"Study Examines Public, Private Schools" By Nancy Zuckerbrod

Another popular debate topic about private and public schools was discussed by Nancy Zuckerbrod of The Associated Press News Service, where she compared standard test scores from both types of schools. “Students at independent private schools and most parochial schools scored the same on 12th-grade achievement tests in core academic subjects as those in traditional public high schools when income and other family characteristics were taken into account, according to the study by the nonpartisan Center on Education Policy,” says Zuckerbrod. She performed this study in Washington state, but many cities across the country may differ. One example is Decatur, Illionis. In Decatur,  ACT scores for private school students are higher on average than those attending public schools, different than the results Zuckerbrod received from her study.

In my opinion, going to a private school doesn’t always mean earning higher test scores, but the curriculum is usually more challenging, preparing the student more to take these important exams. Public schools often have an atmosphere where learning can be put on hold while teachers deal with misbehaving students and fights, causing teachers to fall behind in their lesson plans, which in turn hurts the ability of the students to perform well on tests. At the end of the day, if students are not learning the material teachers have planned, their test scores will show, whether they attend private or public school.

Resources

Zuckerbrod, Nancy. "Study Examines Public, Private Schools." The Associated Press News Service [Washington] 10 Oct. 2007: n. pag. Print. 1 February 2013