The Asian Economist

Today I would like to share with you my thoughts on the education system of the United Sates. There are two types of educational systems in the United States, public and private schools. The United States as a country believes that every child should receive a free education. Education is one of the most important things people must have. My thesis for my other essay in an English composition course was that “the social responsibility for the educated is to teach academic, practical and social education to people who are not fortunate enough to get an education because these three types of education are the key for survival, the growth of a society, and the betterment of people” (Son 2). Here in the United States, everyone gets to have those three types of education. Is that not enough? Education has helped people in the United States to survive. In the United States the question is not if everyone is educated, but is everyone educated adequately and equally. This comparison will be focus on high schools within the public and private sectors of education. Taking into consideration the two types of educational institutions, private and public, will show why the wealthy in the United States tend to have children that are well educated.

Hearing students’ feedback about their experiences in private and public schools are the best way to determine the differences between them. The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) conducted a study between private boarding school, private day school and public school. The study shows that only fifty percent of public school kids found their school to be academically challenging while that number was seventy percent for private schools and an amazing ninety-one percent for private boarding schools (TABS). Just through this one question alone, one can see a dramatic difference within these two sectors.

One reason that could lead to the different responses is because of the teaching qualities in the classroom. Public school teachers are paid more than private school teachers and therefore private school teachers have to make a lot of sacrifices just to be able to teach in these schools (Parker, 3). One could argue that due to the differences in salary, public school should have better teachers therefore public school should be better then private schools. That is not the case here. Most of the private school teachers have to love teaching if they are making such a sacrifice in salary and bonuses. Probably one of the reasons that private school teachers are willing to make this sacrifice is because of the atmosphere of private schools.

Private school teachers have an easier time teaching because all they have to worry about is teaching the subjects and not about enforcing behavioral rules in the classroom such as the public school teachers. Public school teachers believe that “problems get worse every year. It’s true: kids get tougher and tougher to deal with” (Parker 2). Also because of the small class room size the students have more interactions with their teachers. According to a report by Dr. Finn, “teachers of small classes spent significantly more time on task and significantly less time on discipline or organizational matters compared with teachers of regular-size classes”. A private school teacher does not have to worry about behavioral problems maybe because the child’s parent paid thousands of dollars to send them there. Parents who send their child to a private school understand the cost but also the result: a better chance to enter an elite college.

The biggest difference between a public and private school education is how the students feel about their readiness for college and the future. Only thirty-nine percent of public school students believe that they are well-prepared for college while seventy-one percent of private day school students and a very high eighty-seven percents of private boarding school students feel that they are well-prepared(TABS). After receiving a private school education, day or boarding, one’s chance of earning an advanced degree is fifteen to twenty-nine percent higher then a public school education. Richard Morgan believes that “elite private high schools serve as ‘feeder systems’ into top colleges (1).

Students are more prepared for college in private school then they are in public schools because they receive personal attention from the faculty at that school. People believe that there are more resources at a public school (Parker 1), but what they do not understand is that the quality of those services are nothing compared to that of a private school. Take for example, college counseling, a public school has about 300 to 400 students that one or two college counselors has to help, while at a boarding school the number can range from as little as 50 to 200. The attentions that a private school student receives from faculty are unrivaled by that of a public school. The attentions that every student receives cost money and that money has to come from somewhere.

Public schools are funded by the government and private schools run on gifts from alumni and tuitions. Within the public sector the schools are not funded equally because the government takes property taxes from the area to fund that school, which is why some public schools have more resources than others.(Click Here read my article on Does High Wealth Equal High SAT Scores?) Some public school may get a lot of funding but they do not stress about the important of having small classroom size as the private schools do (Parker 1). After two researches, the Tennessee’s Project STAR (Student-Teacher-Achievement-Ratio) and LBS (Lasting Benefit Study), were conducted, it was concluded that it “leaves no doubt that small classes have an advantage over larger classes in student performance in the early primary grades” (Finn 2). The importance of personal interactions with the faculty can not be stressed enough. Parents want their kids to be able to have one on one times with their teachers so that their child can ask their own specific questions.

Even though most parents want their child to have a private school education, most can not afford it. A private day school costs in between ten to twenty thousand while a private boarding school costs in between twenty-five to thirty-five thousand a year. Some of the elite private school includes St. Paul, Phillips Academy Andover and Phillips Exeter Academy. These are all also boarding schools which mean that the price tags on these schools are over thirty thousands dollars a year to attend. John Kerry, Democratic Candidates for 2004 president, attended St. Paul while our president, George W. Bush, attended Phillips Academy Andover (Ever Higher Society, 2). Al gore was educated at St. Alban schools, another prestigious private school located in DC (Ever higher society, 2). What seems to be reoccurring is that most of the powerful people in Washington DC had some type of private school education.

Why do these people decided to go to a private school instead of a public school? It is because they know the advantages that a private school can offer and they are able to afford it. Peter W. Cookson explained it perfectly stating:

One has to be somewhat blinded by this glowing image of equality, however, not to see that private schools, in general represent an elite alternative to the public educational system in much the same way that private cars are alternatives to public transportation. Private transport is easier, cleaner, often safer, and a good deal quicker. (15)

Everyone in the United States believes that we can always climb the social economic ladder as long as we work hard. That is what the United States was found upon. Also, the fact has shown that the free education that most Americans are given are unequal and unmatched to the education that the elite Americans are getting, the private school education.

It is unfortunate that most lower class children will not be able to obtain the education that is required to attend an elite college even if that child has the potential to do so. A poor child has to work extra hard to be noticed, but a wealthy child will have easy access to an elite education that is necessary to succeed in the United States’ competitive capitalistic society. After looking into these two educational systems it is concluded that a private school education is very inclusive to the wealthy and that it is a huge advantage the wealthy has over the poor, passing down not only money but high quality education that will help the child stay within the top social economic class.

Works Cited

Cookson W., Peter. Preparing For Power. America’s Elite Boarding Schools. USA:
BasicBooks, 1985

“Ever higher society, ever hard to ascend.” Economist 29 Dec. 2005. 28 Sept. 2005.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3518560

Finn, Dr. Jeremy. “Research on the Academic Effects of Small Class Size”. April 1998,
17 Oct. 2005.

Parker, Jennifer Lovvorn. “Public vs. Private School.” Independent Articles and Advice
3 June 2005. 28 Sept. 2005.

Son, Nhuong. “Educated People Need to be Socially Responsible”. Drew University. 2005

The Truth About Boarding School. 2004. The Association of Boarding Schools. 2 Oct. 2005

Morgan, Richard. “Elite Private High Schools Serve as “Feeder System” Into Top Colleges, Magazine Reports” The Chronicle Of Higher Education 26 Aug. 2002. 29 Sept.2005