Private schools have long been widely considered
to be a better overall experience for students because of their perceived
advantages such as better facilities, smaller class size, and better teaching. It
is a common belief among parents that by sending their kids to the local public
school, they are holding their kids back. Based on this assumption, parents
have been flocking to private schools and drifting away from public schools. Many
middle-class parents spend a fortune to give their kids a “quality” private
education, which puts them under great financial pressure.
An article in the Sydney Morning Herald
reported against the conventional belief that the private schools have
education superiority (Marriner, 13 October 2013). The source research indicates
that private education does not guarantee high academic achievements. Students
from private schools did not score higher in NAPLAN tests than those from
public schools.
The question here is: What do parents think
of schools that may influence their selection of private or public schools?
A research by Beavis (2004) has looked into
this question and the findings suggest that many parents are changing to private
education based on the view that there is better discipline, better education,
and more individual attention in private schools. Also, some parents attach
great importance to the religious or moral values of private schools rather
than academic performances of their children (p. 4). Moreover, from my personal
understanding, some parents send their children to private schools based on the
peer group for their kids for a better networking and connections. Also we can’t
overlook the fact that private schools are generally better funded, therefore
they are able to provide students with better resources and more access to
technology.
On the other hand, there are many parents
who have the financial ability to afford a private education but still choose
public schools for their kids. Let’s have a look at their arguments in favour
of public schools. First of all, children who attend local public schools are
likely to have a better sense of community. Secondly, the student population
tends to be more diverse in terms of cultural, racial, and socioeconomic
backgrounds. In addition, public schools offer every child in a community a
chance at an education.
In my opinion, selecting schools simply
based on NAPLAN results isn’t enough. NAPLAN is not the perfect measurement for
students’ overall educational experience as it only reports on skills such as
literacy and numeracy whilst skills like independent learning and self-discipline
often get overlooked. In my opinion, neither system has absolute advantages
over the other. The parents have to consider carefully to find out what works
best for their children.
References:
Beavis, A. (2004). Why parents choose public or private
schools. Research Developments, 12,
1-4. Retrieved from http://research.acer.edu.au/resdev/vol12/iss12/3
Marriner, C. (2013, October 13). Private schools no
guarantee of higher NAPLAN scores, study finds. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/private-schools-no-guarantee-of-higher-naplan-scores-study-finds-20131012-2vf63.html
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ReplyDeletePrivate education in Australia is growing at a higher rate than Public schools, with parents enrolling their children at birth. Based on PISA data, private schools have had better academic performance compared to their public counterparts, which is a huge factor which will influence the decision of parents. They believe that private education will have a better environment that will allow their child to achieve higher academic results than if they were in a public school. Being educated in a public school, I can relate to this perspective. They were many students who were not motivated and did not want to attend school at all. Public schools are also lacking in resources, especially technology. But because public schools have a greater diversity in terms of social class and culture, the students there will gain a respect for others. Private schools, have the least cultural diversity relative to public and religious schools, thus most of the students there do not have the opportunity to engage prolifically. This has resulted in some cases of arrogance amongst students, who believe they are superior compared to others because of their social class. But I agree with your statement. Parents do need to consider what works best for their child. All children are different, and they will respond better to certain school environments.
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