Are elite private high schools worth the money?

[Matt Samson]

You can hide this advertisement by registering.

Sort of an old article written by Ross Gittins and also mixes education with a little bit of politics and tall poppy syndrome

However, are elite high schools worth the money or just a waste (i.e. keeping up with the jonses)?

Researchers argue that private-school students tend to have higher TERs because they enjoy a higher level of confidence in their own ability, because the school environment is more conducive to learning and because their parents have higher aspirations.

It seems, however, that the superior resources and more attentive coaching of non-government schools serve to artificially inflate students' TERs relative to their raw abilities. The private schools' "value-added" is short-lived.

It may be that students from non-government schools have difficulty adjusting to the greater freedom and reduced supervision of university life. It's even been argued that some students from private schools are less enthusiastic because their courses have been selected by their parents.


Source: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/...972395121.html

I went to a public high school and was never forced fed stuff like they do in elite private high schools.

Do you think people who go to Kings or Barker College are better off for going there or would they do better in public schools?

[matttty]

yea i totaally agree with the guy above me

[Kwayera]

Hmm. Three years ago I would have said, yes, private schools definitely educate "better" than public schools. I went to a private school, and will send my children to one.

But with the benefit of hindsight - no, I do not think that there is much difference between the highest performing public and private schools. But I think there is a difference at the lower end, and I guess it comes down to luck, research and what you can afford. There are many public schools BETTER than private schools, but the opposite is also true.

I like the benefit of having the choice.

[Matt Samson]

Originally Posted by matttty

yea i totaally agree with the guy above me

Oh here we go again. Unless you have a CSU host address, it won't work (i.e. cloning) because I am sitting here in the library.

[Matt Samson]

Originally Posted by Kwayera

I like the benefit of having the choice.

I prefer public education because to get good marks a student has to be motivated more so than those at Barker.

However, when it comes to "catholic schools" I consider these in the same light as public schools. A lot of them have a lot less money than public schools.

[withoutaface]

Originally Posted by Matt Samson

I prefer public education because to get good marks a student has to be motivated more so than those at Barker.

However, when it comes to "catholic schools" I consider these in the same light as public schools. A lot of them have a lot less money than public schools.

...what?

[AsyLum]

Having never been to one, but seeing first hand a lot of what the north shore ones produce, I'd say a fuck no.

[Kwayera]

Originally Posted by Matt Samson

I prefer public education because to get good marks a student has to be motivated more so than those at Barker.

However, when it comes to "catholic schools" I consider these in the same light as public schools. A lot of them have a lot less money than public schools.

I wouldn't think so. Back at Abbotsleigh the competition was so fierce that getting good marks was always an uphill battle. Marks corresponded to how much effort you put in.

[Matt Samson]

Originally Posted by withoutaface

...what?

Well in a lot of situations catholic schools exist not for elitism or exclusivity, but due to a public need... especially in regional areas.

A lot of the catholic schools in major regional centres (e.g. Bathurst, Wagga, Orange, Tamworth etc) are boading schools that either run at break even or sometimes at a loss and rely on government funding.

Without such schools a lot of isolated students wouldn't be able to attend school and would have to deal with distance education. These schools don't have massive swimming pools or tennis courts and are much like public high schools.

[Matt Samson]

BTW, I have never seen a poor "anglican school".

[CharlieB]

Selective School > Private School > Non-Selective School

[iamsickofyear12]

I went to a private school... they are absolutely not worth the money.

[Slidey]

Originally Posted by Matt Samson

It depends on the location. In some locations, Catholic schools are doing it tough and sometimes they're the only real option for school (unless you want to do School of the Air).

Some Catholic schools only charge the "difference" between the money they get from the government compared to what a public school would get from the government - meaning some catholic schools run on the same amount of money as a public school.

Yes this isn't the majority, but quite a few catholic schools do it just as tough.

But as I said before, I have never seen an Anglican school do it tough.

Sounds about right. I admire Catholic schools for generally charging the lowest fees possible, though. This usually ends up being in the thousands, but it's still only one tenth of what elite private schools charge; it's a good compromise. Mine had an option to waive fees completely for those in need.

Unless things change drastically in the next 10 - 20 years, I'll send my kids to a Catholic school.

[black_kat_meow]

I've gone to Non-denominational Christian schools in both the city and country and they're not stinking rich either. They tend to charge the same or less as the Catholic schools and don't have the "I'm better than you" attitude that those elite, private schools tend to have.

[black_kat_meow]

Originally Posted by Matt Samson

No, some do have a lot less money because they don't have the "government" to fall back on. Yes they get government subsidies but they still don't have the "government" to back them up like public schools.

Teachers in catholic schools have to worry about resources, while those at public schools don't have to worry "as much" (yes, each department has a budget). If things do go belly-up at a public school, they do have a government there that can step in and sack the principal and send in an administrator if need be without it really impacting on the students.

Hahaha. wtf? The government doesn't give that much support to public schools, they can't just "fall back" on them.

What type of high school did you go to?