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PKM said:
I had my kids in private school for 3 years. They tested two grades ahead in every subject. I put them in public for the sports teams and after. One year they now test at theyre grade level.
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So private school falsify their test results to make the kids seem smarter?
 
The family support is the most important thing. Your kids will run into bad teachers throughout their schooling life no matter where they are. A good, supportive homelife will overcome a lot. That's researched and common sense. That's the main factor not where they went to school.

Having said that, in the younger grades where a kid is with one teacher the whole year it can really be detrimental to be with a "bad" teacher. And sometimes it's not the teacher's fault or the kid's fault. They just don't mesh for whatever reason. So a change of scenery sometimes helps there.

As far as public versus private versus charter you can find fault with all three. Personally, I like the whole experience kids get at public high schools. There is a stigma with private school kids and it's still true to a point. For example, I can pick out my kid's friends that went to private school (usually very smart but socially off). That is a stereotype and plenty break it but still true to a point.

In high school it isn't so important because kids have several teachers so no matter where you go you will probably find teachers they don't like and teachers they love.

But try to stabilize as much as possible. It's not good when parents blame the system and switch schools several times trying to find that system that does all the parenting for them. But sometimes you gotta make a change.

Good luck.
 
I went to both private and public schools growing up...a total of 5 schools from 6th grade til graduation...and I'm a firm believer that it all depends on the kid. Some kids thrive in public schools and if that's the case then parents shouldn't force any sort of change in schools on their kids. Some kids can barely make it through a day at public school without feeling like the biggest weirdo on the planet, so in many of those cases a change in scenery is probably a wise decision.

If your kids seem happy, are doing pretty well in school, and have a solid group of friends...don't try to fix that which needs no fixing. Don't send a kid to private school just to send them to private school. Take a step back, try to figure out what makes each individual kid happy and content and put them in a situation that allows them to do what makes them happy and feel good about themselves.

For some kids that is social interaction with their friends and playing on a bunch of sports teams (while still doing fairly well in school, of course) and for others studying for 5 hours a night and getting straight A's can be what makes them tick. Nobody wins when you try to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Just my 2 cents...
 
Thanks guys. I'm very new to this but the recent incidents I mentioned as well as a few others really leaves me feeling hopeless, at least where my kids go now, but like I said, it's a very wealthy and respected school district so maybe I'm just confused more than anything. Tomorrow, I am taking the day off from work to go visit a few private schools locally, see what they're all about, basically gather as much information about them as possible. If nothing else, it will provide my wife and I with options and we can just sit down and weigh the pros and cons.
 
My kids went to a charter school. Basically free, public education but with the ability for parents to have a say in what happens and administration has control of the curriculum and teachers. No union ********.

My oldest graduated high school, started college that same summer and had her bachelors by 22. My youngest graduated high school in December, 6 months early, and has started college at 17. She's on course to have her bachelors by 19.

I would never send my kids to public school.

There's also a lot of truth to what Conan says. If the parents don't give a crap, the kid likely won't either. I think that's one reason the charter school worked out so well for my kids. Lot;s of parent involvement. Typically, if a parent cares enough to find a better school for their kids, they care enough to be involved. Too many parents use the educational system for daycare and could care less what happens while they are at school as long as they don't get in trouble.
 
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Scat said:
My kids went to a charter school. Basically free, public education but with the ability for parents to have a say in what happens and administration has control of the curriculum and teachers. No union ********.

My oldest graduated high school, started college that same summer and had her bachelors by 22. My youngest graduated high school in December, 6 months early, and has started college at 17. She's on course to have her bachelors by 19.

I would never send my kids to public school.

There's also a lot of truth to what Conan says. If the parents don't give a crap, the kid likely won't either. I think that's one reason the charter school worked out so well for my kids. Lot;s of parent involvement. Typically, if a parent cares enough to find a better school for their kids, they care enough to be involved. Too many parents use the educational system for daycare and could care less what happens while they are at school as long as they don't get in trouble.
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I agree. The real learning comes from the parents after school. By teaching them and going over their homework with them. The most learning was from my dad talking to me about what I learned in class and him helping me with homework. A school can only do so much. Both public or private.
 
Scat said:
Typically, if a parent cares enough to find a better school for their kids, they care enough to be involved.
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I'm not sure I fully agree with this statement. My sister-in-law teaches at a charter school and says a fair amount of parents expect magical things to happen just because their kids are at a charter school. They don't always realize that they still need to be involved in their kids' education.
 
Scat said:
My kids went to a charter school. Basically free, public education but with the ability for parents to have a say in what happens and administration has control of the curriculum and teachers. No union ********.
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This is not necessarily true. Depends on the charter in terms of curriculum and teachers. As far as parental involvement I just don't think your statement is true. Admins can't afford not to listen to parents.

There's also a lot of truth to what Conan says. If the parents don't give a crap, the kid likely won't either. I think that's one reason the charter school worked out so well for my kids. Lot;s of parent involvement. Typically, if a parent cares enough to find a better school for their kids, they care enough to be involved. Too many parents use the educational system for daycare and could care less what happens while they are at school as long as they don't get in trouble.
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Ya, the charter schools and private schools sometimes get better press but they don't have to put up with the kids public schools have to put up with. The demographics aren't even close to the same. And that's fine. Personally I like the wide variety my kids experience at public schools (variety being a relative term we do live in Utah after all)

Personally I think private schools are the way to go for those kids who are way into academics and not much else. Kids that know 100% what they want to do and are ready to move into that field and want top-of-the-line training. Essentially, kids that want to skip the whole traditional high school experiences and grow up ASAP. That's fine. We need those types in society.

Charter schools are just weird to me. Maybe not the schools themselves but how they are perceived. They are not private schools. Not even close. And each one is unique. They are not created equally. Some are really good but some are really bad.

Just do your research (online, in-person, and networking with parents). Most parents want to do right by their kids but be educated about it.
 
Bronco70 said:
I don't know how it works outside of Utah, but here the charter schools don't charge tuition. The cost is pretty comparable to regular public school. Most of the schools have a waiting list. But my son's average class size is around 18 students, I believe.
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That makes a big difference in Utah where it is usually closer to 30.
 
PearlWatson said:
That makes a big difference in Utah where it is usually closer to 30.
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This is kind of a myth (not the numbers but the idea that class size is a large factor for learning). Not saying it doesn't make a difference but it's not that much. Like .15 effect size or something.
 
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