This article challenges the commonly held notion that private education equals better education. The argument posed is that not only is public education as good as private education, but even suggests that data shows that public schools provide better education. The researchers who compiled this data, the Lubienskis, claim that the research shows that the only thing that makes private schools attain better test scores is the amount of wealth that the private school students’ families have, and that there is a socio-economic issue, but not an issue of quality.
It seems that the issue is largely based on whether or not the family life of a student is stable or turbulent. If a student is insecure in their home-life, and come from a poorly educated family, than the student will have to struggle much more than a student who comes from a good home with parents who have a large vocabulary.
The other advantage of public schools is that they can evolve; public schools are more
capable of adapting and implementing new policies which benefit the students attending. Private schools on the other hand are not easily changed, because they have a set structure and policy that is part of the very ethos of the school. I was surprised by this data, because it is common knowledge that private schools score better on standardized tests on average. However, public schools are just simply at a disadvantage, but are actually very capable schools, and could possibly score better than private schools, if public school students had the opportunities and support that comes with a greater socio-economic position.
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