[Platt] An encouraging report, but nevertheless rather narrow in scope, measuring just 4th and 8th graders in reading and math. From a broader perspective, private schools offer a number of educational advantages, described on the Private School Review website.
[Arlo] The bottom line is that success in school may have less to do with attending a "private" or "public" school, but may have very much to do with "educational attitudes and philosophies" in the home. That is, pound for pound, when you align key factors (as mentioned in the NYT article) performance was equal, with a slight advantage going to public schools. In some ways, its a little like the "UPS v. USPS" argument you and Case had a while back. It certainly "seems" like UPS is more efficient, but they don't have to deal with the millions and millions of letters the USPS does, at the cost USPS charges. But I see this all the time here. The State College Area schools are among the top in the state, with surrounding districts fairing much worse. Why? Simple. The children who attend the State College Area Schools come from the homes of those mostly in the employ of the academy, or in study in the academy, and hence there is a strong valuation for education in the home. The most important thing parents can do, if they feel their child is not getting a good education, is simply "get involved". Run for school board, attend PTA meetings, volunteer in the classroom, and most importantly, spend an hour or so each night going over homework, talking about current events, philosophy (I had my 14 year old daughter write me an short essay on "Aesthetics" in order to earn a few hours on the Internet last weekend. Afterward, I read to hear some passages from ZMM. Someday, I hope, she'll join us on the list) and other topics related to educational growth. When its valued in the home, it will occur in the schools. Study after study after study has shown that. [Platt] Of particular interest to both Arlo and me is art eduction. In this respect: [Arlo] Well, yes. And I'll tell you that I am an advocate of Charter and alternative schools, for two primary reasons. First, to target specialty curriculae towards particular student populations. Second, to target similar groups of students with particular learning styles. I am also an advocate of broad change in the public schools, from integrated curriculae, to emphasizing and integrating "art" (as Platt mentions). moq_discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
