Private Schools Fair No Better Than Public

Shut Up and Teach posted this little beacon of light in the form of an examination of a comparison of Private and Public School test scores by the New York Times. The two studies show little difference between private and public schools and thus far has been out of the news cycle. Hmm I wonder why…

The studies looked at some of the real factors of what makes a student a student. Thestuff that is so hard to account for in education or that people try to ignore when comparing the two schooling “options”.

“The two new studies put test scores in context by studying the children’s backgrounds and taking into account factors like race, ethnicity, income and parents’ educational backgrounds to make the comparisons more meaningful. The extended study of charter schools has not been released.”

The results definitely do not jive with the mantra of our “President” and his minions that private schools and their charter siblings are the paths we should be supporting for our youth. It does however, seem to reinforce my own feeling that rich kids will continue to sail and feel that they have a superior education while the rest of our young people struggle on an uneven playing field despite an equal education. The "brand name" culture we have created is perpetuated through our image conscious education system.

[More comments on the article and studies it references: From Schools Matter, Peter Campbell and Judy Rabin. Folkbum weighs in on the fact that the report was delayed and apparently Lets Get It Right predicted the whole thing. I give the same nods to the edu-sphere that Mike gives at Education in Texas for getting this story a platform for discussion and encourage others to do the same, as it has been buried in the mainstream media.]