Parents should consider private schools

Comment

Report 8 Downloads 127 Views

Page 12 - Jordan Independent - Thursday, December 7, 2006

O Do you want to connect with other Jordan High School graduates in an online discussion? Go to www.jordannews.com, click on Forums, and go the Catch Up forums.

U R

SCHOOLS

Parents should consider private schools Our country’s first schools were private schools. Our first leaders were educated in private schools whose goal was to graduate individuals capable of making a quality contribution to society. Today, there are more than six million students enrolled in private schools. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) found that even after 200 years, the primary goal of private schools is academic excellence. Due to committed educators, parents, students and limited distractions, private schools are free to focus on quality education. A private education is good for the students, good for families, and good for the country.

FOR STUDENTS Students academically perform better when they are allowed to learn in a safe and supportive environment. A recent study by the Horatio Alger Association found that private school students are significantly more likely to feel safe and be safe in their schools.

ST. JOHN’S NEWS Ken DeCook

PRIVATE SCHOOL FACTS In a June 2002 study, the NCES found that private school students scored higher on standardized tests, that private schools had more demanding graduation requirements, and that the schools sent more graduates to college than public schools.

FOR FAMILIES Whether they move into a new school district, apply to a private school. or decide to homeschool their children, most families want school choice. The parents of six million students choose private education. They make this choice for many reasons, but the most noted were quality academics, discipline, a safe

learning environment, and religious or ethical values. Private schools are often viewed as extensions of the home, promoting academics, discipline, religion, and concern for the greater good of society.

FOR AMERICA Nothing in a democracy is more critical than the education of the next generation of citizens. According to standardized testing, students in private schools typically are more prepared to meet their citizenship responsibilities. Even gaps between minority and majority students are narrowed in private schools. An NCES study showed

P U B L I C ��

Of private school students, 23 percent are students of color and 28 percent have family incomes of under $50,000. Private schools have smaller average class sizes and lower student-to-teacher ratios. Our nation is blessed to have such a rich diversity of schools. Whether public or private, these institutions share one goal – the education of our country’s children. School choice, which should be every family’s right, enables parents to select an educational setting based on the needs of their children. Although, after reviewing these statistics, it is amazing that there are private schools with room to accept additional children. I encourage you to consider your neighborhood private school, St. John the Baptist Catholic School. Ken DeCook is the director of educational ministries at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Jordan. He can be reached at [email protected].

minority students in private schools are more than twice as likely to attend a four-year college than those in the public schools, thus making private schools the greatest avenue for boosting minority participation in society from the boardroom to the classroom.

��

Here are some facts about private schools from the Council for American Private Education: One in four schools is a private school. One child in every nine attends a private school. Private schools produce annual savings to taxpayers of more than $48 billion. Of private school students, 90 percent attend college. That is compared to 60 percent of public school students who attend college. Private school students perform better on standardized tests. Private schools are more racially, ethnically and economically diverse.

NOTICES

��

JMS hosts Egyptian open house Jordan Middle School sixthgrade students held an open house to display the projects they created as part of their unit on Ancient Egypt. The open house, held Nov. 28 in the middle school media center, showcased projects from across the curriculum. Sixthgrade teacher Tammy Randolph said the students worked on Egyptian-themed projects in most of their classes – including art, math, language and social science. For pictures from the open house, visit http://www. jordannews.com/node/881.

ECFE mails winter brochure The winter and spring brochure for Jordan Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFE) will be mailed Dec. 11 to families with children ages 5 and younger. If you did not receive a brochure, call ECFE at 952-492-3233.

continued from previous page

��

��

��

��

Recommend Documents

What Parents Should Bring

12 Things Parents Should Know About & Expect From Your Schools ...

February 8, 1973 Churches and Parents, Not Schools, Should Teach ...

Reasons Skeptics Should Consider Christianity