Why Public Schools Exist

This little recession of ours is a good reminder of why public schools exist. They don't send kids home when the bill is not paid, like private schools do.

So far this year, 7 percent of children enrolled in privates have transferred back over to publics, according to the latest Time Magazine.

Just a little reminder.

Comments

[Mekei]

And public schools rid themselves of special needs students to low-standard cooperative systems,(like NY's BOCES) when they deem fit (no really, they do). But when there are no private special ed schools in the area to go, and no voucher system in place even if there was, the child always ends up paying the 'bill.''

[me]

Analysis by anecdote? You say "7 percent of children enrolled in privates have transferred back over to publics," So? Is that atypical? For that matter, how do private schools' graduation rates and other indicia of success compare to those of publics 9accounting, as one should, for differences in demographics). It's easy to take a factoid in isolation to support a premise; it's harder to to provide an analytically sound analysis. I'm not suggesting that publics shouldn't exist, I'm just suggesting the post is pretty facile.

[Justin B.]

It was meant to be facile. I'm not attacking privates ... I have no problem with privates and I got a wonderful 1-8 education at a Catholic school. What I am saying is that there is a reason that public schools exist ... to educate everyone - even those whose parents have lost their homes, went bankrupt, and heck, even living on the street. Privates simply cannot match that and they NEVER will be able to. At the end of the day, either the parents or someone else pays, or the kids are kicked out, just like at that school in Minnesota I linked to. You can't build a system of education on private schools and educate everyone. Just can't do it - and that's why public schools exist. They are going to be there come hell or high water and you can't say the same for privates.