Chronicles of my RW friend (Part I)

[rfranklin]

2. I think the 17% was charter schools versus public schools...

Private schools may produce better results overall since they are more selective. First, they filter via their tuition fees. Secondly, they do not have to keep students who are disruptive or those who are handicapped in any way.

Are Private Schools Really Better?

...a well-designed study released today by the Center on Education Policy that challenges decades of research on the advantages of private schools. "Contrary to popular belief, we can find no evidence that private schools actually increase student performance," said Jack Jennings, the center's president and a former staffer in the Democratic-controlled House, in a press release. "Instead, it appears that private schools simply have higher percentages of students who would perform well in any environment based on their previous performance and background."

The study suggests vouchers for private schools are unnecessary because — once you control for socioeconomic status — students at private schools aren't performing any better than those at public schools. The study says that it is "the kinds of economic and resource advantages their parents can give [students]" — as well as the level of parental involvement in their kids' education —that determines success or failure in high school. That's a message the teachers' unions and Democrats in general love: The problem isn't in the schools; it's with social inequality.


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1670063,00.html#ixzz1t8tmcaIC