Child Education and Parental Choices

Every parent's joy is their child or children. As a parent myself I know that wanting them to have the best in every way, including there education is vital. We want to know that they will have the best education for their future to be promising.

The question at hand is what is the best education? Is it private school or public? Private schools are beneficial in many areas, such as class sizes, but public schools are not necessarily on the negative side, because they have the better qualified teachers.

The first six years of a child's life are the most crucial to the early development of there education. Parents are the first teachers of a child in the early years. Those years need to be developed with a solid foundation to start that child off on the right path to success in there academic career.

Once these years begin to move to the next phase, a parent must start the process of researching the local schools both private and public, to both choose what will work for there families financial situation and in there child's best interest. The majority of children attend their local public school systems. Doing your research is an important factor when choosing the right school program for your child.

Let us take a closer look at the pros and cons of both the private school and public school sectors. One of the most thought about factors of the private school choice is cost. According to the National Center for Educational statistics (NCES) tuition for private schools were $4700 annually. Catholics schools tend to be slightly cheaper. In 2005-2006 annual statistical report of the nation Catholic Educational Association the average elementary tuition was $2607 annually.

Some other factors of the private school difference is that the administration and staff have control in the acceptance and/or rejection of potential students. They also have control of the curriculum, policy and discipline, because they are not tied down to state funding and have no limitations on funds that can be raised for there needs. Class sizes are smaller; therefore the teachers have more availability for one on one interaction with the students individually.

On the other hand of the spectrum, these same private schools are lacking in cultural and economical diversity in there student body. According to my research about 14 percent of private schools have no minority students, compared to the 4 percent of there counter part. They also do not have the same resources to assist in recognizing learning disabilities and/ or special needs with there students.

The teachers are not required by the state to have the certifications that the public school teachers have to have. In addition, private school teachers are not paid as much as there counterparts in the public school systems. Therefore, the public schools tend to get the better and more qualified teachers.

When discussing the counter part, the public school system, there are few differences. Public schools are governed by the stated board of education and they are state funded. The state board of education also dictates the curriculum of the schools in there perspective districts. Public schools are by law not able to reject any student being registered. They also have programs and resources that are at hand to help all students.

Whether the students have learning disabilities or disorders they have trained staff who specialize in them. Each state even provides alternative schools for those students that have behavioral issues. Due to having all of these different options in the schools, this may be the precise reason the schools are over crowded and teachers are overwhelmed. Which may in turn affect the test scores in some states and districts?

As in anything, including private and public schools there are good and bad ones. The main factor that makes any student successful is not always what school the child goes to it is the parental involvement. Without the active participation of a child's parent or parents any school can falter.

Parental involvement is the key to success for a child academic career and future. My research on countless websites has shown that parental involvement is greater in the private schools than in the public school system. I have also spoken to countless teachers in the public school system in my area and they stated to me countless times that, "Most parents are just not involved in their child's education and they send them to school so we can babysit". It is truly sad to hear that there are parents who think this way.

When a parent is involved in their child's education several things happen. It boosts up the moral of the teachers. This could make the teacher more apt to help your child be more successful. A child is more likely to achieve academically and behaviorally in the classroom when their parents are involved intensely in their education. Many times parents are involved in there child's academics when they are in elementary school and they fall behind the older the child gets. It is extremely important to stay involved throughout a child's entire academic career.

In conclusion parental involvement does not only benefit the child, but it also can give a parent a sense of achievement when that child has accomplished their goals, and they as a parent know that they had a full hand in their child's personal achievements.

Reference

National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), Tuitions and Fees (2009)

Retrieved October 19, 2009 from, http://nces.ed.gov/