Education Problems

The system of public schooling is different from that of private school, particularly in terms of funding and administration. Public schools receive most of their funds from the state or federal government; whereas private schools rely on private sources, such as donations and organizations for their funding. Though most public schools are administered by local governments, the overall funding is contributed by the local, state, and federal governments. Private schools are under the control of a private body or a charitable trust.

In the United States, public school education is more common than private education, and about 90 percent of children attend public schools. Basically, there are three stages in a public school, namely, primary or elementary school (kindergarten to 5^th grade), middle school or junior high school (6^th to 8^th grade), and high school or secondary school (9^th to 12^th grade). The policies for each stage are set by the board members, elected under the local jurisdiction.

Understanding Education Problems in Public Schools

The first and foremost educational problem of public schools is the larger school size and student population. On an average, most public schools are twice the size of private schools. According to a survey, they have an average of 16 students per teacher, whereas private schools have an average of 13 students per teacher. This may be due to free education offered in public schools. Whatever may be the reason, students of public schools receive less individual attention, as compared to private school students.

Private Schools Vs. Public Schools

Previously, if a child reached school going age, he was sent to a public school around the corner or may be to a religious school, which was a short bus ride away. However, it is not as simple for parents any more. They are caught between the private schools vs public schools debate. Parents now have to do their homework well before they can choose a school for their child. There are points on the basis of which we will be able to take a wise decision for our children. You may want to read on middle school.

Private Schools Vs Public Schools DebateThe points which will be used in the public schools vs private schools debate are academic reputation, facilities in the school, average class size, teaching methodology used, budgets of the schools, administrative support and cost.

Academic Reputation
This point has a big role to play when the decision regarding public and private school is to be made. School systems are different, hence academic reputation has a greater role to play. Although there are many great public schools, a number of them also perform below the bar. Often it is the private schools vs public schools statistics about school academic records, due to which parents move their child to private schools. It is observed, that private schools often have more rigorous academic reputation. The percent of children who go to college differs depending on the location of the school. It is not recommended to lump all schools together, but you can certainly look at the school's overall focus and performance.

Facilities
Facilities in a number of public schools are impressive, but at the same time, there are schools where the facilities are mediocre. However, it is not any different in private schools either. In public schools, political support and economic revenue base are critical. The funds come from the government (local, state or federal) and occasionally from corporations and organizations. Private school funds, on the other hand, come from non-public sources, such as religious organizations, endowments, grants and charitable donations, etc.

Class Size
Private schools win hands down on this issue. The class size of most of the private schools is small. The student to teacher ratio s 15 : 1 or better to achieve individual attention goal. Public schools on the other hand, have bigger class size, as they take almost everyone who lives within its peripheral boundaries. In some public schools, the class size sometimes exceed 35 to 40 students per class. This is when, teaching standards degenerate rapidly.

Teaching Standards
Both private and public schools require their teachers to have basic qualifications, namely a degree and a teaching certificate. Private schools usually tend to hire teachers who have advanced degrees in their subject over teachers who just have an education degree. To elaborate the point, if a private school hires a Spanish teacher, it will hire a teacher who has a degree in Spanish language and literature, as opposed to an education degree with a minor in Spanish.

Budgets
Public schools are supported through local property taxes, hence, the annual school budget exercise is a serious fiscal and political business. If the school is located in an area where the community is living on fixed incomes, there is very little room to respond to higher budget requests within the stipulated tax revenues. In such cases, grants from foundations and the business community are essential to create funding. Private schools, on the other hand, can raise their tuition fees, at the same time they can also raise a significant amount of money from a variety of development activities, which include annual appeals, solicitation of grants from foundations and corporations.

Administrative Support
The bigger the size of the bureaucracy, the more difficult is to get decisions made and the chances of getting them quickly can become a distant dream. Public education system is famous for bloated bureaucracies, which can be attributed to union contracts and a host of political considerations, which are to be made. On the other hand, private schools have a lean management structure. Since every single penny spent comes from the operating income and from endowments, these resources are finite, hence have to be spent carefully. The other added advantage the private schools have is, that they do not have to deal with teacher union problems or have to make any political considerations.

Cost
Public schools are prohibited from charging students, hence the entire education is almost free. However, since the private schools do not receive any tax revenues, they have to charge the students, which are often exorbitant.