are private schools worth it

Are Private Schools Worth It? - The AtlanticMore than ForbesConfessions of a six-degree father: Why would I never send my children to a private school By Grant Matthews*, as told to Marianne Hayes This post originally appeared in . In our Money Mic series, we handed the podium to people with controversial opinions about money. These are your opinions, not ours, but we welcome your answers. Today, a father explains why he was up to send his children to public school, despite being a member of the $250K salary club. Getting a good education in Los Angeles is not easy. Ask any father, and they'll tell you: The schools in the area are pretty run over or weird. The desirable, schools that tout heavy parent involvement and impressive graduation rates are as common as the relative horror shows with insufficiently funded programs, overworked teachers and children with behavioral problems. And that's why my then wife, Mary, and I started researching the best neighborhoods and districts to move well before our two children, Jenny, and Eric, were ready to start the kindergarten about 20 years ago. We are looking for stable communities, friendly neighbors and close to places we frequent — at the last minute we settle in Burbank because it fits all our criteria. Another factor that was at the top of our list? We were only interested in sending our children to public schools. In fact, even though Mary and I could pay private tuition payments in our combined income of $250.000 as a lawyer and publicist, that kind of education was completely out of the question. Why am I so Pro Public School Growing up in a working class, a blue-coloured Milwaukee village, I went up through the public school system. Heck, everyone in my neighborhood did. And looking back at my education, I'm sure it was a good one. As I approached my university years, my decision to attend the University of Wisconsin, another publicly funded school, was a non-brain. Why pay an arm and leg in a private institution when there was a large school about a fraction of the price? My UW time cost me about $500 to $700 a semester, so I paid to work around 35 hours a week on customer service at The Milwaukee Journal. My parents helped as much as they could, but in the end I had to borrow $2,000 to finance my studies, a number I imagine would have been much higher if I had opted for private school. CONCERNED: When Maria, my college girlfriend, and I moved to L.A. after graduating in 1985, I could not help but notice a very different educational system than I had grown up. For beginners, there were many more private schools than public schools, which was especially true in higher areas. Secondly, the available options of public school varied from neighborhood to neighborhood, especially with regard to the quality of teachers. But even though private schools were easier to find and probably represented a great educational choice for some parents, going that route was simply not something Mary—a product of the public school system, too—and I always stopped. Don't misunderstand me... I don't have an axe to grind with private schools. In fact, I have no problem with private education except what it does to public schools. In my opinion, more private schools in a particular area amount to less resources for neighbouring public schools. Think about it: If I was already spending $20,000 a year to send a child to private school, would I really feel inclined to support a referendum to replace infrastructure and install new air conditioners in public schools? Nor can I help but feel that it is very cyclical: Public schools receive less support and, as a result, parents feel obliged to enroll their children in private schools. In short, I have always felt that when the community has a special interest in making public schools as best they can, these schools will be overcome. After all, our society is as good as its educational system. Another positive public school that I value is the culturally enriching experience they offer. In private schools here in L.A., they all appear in a BMW or Mercedes. Some parents consider these private schools to be a pleasant and safe environment for their children, and I understand. Most people in my social and professional circles went to the private school route, and I respected their decisions, just as they respected mine. But I wanted Jenny and Eric to be exposed to other socio-economic status. After all, we didn't live in a bubble, so I wanted my kids to benefit from meeting people who otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet. In addition, I believe that socialization at an early age with people from all spheres of life best prepares you to thrive in a diversified working environment as an adult. In a private school, children are exposed to other children like themselves. But at the end of the day, what I like most about public schools is that enrolling Jenny and Eric turned out to be an option I didn't regret. Even when we face a real obstacle, the public school system did not disappoint us. Paving Our Path Through the Public School SystemAs Jenny always graduated academically, we noticed that Eric started fighting in high school. Naturally, Mary and I were worried, but we wanted to give her the chance to get better on her own. When that didn't happen, we looked for advice, tests and other assessments for him, but it didn't seem to help so much. By the time Eric was a high school student, he was having a bad time with his colleagues. For the first time, Maria and I started to wonder: Is Eric a child who really needs a specialized academic environment to thrive? If the public school system could not meet your needs, we decided that moving it to a private school would be our Plan B. Fortunately, we have to follow Plan A. Mary and I schedule a meeting with Eric's school and we express our concerns about their performance. And we were happy to start the conversation because we believe it is the responsibility of parents, not a teacher, to keep an eye on a child's academic performance. For our relief, we met with receptive teachers who prepared an individualized education plan, which included extra time in additional testing and mentoring on subjects that I did not understand. We were impressed and satisfied with the teachers who took the time to understand why Eric was not absorbing the material as fast as other students. And once that was approached, I saw my son enjoying school again and finally getting over. The whole process really highlighted my belief that if you want to have a positive experience in public school, you have to ask for it, and work for it itself. If I were a parent who simply sat down and refused to ask the teachers to meet for my son, Eric could have slipped very well through the cracks and patinated through the system. In addition, the benefits of the public school we enjoyed were not only academic. Another great benefit was the opportunity that gave my children to experience more of life. Instead of paying thousands of dollars a year in private classes, I had money in my budget to send Jenny on trips to Europe, France, Switzerland and more during middle and high school. By the time she arrived at college, she was a world traveler who had been exposed to different cultures, traditions and languages, a benefit that we really value as a family. I know that her experiences helped her form her in the well rounded person she is today. As for Eric, a non-registered budget allowed us to invest more introspective activities, such as father-son fishing trips. Once again, I consider that these experiences are more valuable to their growth and development, rather than violin lessons or artistic activities that could have been exhibited in a private school. Both Jenny and Eric loved the opportunities they offered as a result of going to public school, and they never felt resentful of getting lost in going to private schools. In fact, I think your positive experiences laid the foundation for your post-high plans. CONCERNED: The Real Public School Evidence: University decision time When it came time to apply to college, my children knew my position: I wanted them to attend public schools. After all, we had been contributing to the system through property taxes for years, so why not put our money already spent on good use? It's hard to say if my opinions finally influenced Jenny's final decision. Although he asked the University of Southern California, a private school, he finally decided to attend the science and biology programs of the UC Irvine. Between the tuition, the parking passes and the expenses of the bedrooms, Jenny's college education returned us over $100,000. But because I hadn't been exposing a private tuition fortune for years, your mother and I could cover it all, so I wouldn't have to graduate with student debt. As for Eric, he just graduated in high school, and he hasn't decided what his niche will be in life. It's not the kind of child who will engage with a four-year college unless he feels very strong that he will benefit. Right now, he's working on an ecological tour of Catalina Island, spending his days running the zip lines, and he's never been happier. When the time comes, it is most likely that you attend community college and live at home, which I think is the best choice for him. The truth is that today there is a great emphasis on pushing children to overcome the second that graduates from high school or college, but most of them are not given time to take a break and take their breath. Sometimes I wonder: If I had invested a lot of money in private school, would I feel more inclined to push my children to use the education I had paid so much for? It makes me happy to know I'm not putting that kind of pressure on my kids. And that's just gonna reinforce my feelings about the public school system, and how happy I am with our experience. I feel good to know that I have not turned my back on the schools of my community. I would also like to believe that my strong participation in these schools helped prepare the way for other children to get better education in public school, too. *The names have been changed. LearnVest is a simple plan for your money. Read our service, use our service, and talk to one of ours to help start... LearnVest is a simple plan for your money. Read our helpfulness, use ours and talk to one of us to help you start progressing toward your. Learn Vehicle Planning Services is a registered and subsidiary investment consultant from LearnVest, Inc. that provides financial plans for your customers. The information shown is only for illustrative purposes and is not intended as investment advice. Please consult a financial advisor to specifically advise your financial situation. The planning services of the costumes and the third parties listed, discussed, identified or otherwise listed here are separate and not affiliated and are not responsible for the products, services or policies of each. LearnVest, Inc. is fully owned by NM Planning, LLC, a subsidiary of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Announcement For August 8, 2019 10 things private schools won't tell you On August 8, 2019Some private schools offer great studies. Others are important disappointments. We started to discover what really happens behind those walls covered with ivy. Advert Photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com Like most parents, you've probably wondered how much private school costs. Maybe you've even made some noise on the Internet, and you found that sending your son to the Upper Canada College, the country's most prestigious children's school, will pay you about $35,000 a year. While the left side of your brain says you can't afford, the right side of your brain contradicts with the very convincing argument that hundreds of rich, influential and wildly successful men have graduated from this place: Galen Weston, Michael Ignatieff, Robertson Davies. Putting your son in the middle of such an estimated company has to be worth 35 grand a year. Right?Advertisement Advert Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends on who your child is, and what kind of education suits you better. VIDEO: READ: "There are many people who have a 'sleep school' in mind, who may or may not fit their child at all," says Catherine McCauley, a Toronto teacher and guidance counselor who has worked on public and private school systems. "Think of your child first and what are their needs: social, emotional, physical, intellectual. Start by trying to find a school for your child, not trying to fit your child into a school." You don't have to be an expert like McCauley to find the right school for your kids; you just have to meet your kids. Recognize that they are individuals with their own specific strengths and interests and you are halfway. The how-tos in this article, tainted by education professionals and veteran parents, will take you the rest of the way. "Private" does not always mean "better." Too often, parents jump the gun and pay the tuition, assuming that all private schools are preferable to the public. Not so, says Judy Winberg is a special education teacher and guidance counselor for almost 30 years, whose consulting firm of Educational Options based in Toronto helps parents find the best school program for their children's needs, both in public and private systems. "What you are guaranteed when you go privately is that you have teachers who are there by choice, instead of being placed there [as they are often in public school systems]. And the size of your class is going to be smaller — they put a roof in the size of the class, and they don't get over it because they are responsible to a table. After that, there are no guarantees. There are no guarantees at all. " Our academic record can be meaningless. Be especially careful with schools that promise to improve the grades of your middle-aged child just in time for the college application deadline. "There are private schools now that they are flies per night. Universities don't even know much about them," warns Paul Axelrod, Dean of the University of York School of Education in Toronto. "Children who go there are children who are trying to get out of their qualifications or their language skills, and their records show that they did it very badly in the public system. Then they go to one of these private schools, and suddenly their qualifying balloon." Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisementInflated grades can help graduates of these terrific schools enter the university, but will not help them get a degree. The well-respected private schools with the acceptance of 100% of the university do not do so by giving good grades, but by making them harder to achieve. "I often had children who would tell me, 'my friend who goes to public school has an average higher than me and I work a lot harder'," McCauley remembers since his years as a private school counselor. "We really help them to prepare them with many of the skills that will not only help them enter the university, but to stay in college: study skills, organization, how to write. All that, it was harder for them." Having said this, while you may have dreams of raising a Nobel Prize, hitting your child in a school with the best reputation for high-performance students may not help you bring home good grades, even if she is exceptionally brilliant. If the school's teaching style does not match your child's learning style, you may have problems absorbing your lessons. How do you find that perfect match? To some extent, you can trust the admissions department to determine whether the school and your child are made for each other. "If they are famous for having a school that families leave the boat, it is a problem. It is so important for the school that it is a good fit for your family as it is for you," observes Michaéla Koch, a mother of Toronto who has gone through the admission process twice with her children. That is why, in addition to having their academic history, children are often asked to write essays and feel through personal interviews before a school gives them the green light. These steps can be essential to finding the right fit, especially in schools where the number of applications exceeds the number of empty desktops. (For example, in the well-known Upper Canada College, only one in four children are accepted.) But they can be exhausting and stressful for your child, not to mention costly for you, private schools charge a fee for each app, which means putting your child's name in a half dozen places could put you back near a grain. So before applying, reduce your best contenders to a short list of two or three schools. For advice on how to do that, see . "Private" and "independent" schools are not the same. Any school outside the public system tends to be labeled as "private" in the same way we tend to refer to all tissues like Kleenex, or all the bubbly water as Perrier. In fact, there are two types of non-public schools out there — "private" and "independent" — and there are important distinctions that you should be aware of before enrolling your child in any kind. Independent schools have boards of directors to which they are responsible. "There are checks and balances in place," is how Winberg puts it. On the other hand, private schools can be administered by a single person without responsibility. Now, that doesn't mean that a school without a board of directors is necessarily irreputable; but it means you have to review it even more rigorously before trusting your child. Some of our teachers are not certified. With only a few exceptions, including in British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, independent schools are not required to hire certified teachers. And even certified teachers do not necessarily have a degree in education. Because certification and training standards vary widely across the country, and even within the provinces, the best way to find out if a school teacher is about to start is to ask. (Some schools save you the problem by putting information on teachers' credentials in their brochures.) But there is no shortage of well-trained educators in this country, so regardless of the rules that prevail in your area, you should insist on a school where teachers are not only certified, but also have a bachelor's degree or teacher in education. Advertisement If our teachers do not "click" with your child, forget it. Almost as important as teacher training is their way of writing, so to speak. Do you have a good approach to the students? The only way to discover is to visit the school and see for yourself, as Michelle Wille did when she chose St. Margaret, the school in Victoria, B.C., who finally decided for her daughter. "We've been there many times for open houses," says Wille. "The teachers are all well dressed, well prepared, and they are strong women, and those are the kinds of people I want to teach you." Nancy Ng had a similar experience on a tour of La Citadelle, which stuck the decision to enroll her son, Ian, in the pre-Kindergarten program of the Toronto school. "I loved the environment," he says. "I loved it when a student was sitting in class in grade 1 and was upset about something, and the teacher, instead of getting angry with him, excused all the kids to go to his table and make a reading, and she sat down on the floor with him and just talked to him through what was upset. I thought, Holy God, you don't see it anymore. In addition to observing them in action, you can also chat with teachers to get a sense of not only their philosophies in teaching, but also their level of contention; when teachers feel valued and happy in their work, they are more effective in the classroom. If that contentment is lacking, or its perspective in teaching does not match what you have in mind for your child, you can say very quickly in the course of a casual conversation. If your child is entering grade 5 and above, it is important to take care of teachers, too. After all, she is the one who will be sitting in front of them seven hours a day. "The biggest mistake is probably deciding which school your child will go without involving your child in the process," says Judy Winberg. "Make sure the child will visit a day or whatever the school allows." McCauley agrees: "I was a classroom teacher in the private system, and I had children to come and sit in my classroom for a day. They either felt very good, or they decided it wasn't for them. But at least they knew it." Almost no one can open a private school. Surprisingly, there are no laws to stop a person with zero educational training to hang a hairstyle outside his door and start enrolling students. "If you have five children and a toilet that dazzles, you can open a school," says Winberg carefully. "There aren't many requirements." He's specifically commenting on Ontario, but there are similar lax standards across the country. In other words, you might be paying your child to receive a lower education, in poorer conditions, that she would receive in her neighboring public school. In the three years she has worked as a consultant, Winberg says, "What scares me is that I have seen open schools and I have seen them nearby. And I have to say that these people who are opening them are well intentioned. They're doing it for noble reasons. But [that are failing] either because they are not entrepreneurs or because they are not educators. To run a school, you have to be both." The good news is that with a little effort, you can find a high quality school, and protect yourself and your child from such flight operations at night. First, make sure that any school you are considering is affiliated with a national or provincial association that meets strict educational standards, such as the Canadian Association of Independent Schools. Before receiving the accreditation of CAIS, schools must undergo a detailed assessment that examines everything from the curriculum to the facility to administrative operations. To find CAIS member schools in your area, log in and click Listings. This feature offers names and places, as well as links to the schools' own websites, many of which are full of information. Advert Advert You can also do a curriculum exam, to make sure that independent schools you are considering follow study courses that are equal or better than your public counterparts in your province. Independent schools often outline their students' courses on their websites or on their brochures. "I have the brilliant material," says Michaéla Koch, referring to the information package he asked the two children to attend from the school from pre-Kindergarten. "And within the brilliant material there were a lot of photocopying things: the complete curriculum for two-year-olds. The books that were to read, what different courses of study were to be, this is what we will cover in the sciences, this is what we will cover in the linguistic arts. For the two-year-olds and three-year-olds! He was duly impressed. We can run with a shoe budget. Contrary to popular belief, most private schools are not tormented to rafters with state-of-the-art computers and violin Guadagnini. "It costs a lot to parents to send their children and therefore they might think that those schools are flowing in resources, but they are usually not. They run on a slipper," says Paul Axelrod of the University of York. "The facilities, resources, can be quite basic in those schools." Even elite schools finance fury, claiming that tuition fees cover only annual operating expenses, and that they need more money to keep facilities and buy new equipment. Before enrolling your child, make sure you will receive the value of your money. Many private and independent schools are registered charities and are therefore obliged to disclose their financial statements. The admissions office should not hesitate to answer your questions about how school spends its money. How much do teachers pay? If it is less than the salaries of the teachers of the public school in your area (a figure that any private school should also know), be suspicious. What types of resources — musical instruments, computers, sports equipment, scientific laboratories — are available to students? Is campus safe, pleasant and well maintained? Take any school that does not satisfy your short list. Do you think the plate is expensive? Wait till you see why we charge more. Private school is a well of money from the moment it applies to the day your child closes his last book. To start, you have to pay about $100 for the honor of filling up a lot of paperwork that puts your son in the race for a place in school. Then, of course, there's a tuition: a high cost of $9,000 to $35,000 a year for day students, or up to $65,000 a year for Internet users. And keep that paybook. Most schools charge a single and non-refundable registration fee or "new student fee" of up to $9,000 the first year your child is enrolled. In addition to that, some also require you to make a "loan" to school aid pay for upgrades and maintenance of facilities. AdvertisementNeed bus service? It has another pair of big ones. Supervision after school for your eight-year-old? Ditto. And those fantastic athletic programs or musical installations that sold you at private school in the first place? They may not be included with the plate, so involving your child might cost you extra. When you add books, uniforms and lunches (sometimes cost extra), a private school year for a student within the daily switching distance can easily graft at $40.000 a year. If you start your child in grade 7, you're seeing an investment of over $200,000 in your education, before college. Start your child in kindergarten, and you'll be out of a quarter of a million dollars for your high school graduation. "For parents who are so committed to the private school system and have three or four children, the financial burden, unless you are really well, is extraordinary," observes Paul Axelrod of the University of York. What else are you sacrificing in your family's life to do that, and even in your child's life? If paying for private school means you give up family outings and enriching vacations for life, it may not be worth the sacrifice. If you are convinced that a private education is the best for your small student, you will be relieved by hearing that some of the expenses can be resumed in your income tax return; see . And low-income families or high-performance academics can qualify for scholarships or scholarships directly from the school, usually covering half of the cost of registration; ask the admissions office for details on how to apply. You can also buy for public schools. Before you move home and re-locate three streets in a search to place your child in a more desirable school district, you know this: most school boards will receive a request for your child to attend a school other than that they have been geographically assigned. "In the public system, people are also engaged in buying, especially at the secondary level," says Paul Axelrod, Dean of the University of York School of Education. "If you find a school does not meet your child's needs, then you look somewhere else, and not necessarily in your own neighborhood." Please note that the degree of flexibility to enter a different district varies with the number of students enrolled from year to year. And if you've heard of a big school in your city, other parents have also heard of it. So get ready to defend your case. Make an appointment to talk to the school director, and get armed with several very good reasons why your child should be allowed to make the change. If you don't like your child's private school, go ahead. Advert AdvertisingInscribing your child in any school is not a commitment for life. Over the years, or sometimes during the night, your child's needs could change. It can be as dramatic as the discovery of a gift for music you want to encourage, or the diagnosis of a learning disability that needs special attention. Or it can be as subtle as the changes in the faculty that result in your child being less excited about learning. Whatever the case, don't feel like you have to hit it. "If the school isn't working for your child, then you'll find another," says Catherine McCauley. Changing schools will not mark your child's academic record, and will no doubt question his ability as a parent. Share this article Comments Your email address will not be published. Mandatory fields marked * AdvertisementRelated Articles Evidence of the Reality of Your Financial Plan John's counselor seems impressive, but has left out... What to do with an extra $70,000 to finance retirement My 79-year-old mother has received a monetary gift. What is... 7 Questions to ask your financial advisor... and how to get the answers you deserve! 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Qualified journalists and financial professionals produce the content. MoneySense's goal is to provide the most relevant and up-to-date information possible, but with all the things you read on the Internet, it is recommended that you read critically and cross-reference with your own sources, especially before making financial decisions. MoneySense continues to update and make changes to correct any factual error. MoneySense is not responsible for content on external sites that we can link to in articles. In addition, our editorial team makes every effort to ensure the published information about MoneySense.ca and other MoneySense properties is accurate. However, sometimes the prices and terms of the products are changed by the supplier without notice. If you read something you feel is inaccurate or misleading, we'd love to hear from you. Please.MoneySense is fully owned by Ratehub Inc. but it remains editorially independent. For more information, read . © 2002-2021 Ratehub Inc. 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