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The public school/private school debate rages on! Recent findings from a study commissioned by the Center on Education Policy contradict a large body of research—and conventional wisdom—that private school students outperform public school students. Using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988-2000, Columbia University researcher Harold Wenglinsky compared low-income urban students in public high schools with their peers who attended private schools.
Controlling for the effects of family background characteristics, the results showed that students from public schools were just as likely to go to college as students from private schools. The study also found no difference between the two cohorts on achievement tests in core subjects or on long-term outcomes such as civic engagement and job satisfaction.
Parental involvement was a significant factor influencing college and career success among low-income inner-city youth—not whether they went to public or private school. There were a few exceptions: private school students had higher SAT scores, and a small number of private Catholic schools run by Jesuits had students who surpass all others on academic measures.
This report reignites the vigorous and long-running debate on the benefits of public versus private schooling. Public school advocates, such as CEP, say that this research demonstrates that the private school advantage is questionable—at least for low-income students. Supporters of private schools say that the study failed to account for other benefits, such as access to social networks and support systems that a private school offers. Others focus on how the study reaffirms the pivotal role of parents in students' success.
"If parents are thinking their children will do better academically, and in life, by enrolling them in private school and paying that tuition, then this report ought to make that parent pause and think."
—"Where Kids Go to High School May Not Matter," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 10, 2007
"Yikes! You mean private schools aren't magical and vouchers won't help kids learn? What's a voucher advocate to do?"
—"Vouchers' New Rationale: Nimbleness," October 10, 2007
"The lesson is not that nothing helps low-income students succeed. The questions become: How can we do a better job teaching in K-8, so more low-income students enter high school with the skills they need to succeed? How can we get low-income parents to set high expectations, discuss school with their children and boost their involvement? What are the Jesuits doing in their schools that other schools could emulate?"
—"High School Wash-Out," JoanneJacobs.com, October 10, 2007
"The study suggests vouchers for private schools are unnecessary. Except that's not exactly what the data shows... Even after you control for SES [socioeconomic status], Catholic schools run by holy orders (not those overseen by the local bishop) turned out to perform better than other schools studied…
The data suggests that the type of school a kid attends does affect how well he will do—and that we could learn something from how holy orders run their schools. The Center on Education Policy, however, is an advocacy group for public schools, so it didn't look into why holy-order schools are succeeding where others fail."
—"Are Private Schools Really Better?," Time Magazine, October 10, 2007
"The very elements that they removed [i.e., controlled for] are often the ones that independent schools really nurture. They know that parent contributions are very important to the success of students.
—"Private School Not a Leg-Up for Poor," Marketplace, American Public Media, October 10, 2007
"The reason you go to private schools is for social networks, not academics. Schooling is about advancement."
—"Where Kids Go to High School May Not Matter," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 10, 2007
"One study doesn't make a fact. Many other studies favor private schools over public schools in raising academic success. Adequate funding for schools is important, but it is the help from the family that can make the difference.
There may be a sense that family support is the vital link to academic success, but this kind of research validates that feeling as fact. Drawing parents into the education process may be one of the most important things that any school can do to improve performance. And, parents should remember they play a role in academic success."
—"Our Opinion: Background Has Little to Do with Education," October 12, 2007
"Regardless of where they [urban children] come from or what school [they] went to, they found a way to be successful… In a lot of cases if someone turns [a] light on early enough, they fight harder to get where they are going."
—"Study: Private Schools Don’t Raise Student Scores," Get on the Bus Blog, Dayton Daily News, October 10, 2007
"So if public versus private doesn't matter, what does? Parental involvement, socioeconomic success of their family, and a strong academic background. No surprises there for those of us who teach kids!"
—"Good News for Public School Supporters," Global Citizenship in a Virtual World Blog, October 10, 2007
"As a district, we are working on increasing parental involvement because we have seen this as a key factor in student achievement. It says a lot about what we're doing as a district — that serves a population that is 93 percent economically disadvantaged — to see that our students can and do compete with privately schooled students."
—"Public vs. Private Not Seen as Key to Learning," San Antonio Express-News, October 10, 2007
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