Considering School Choices

Considering School Choices

            The past few months, I have looked at a variety of school choices that exist in my local community and in other communities. I have learned a lot more about choices that are available to parents in my area. I have created a graphic organizer to provide a quick look at the pros and cons of the choices. This does not cover all the advantages and disadvantages because there are too many factors in the dynamics of each family who is considering options.

            The important thing that I discovered is that my community offers a lot more school choice than I thought was available. While the options might not be as much as a larger city, there are options, which parents have if they are dissatisfied with their child’s current academic status. It is my hope to provide some insight to these options so parents can use this information to look at options available to them. 

Options for Educators

            My focus for the blog has been on choices for parents and their students. By looking at this topic, I also found information about teachers’ choice for employment. This triggered a remark that a good friend made many years ago when I lived in North Carolina. She said, “I would love to teach at a private school again, but I have to pay my bills”. Teachers looking for employment might appreciate these comparisons to private and public schools. 

·         Teacher qualifications – private and public schools are looking for qualified teachers. Private schools tend to hire teachers with advanced degrees.

·         Teacher salary – public schools generally pay their teachers more and have better benefits such as health and pension plans.

·         Class sizes – private schools generally have smaller teacher to student ratio. This provides the teacher with the ability to provide more individual attention to the students.

·         Flexibility – private schools can experiment with different programs and practices to meet the needs of the students because there are reduced state regulations.

·         Parent Involvement – private schools tend to have more parent involvement than public schools. Parents are generally more involved because they are investing in their child’s education.

·         Diversity – public schools are more diverse in their student populations. Private schools often have an isolated student population.   

Conclusion

            I have been excited about all the information that I was able to view on this issue in education today. I feel there are more choices to families than ever before. As education professionals, we need to provide parents with clear information about their options both the good and the bad.

Questions

Have you ever been approached by a parent with questions about school choice options?

If so, what advice have you provided?

References

What Are Private Schools? (2012). Retrieved March 15, 2012, from About.com, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_What_private_schools/ 

Private vs. Public Schools: Private and Public Schools Compared. (2011). Retrieved March 15, 2012, from Education.com, from http://privateschool.about.com/cs/employment/a/teachingcond.htm