What should private schools call me

Parents at elite private schools sometimes grumble about taking nothing from public schools yet having to support them via their tax dollars.

But the reverse proposition is a more compelling argument. Why should public-school parents—why should anyone—be expected to support private schools? And all of this cash, glorious cash, comes pouring into the countinghouse percent tax-free. Read: Are private schools immoral? An interview with Nikole Hannah-Jones. These schools surround kids who have every possible advantage with a literal embarrassment of riches—and then their graduates hoover up spots in the best colleges.

At Princeton, that figure is 25 percent. At Brown and Dartmouth, it is higher still: 29 percent. In the past five years, Dalton has sent about a third of its graduates to the Ivy League. Ditto the Spence School. Harvard-Westlake, in Los Angeles, sent 45 kids to Harvard alone.

Noble and Greenough School, in Massachusetts, did even better: 50 kids went on to Harvard. However unintentionally, these schools pass on the values of our ruling class—chiefly, that a certain cutthroat approach to life is rewarded. True, they salve their consciences with generous financial aid. Like Lord and Lady Bountiful, the administrators page through the applications of the nonwealthy, deciding whom to favor with an opportunity to slip through the golden doors and have their life change forever.

If these schools really care about equity, all they need to do is get a chain and a padlock and close up shop. Before I got that job, I had no idea this type of education existed. In very small classes, we read very good books and pressed the students to think deeply about the words on the page.

A lesson plan was not a list of points for the teacher to make; it was a set of questions. Even better: a single question. I always joked that the perfect lesson plan would have been to wait until the students had assembled in the classroom, throw in a copy of The Iliad , and go to lunch.

By senior year, it might have actually worked. By then, they knew what we were teaching them to do. In each department, there was one old black clunker of a phone, but it hardly ever rang. It was then an all-boys school. We had hard work and athletics. The idea was: Cut the cord!

But my very first year, I came into the crosshairs of a mother who still flashes through my nightmares. Her kid was a strong student—a solid, thorough student—but he was also aggressive and mean. Furthermore, I felt that his concerns did not lie with the muses and poets. One day I gave him an A— on a creative-writing assignment. Soon after, the mom called, and she was pissed.

She wanted to come to the school with her husband and meet with me. The next year, I returned to school, took my class lists out of my mailbox, and discovered that I had the kid again. I raced to the division head and asked if I could move him to another section something his parents were surely trying to do themselves , but no-go. Day after day, he sat solidly in his seat, pumping out his excellent close readings and in-class writing.

Not 10 minutes later the phone rang—it was the mother! Complaining about the grade! How was this possible? As she carped away, an image materialized before me: the campus payphone, which was bolted to the side of an academic building, and rarely used. I hurried off the call. Yet again I had to meet with the parents. Back to the borrowed office, back to the miserable dad and the steaming mother. But I knew I had graded the paper fairly. Once again they left unhappy. Many schools have administrators whose job it is to soothe parents—but who often suggest to teachers how they can help with that task.

This requirement is called Child Find. It applies to students who attend private school as well as those who attend public school or who are homeschooled. Decisions about evaluating private school students are made by the public school district where the private school is located. If your child qualifies for special education, you have a choice. You can move your child to your local public school that has the full range of special education services. Equitable services are paid for by public funding.

This funding is set aside specifically for students with disabilities whose parents put them in private school. But because this funding is limited, kids might get fewer free services if they go to a private school than if they switch to public school. For example, they might get fewer one-on-one sessions with a speech therapist. If you choose to send your child to private school, the school and the district may create a service plan also called an Individual Service Plan, or ISP.

This written plan is similar to an IEP. But a service plan tends to be less comprehensive. That's not the case for many public schools around the country. The hand-holding and the private school connections can put a student at an advantage when applying for top colleges, stacking the odds in his or her favor that they will come out of school and land a high-paying job.

That is not to say everyone who attends private school will go on to a successful career, but many do. When weighing whether you want to send your child to private school, you also have to consider the other costs outside of the tuition, books, and supplies.

Students of private schools tend to have wealthy parents, which means your private school child or children may get invited to fancy parties, want expensive items, or engage in pricey extracurricular activities. If you have the money, it is a non-issue, but if you are stretching your money to cover tuition , those extra expenses will make it much more difficult to afford.

On the other hand, if you send your child to a public school, then many extracurricular activities will be free or cost a nominal amount. The number of private schools in the United States in , serving 5. Parents can spend all the money in the world sending their kids to the best private schools in the country, but whether the child thrives there often depends on making a good match between your child and the school.

If their child is not inclined to learn and push themselves, they may need smaller class sizes and more one-on-one help. If your child shows a predisposition for being good in math or science and your local public school can't offer advanced classes, a private school may be necessary to expand your child's academic talents.

When determining if private education is worth it, you have to look at your child and what kind of setting the child learns best in, your child's natural talents and interests, and what kind of social setting your child thrives in. Knowing your child is one of the best ways to determine if those thousands of dollars in private school bills are worth it. Whether or not a private school education is worth it is going to depend on your unique situation and the type of student your child is.

For some people, private education will be a way to flourish academically and get into a top-notch college. For others, it can be a waste of time. While there are critics on both sides of the aisle, parents have to consider more than just the cost when weighing whether to send their kid to a private school.

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At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. The two principal exemptions from attending public school are set forth in EC Section , under which children being instructed in a private, full-time day school by persons capable of teaching shall be exempt; and in EC Section , under which children being instructed in study and recitation for at least three hours a day for days each calendar year in the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools of this state and in the English language by a private tutor or other person holding a valid California teaching credential for the grade level being taught shall be exempt.

How do these exemptions to compulsory attendance work? In California, exemption from public school attendance requires enrollment in and instruction of a student by a full-time private school. A full-time private school may include a parent instructing his or her own child at home if the home school meets the criteria applied to other private schools.

Credentialed tutors seeking exemption for a student must offer instruction for at least 3 hours a day for days in a year. Students not enrolled in a public school and not exempt by California Education Code may be declared truant by the local school district. What is truancy? Truancy is declared by a public school district when a child misses a defined number of days of school without a valid excuse. EC Section et seq. What constitutes a full-time day school for exemption purposes? It appears to mean enough hours per day and days per year to offer instruction in the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools of the state to the same general degree of depth.

These branches of study are outlined in EC sections and How can I learn more about education rules and regulations? There are local regulations and state regulations. California is divided into county offices of education and public school districts. Your local county and local district offices have policy and procedure manuals and other local resources.

Do the public schools offer alternatives within the public school system? Public school districts offer independent study, charter schools, and other alternatives. Because all such public school options require enrollment in a public school system, these options satisfy compulsory attendance. Your local public school district can explain public school alternatives.

What is a charter school? A charter school is a public school that may provide instruction in any of grades kindergarten through twelve. A charter school is usually created or organized by a group of teachers, parents and community leaders or a community-based organization, and it is usually sponsored by an existing local public school board or county board of education.

Specific goals and operating procedures for the charter school are detailed in an agreement or charter between the sponsoring board and charter organizers. What is a nonpublic school or certified nonpublic school? Nonpublic nonsectarian schools NPS are specialized private schools that provide services to public school students with disabilities.

EC Section defines an NPS as a private, nonsectarian school that enrolls individuals with exceptional needs pursuant to an individualized education program. The federal government also uses the term nonpublic school but as a descriptor for any private school. Does the CDE regulate private schools? The CDE has no statutory authority to regulate or monitor private schools or private education, except to the extent they request NPS certification.

The U. Department of Education maintains a current statement of private school regulations in each state. Does CDE license private schools? In California, no state agency licenses, regulates, or oversees private schools, except for NPS as described in 10, above. A private school is a business or nonprofit entity that is required to comply with requirements imposed by the jurisdiction, county, city, or other locality in which it is located, such as zoning, health and safety codes, fire codes, or other local ordinances.

How can I get a teaching position at a private school? Private schools are completely independent of CDE. Anyone interested in employment in a private school should contact each private school directly about available teaching positions. The list is arranged alphabetically by county and then by school name and includes the contact information for each school listed along with other information that may be useful. Must private school teachers possess a valid California teaching credential?

However, many private school teachers do possess current California teaching credentials. An NPS defined in 10, above that accepts public school students with individualized education programs must have appropriately qualified and credentialed staff.