A school run by private authorities is a private school. Schools run by government are public schools. Although there are various demarcations between a private school and a public school, yet of late the gap between them is decreasing gradually. Both types of schools have their individual advantages and disadvantages.
Normally student-teacher ratio in a private school is favorable and around 9:1. Therefore, every child gets personal attention. Besides, teachers at such schools get a free hand to implement their teaching techniques and methods. Lack of governmental proceeding lessens the burden of paperwork on teachers. Therefore, they find more time for interacting with students.
Parental involvement in private school is higher. Although schools insist and encourage your involvements at each level of school, parents of children in such schools also have a definite say in their child's education. Such schools also prefer children with physical and mental challenges.
Eligibility criteria at a private school are simple and flexible. Although the main drawback of such schools was their high school fees, recent annual government grants are helping these schools lower fees to affordable levels. Therefore, these schools are able to carry forward their style of education with sufficient stress on extracurricular activities, discipline, and other values.
Normally, pass outs from a private school display better academic performances than their public school counterparts do. This is because of their closer and higher access to teachers, better exposure to academics, and a more mature value system. Therefore, it is difficult to get admission to such schools even if you are willing to bear higher costs.
The grade system at a private school is more rigorous. Some schools also include certain hours of community service in their curriculum as a basic prerequisite. Hence, average grades at these schools are higher. Some of them offer special courses like video editing and filmmaking, which are essentially college subjects. Nevertheless, exposure to such subjects increases the knowledge, exposure, and capability.
However, the final say in the choice of a private school over its public counterpart depends on you and your child. Parents are equal shareholders in performance and success of your child at school.
Do Boys and Girls Learn Differently?
The basis of the theory of single-gender private school is that there is a body of neuroscientific research that shows male and female brains are different. The single-gender advocates interpret this to mean they learn differently. They aren't saying boys are smarter or that girls are smarter, just that they learn differently.
Not surprisingly, these positions have ignited a firestorm. Opponents say these results are a result of gender stereotypes rather than real science or are a result upbringing rather than innate characteristics of the brain. A few magnify it into a conspiracy designed to keep girls from learning math.
Interestingly, the neuroscientists who produced the data are not the ones advocating single-sex education and have cautioned people from drawing practical conclusions from these preliminary and limited findings. Even if the gender-related learning differences are true, gender is still a very weak indicator. Many factors correlate to learning ability more strongly than gender.
It's About More than Learning Ability
Parents choose to send their child to single-gender private schools for a number of reasons. Some evidence shows that girls are more likely to explore traditionally "boy" subjects like computer programming and auto mechanics if they are in all-girl schools. They end up performing better in math and science than their peers in mixed gender schools.
This crossover works for boys as well. Students in all-boy schools are more likely to take courses such as art. Boys and girls exhibit different social behavior without the inter-gender interplay. Boys are less competitive with no girls to show off for and girls are less shy and more relaxed.
Your Child Is Not General; Your Child Is Specific
Frankly, much of the single-gender education debate is completely irrelevant to parents. It doesn't matter how girls learn; it matters how your daughter learns. It doesn't matter if boys are competitive around girls; it matters if your son is competitive.
Studies that show learning differences based on gender, age, or other factors often show more variation within a group than between groups. For example, there is more variation in abilities when comparing girls to each other than when comparing girls to boys.
When evaluating private schools, evaluate single-gender schools just like you would any other - by how well their programs would fit your child. A boys' school may be the right choice for one boy and the wrong one for another - even if those boys are brothers.
By judging schools by your child's particular and unique needs, you can find the optimal educational institution that will provide the best education possible.
Both Keith Allen & Christine Harrell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.