds fall behind from those who attend highly funded schools. If a school is underfunded students are less enthusiastic since they have inferior supplies and run down building. It is unfair to people to have less opportunity simply because they live in a low income community. These individuals have difficulty leaving the low income neighborhoods due to lack of opportunities and struggle to give their children a better life. those same people often continue to live in one even as they raise their own children plaguing them to the same fate. Underfunded schools exhibit a classic e... ... middle of paper ... .... National Institute of Drug Abuse. “NIDA InfoFacts: High School and Youth Trends .” NIDA. National Institute of Health, Aug. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. . PBS. “School Funding.” PBS. Newshour, 2011. Web. 5 Mar. 2011. . Prager, Karsten. “China: Waking Up to the Next Superpower.” Time 26 Mar. 1996: n. pag. Time. Web. 5 Mar. 2011. . Spoke, Nelson, and Wil Wengert. Lead the Pack. Minneapolis: Mill City Press, 2008. Google Books. Web. 5 Mar. 2011. . Stossel, John. “John Stossel’s ‘Stupid in America’ .” 2020. abc, 13 Jan. 2006. Web. 5 Mar. 2011. . Szuk, Kala. “Research Summary .” join together. boston university, 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. .
An article from the Los Angeles Times showed that the majority of Californians give California schools “a grade of C or below” and half think that the quality of schools will continue to decline (Watanabe). While the economic downturn affected the public school system in a negative way, it was not the sole root of its problems. It just simply exacerbated existing issues. Because of widespread discontent with the public school system, many different solutions to reform the mainstream public school system have been brought up in public discourse.... ...
America’s public school system started off very rough, but through the dedication of many hard-working Americans, it was starting to shape into a system that allowed all children, regardless of race, gender, religion, or nation of origin, to have an education.
America has not changed it’s educational system in over two hundred years. For this reason, our students and population are falling further and further behind. Our society has done nothing but move forward, so why hasn’t our learning? Everybody has a story, opinion, or response to education. We need to invest in refining our tools to succeed, to create a better sense of self, and a stronger, more well-rounded nation. The American educational system is hurting students by passing them without merit and relying on standardized tests; however, many are now running back to these hollowed halls to ensure better futures.
Education supports everyone getting opportunities in life and being able to choose better for themselves. As Horace Mann wrote, education is the “great equalizer for all.“ However, the United States Public School system will likely never be able to equally educate its masses of students. Public school educating all fairly is a myth.There is no one entity to blame for this failure. The failure lies with each student who has been conditioned to sit passively in an un-engaging classroom. Its failure lies in some students disrespectfully distracting their classmates and frustrating their once inspired teacher or administrator. The failure lies with administration being distracted with causes of the moment and burns out from knowing that all
With this many students, both state and federal representatives have made efforts to adopt reforms designed to make a solution to the funding inequality. The disproportion of funds first and foremost effects the amount of programs offered to children that vary from basic subjects such as: English, Math, and Science. This created the motivation to improve the quality of education for low-income neighborhoods by targeting resources other than property taxes and redirecting the states budgets. The goal the school districts all shared was the need to increase instruction, add after school activities, promote a well-rounded education, physical innovations to facilities and classrooms, and to update the academic resources. The popular demand that the funding to public education needs to correspond throughout all the school districts. Wealthy tax payers often argue that a region that depends on property taxes is the “American way.” This argument derives from the ideology that American success relies on perseverance and hard work, but if the playing field is uneven the higher born student has an advantage. “High property taxes—the burdens and perverse incentives they create, the rage they generate, the town-to-town school funding inequities they proliferate—…represent an endless New England nightmare…” (Peirce and Johnson, 2006). In the attempt to
Education is one of the cornerstones and pillars to the establishment and preservation of democracy. In history, countless scores of philosophers and political thinkers believed that only an educated citizenry can take on the quintessential task of upholding democracy. Thomas Jefferson, the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, stated that “an informed citizenry is the only true repository of the public will.” A renowned defender of public education, Jefferson proposed plans for an education system that included grammar schools in his presidency. As a result of these relentless policies for education, the United States expanded on the concept of public instruction through the establishment and upkeep of a practical education system. The United States continued this tradition and established a reputation as one of the best education in the world. Currently, this is no longer valid as other countries such as Finland, China, and South Korea are competing for the dominant position through rigorous reforms that aim to boost student performances (“Best Education”). Meanwhile, the American system is inefficient, inhibited by political obstacles and gridlock while Finland, the top ranked country in terms of schooling, is continuing to improve. According to the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) examinations that tested pupils across a variety of subjects such as reading, mathematics, and science of 2009, Finland’s students were ranked among the top (“PISA 2009”). The American students were ranked below average for industrialized countries in the world, revealing the reality of the educational crisis in the country. Finland’s education system, compared to the Americans, offers major differences that greatly ...
Inequalities in Education Funding inequalities have been an issue from past to present, especially in the low-income communities. In fact, students in urban areas with less funding have low attendance, score lower on standardized testing, and a low graduation rate. Also subjected to outdated textbooks, old dilapidated buildings, students in the inner cities need to compete with their suburban and wealthy counterparts for this reason funding inequalities must end and more money should be directed to these communities from federal, state, and local governments. Frank Johnson, a writer for the National Center for Education Statistics, “Disparities in Public School Spending.”
Schools, nor any other institution that will be providing education cannot refuse to give your/any child the service needed because it costs too much. The Federal Law, IDEA requires school to provide the services a child needs to gain a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) means at no cost to the parents. According to Altshuler and Kopels (2003), Advocating in Schools for Children with Disabilities: What’s New with IDEA?” States that it is mandated a variety of legal rights to have a free and appropriate public education provided in the least restrictive area/environment. For this reason parents are their children’s best advocates. Parents know their children better than anyone else. No matter the circumstances a parent sees all the flaw and potential at home that a teacher or administrator will never see.
Funding gaps, or differences in income between school districts, are primarily due to location; Friedman has determined that “less than 10 percent of school revenue comes from the federal government while about 90 percent comes from the state and local governments” (Friedman). Because of this, “schools with the highest poverty rates received on average nearly $1,000 less per student than schools with the lowest rates” (Friedman). This governmental subsidy is extremely important because without proper funding, districts proceed to lose other essential assets.
High school and college dropout rates are at an all time high. Secondary school students are told throughout high school that if they don’t go to college then they will never be successful. Going to college doesn’t always make a difference because many career choices such as teachers and lawyers are highly contested and result in either no job or low salary. Low pay deters teacher’s motivation and they tend to work part time jobs to supplement their income. Public schools standards are comparable to a kangaroo court’s procedure; private schools are known for better teachers, environment, and test grades. The major problems in the public school system include the lack of funding, lack of resources, and lack of standards.
Many people want us to believe that the problem with school lies not in the idea of public education, but in the way public schools are managed and funded...
The United States educational system is failing. This topic is in the news repeatedly. Failing schools are a problem that must fixed. However, it cannot be fixed until we figure out its real cause. Many people put the blame on the government, school officials, and teachers. Critics such as Geoffrey Canada, the founder of the Harlem Children’s Zone, say that the problem lies within the public schools. He states, “Public schools are bad, privately managed charter schools are good” (Ravitch 1). This may be a true statement but there must also be an underlying cause for low school performance. Nobody ever thinks the students may have something to do with this problem. The students are the ones who are taking the tests, paying attention in class and completing the homework. Nevertheless, from another view it may not always be the child’s fault. Maybe other factors contribute to this. Some students want to succeed but they do not always have the necessary resources to do so. These reasons are student’s determination, financial limitations, family support, insufficient housing, and poor nutrition.
To begin with, the problem with the American system of funding schools is the variations that exist among different districts or states. Underfunding exists because the United States federal government allows it to exits by allowing state and local governments to decide what their contribution to education will be. Such variation is exemplified by the state of Hawaii, “the whole state is a single school district and only 2% of funding comes from local sources”(Connell) and the state of New Hampshire, “the state shares only 8% of the costs of public education, so schools depend almost entirely on local property taxes”(Connell). Each state has its own funding policy and even among districts there are wide variations in spending. Urban and suburban schools with a high student population who qualify for free or reduced typically receive less funding for schools than their counterparts due to the differences in each districts’ local property taxes. Variation of this type and of this degree hinders American education.
Glazer, Sarah. “Preventing Teen Drug Use.” CO Researcher. 28 July 1995: 659-662. Mack, Alison.
Wei-Wei Zhang. (2004). The Implications of the Rise of China. Foresight, Vol. 6 Iss: 4, P. 223 – 226.