Better drugs and nicer houses to party. I really think bulbboy hit the nail on the head with his comment about parent involvement being the key factor no matter where you send your kids.
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I have been to both private and public and I enjoyed private schools when I was young then going to a public high school at the end. I went to a charter high school in California that had an outstanding academic and athletic program. I feel my overall high school experience was the perfect mixture.
Some look at school/education as in learning, true, but some look at it as babysitting. There are great communities with public schools doing a good job and there are those who are horrible as well. Same with private. Dig in, research and find a place to partner with that fits. Our decision was was simple- private all the way. Take it from 20 year public school teacher.
I dont really have much basis for comparison but having attended Catholic school k-12 in OKC I can't imagine having done it any other way. the small class sizes and motivated teaching staff really left little to be desired.
This sentence made me chuckle.
I went to a private elementary school in south Okc, Dayspring (then Daystar) Cristian School on South Shields. I remember the curriculum being much more involved than what I would later discover in public high school. As long as you are comfortable with the religious aspect, I say choose private over public.
If your not going to sit down each night and help your kids with their studies and be active in their schooling, it doesn't really matter what kind of school they go to.
To me, if a private school cannot meet these requirements, then they're the same as a public school.
#1. Student to teacher ratio should be small. What that means, the teacher should be able to spend quality time with the students. The teacher should be able to handle the classroom(minor to no discipline problems) and meet the standards in a timely manner.
#2.Discipline...should be little to non-existent. When they do occur, it should be dealt with in a timely and swift manner. As for a private school, they should be able to expell an unruly student without any parental problems.
#3. They should be able to meet and exceed the state requirements needed for the student to pass on to the next grade. They should also....toward the end of the school year...be preparing the student for the next grade level.
#4. They should be able to offer different modalities of learning geared for each student's needs. They also should be able to have field trips and guest speakers relavent to the topic for that subject. They should also have higher standards the students rise up to, not lowering the academic requirements for passing( every body is a winner...WTF??).
Thats what I'd look for in a private school. If they couldn't meet just a few of what I listed...they're no different than a public school. They have to rise above the standards of public schools or you're not getting your money's worth and wasting a young person's education.
Just my 2cents worth.
Cohiba
#1. Student to teacher ratio should be small. What that means, the teacher should be able to spend quality time with the students. The teacher should be able to handle the classroom(minor to no discipline problems) and meet the standards in a timely manner.
#2.Discipline...should be little to non-existent. When they do occur, it should be dealt with in a timely and swift manner. As for a private school, they should be able to expell an unruly student without any parental problems.
#3. They should be able to meet and exceed the state requirements needed for the student to pass on to the next grade. They should also....toward the end of the school year...be preparing the student for the next grade level.
#4. They should be able to offer different modalities of learning geared for each student's needs. They also should be able to have field trips and guest speakers relavent to the topic for that subject. They should also have higher standards the students rise up to, not lowering the academic requirements for passing( every body is a winner...WTF??).
Thats what I'd look for in a private school. If they couldn't meet just a few of what I listed...they're no different than a public school. They have to rise above the standards of public schools or you're not getting your money's worth and wasting a young person's education.
Just my 2cents worth.
Cohiba
I taught ten years in public schools. When our children were old enough for school, the decision was easy. Private school. As soon as there was an opening, I left public and started teaching private as well.
If you are looking at public schools, there are two stats that will give you an idea on the behavior and performance of the students. They are free/reduced lunch percentage and API index. You can go to schooldigger.com to look up and compare schools. Good tool. Here is a link to API scores from around the state.
http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/API2011.pdf
If you are looking at public schools, there are two stats that will give you an idea on the behavior and performance of the students. They are free/reduced lunch percentage and API index. You can go to schooldigger.com to look up and compare schools. Good tool. Here is a link to API scores from around the state.
http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/API2011.pdf
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