As a father of 2 I cannot send my girls to private school with conviction. Why would I, as a Frugal Man spend $8,000 a year for 12 years preparing to send my child to college for 4. At that rate I would have exhausted the money for Harvard. If I instead invested $8000 a year for 12 years then I could pay for undergraduate and grad school with no debt left over.
My other issue with private schools is that the majority were started either around the time of Brown v. The Board of Education or 1965 when integration was being mandated. Get the picture.
I also think private primary school numbers are inflated. If you only take the prime kids with deep pocket, involved, middle class, families then your scores are going to be better regardless of the schools curriculum. And also if private primary schools were the answer then the world would be run by private school honor roll kids.
Besides, if every family who could, would write a check for $1000.00 each year to their school for extras then every school could excel. Then our children could stay and learn in an environment that resembles the real world.
Besides when I look at private school cost, I can supplement my daughters with educational camps, Kumon and historical trips and still not spend $8000 or more a year so even though I do applaud the parents who do private school, I have reverence for those who do public education which is the backbone of this country.
Peace Out,
Frugal Frank from the Blackside
4 comments:
Frugal Frank -
General comment - I really, really agree with your overall philosophy in spending money. Keep spreading the good word.
Mr. Fladen-
I do appreciate your support and will do my best.
Frugal Frank OTBS
Frugal Frank —
I simply don't understand your philosophy—as a former public school and private school student and now a soon-to-be-graduate of an Ivy League school, I can honestly tell you that private school is the way to go. The $8000.00 price tag seems expensive (my private school was upwards of $15,000/yr), but it is an INVESTMENT in your child's future.
Tier 1 Colleges (Ivys, sister-Ivys, etc.) prefer private school students over public school students (I've sat on admissions committees for the past 2.5 years) because students who attend private schools tend to perform better in the high-stress, high-demand atmosphere present in the Ivy world. Furthermore, the following advantages are typically associated with private schools that appeal to Colleges (in general):
1. The teacher-to-student ratio tends to be significantly lower at all course levels.
2. The resources available to both students and faculty tends to be greater per capita.
3. The quality of the instructors/professors tends to be significantly greater (compare Bachelors—standard for public school) to Masters/Ph.D.'s—standard for private school).
4. Because of (1), (2), and (3) above, students graduating from private schools tend to have had a more college-like experience during the preparatory years, leading to higher academic achievement and a more rewarding experience.
If that doesn't convince you that private school is a worthwhile investment, this might:
1. Private schools tend to have endowments that are used to offer financial aid in order to make the education they offer more affordable.
2. Ivy League colleges (and many others) meet 100% of financial need as assessed by the FAFSA and state financial aid forms. Furthermore, as of 2008, students attending Harvard and Princeton whose families have an established per-year income of under 80,000.00 have received grants covering 90%+ of the expenses related to college (tuition, room, board, books, meals, etc.).
SRuchleweicz:
I hope that now that a few years have passed you can tell me that your Ivy League degree was worth it. I am hoping to hear that you have a 6-figure salary and no student debt.
I still feel that the majority of secondary private schools are more about keeping their kids away from many minority kids than education. When you look at low minority communities you see few private schools. In urban areas with high concentration of minorities you see lots of private schools.
You are also wrong about the quality of private school teachers. Because the pay is low and benefits are not as good as the public schools with unions, you can get a job as a teacher in private schools with less qualifications.
When I look at the colleges that a lot of private school kids(with the exception of your Andovers and Deerfields) go to, they are no more exclusive that the ones public school kids go to. If you don't believe me check their websites for this years graduates.
Post a Comment