Would You Rather Attend a Public School, or an Academy?
Across the pond, academies could soon become the norm. England’s education secretary Michael Gove recently offered all schools to apply for academy status in hopes to grant them more independence – and more pay. “To my mind, you can’t put a price on what teachers have done,” said Gove.
What if this were the case over here, in the United States?
In the United States, academies are better known as private schools. If you are not familiar with the difference between private schools and public schools, let me break it down for you…
Public schools are funded by the government, and private schools are privately funded – hence the name. Private schools get their funding from various donations, along with tuition from students. Since the government does not administer the schools, they have the right to select their students and teachers. Since the schools are funded privately, there really is no cap on how much money the school has on their budget – resulting in higher paid teachers, more materials & equipment for students, and a lower student to teacher ratio (the average was 11-1 in 2007).
Graduates from private schools also have a relatively higher percentage (65%) of going on to attend a four-year college where as public school graduates are only at 33% – that is nearly half. Now that may seem like a shocking statistic to some, but look at it in terms of finances…
If a student can afford to attend private school, chances are paying for college is not a problem. Public school students, who either cannot afford to attend private school or simply prefer public schools for the diversity aspect (75% of students in private schools are Caucasian), will most likely have some worry about paying for college. Sure, they can apply for federal aide and scholarships, but when more students apply, more students miss out.
In terms of education, it really depends on the student and their willingness to learn and put forth effort. If a child has had everything handed to them their entire life, chances are they will not get the same education as a child who has had to work for everything their entire life. Not to say that students in private schools and public schools are on totally opposite ends of the spectrum, there are students of every background in each – just some more than others. The motivation to succeed is what matters the most. Education is supposed to teach one to think intensively and critically – and that can be accomplished in any setting as long as the student is motivated.
All in all, it would probably be a better experience for the students if their schools had more funding, but if every public school was granted private status and began charging tuition, our economy would plummet.
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