Why the declines at private schools?

[tonysam]

Faced with the recession and rising tuition, are more parents at area private schools and their diocesan counterparts transferring their children to public schools to ease the strain on their pocketbooks?

Maybe.

School officials say it is difficult to measure the effect of the economy on enrollment because other factors are involved, including a declining number of school-age children and a long-term drop in the number of children in nonpublic schools.

But for Jacqui Coughlin and John Dewees, the answer is yes.

The couple's two daughters attended St. Laurence School in Upper Darby until this year. Coughlin lost her job at a car-rental company and is still looking; "pickings are slim," she said. The family moved to Morton and this fall sent both girls to Springfield district schools.

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[valerief]

1. Uptick in charter schools instead? nt

[tonysam]

2. Good question. n/t

[dkf]

3. Are charter schools now the education vehicle people prefer?

All I hear from union types are grumping. How are the results coming out?

[valerief]

4. I don't know. I just figure charter schools are a way to privatize schools

using public funds. I figure they can monitor who attends and who doesn't and where they get established. I imagine it's a way for some people to get what they want without paying for it. Those are usually rich people.

[tonysam]

5. The unions aren't "grumping." Charter schools aren't any better

and are often worse than traditional public schools.

So you think teachers ought to be "at-will." Nobody in their right mind would go into this field if the jobs end up paying daycare wages.

[dkf]

6. So you say nobody wants to work at a charter school?

How do they exist then?

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. How does WalMart manage to hire workers?

Times are tough. Some people will work anywhere.

As for charters, many hire 'teachers' who aren't certified.

[tonysam]

13. People do, but it is often teachers who can't get jobs in regular public ed

who apply. Same is true in private schools. It is hell to find teaching jobs in public education--there is NO shortage of teachers nationwide and never has been (there has been a geographical maldistribution of teachers, however, so some states had "shortages" while other states had huge gluts of applicants).

In my area, northern Nevada, the charter schools are overseen by the school district, and many of the staff members are actually school district employees who are allowed to take "leave" of their regular jobs for up to three years. These schools generally have a much higher turnover of staff, however.

The fact the school district oversees these schools, and actually has these schools listed on their website directory as part of the district, means there is no real "competition" out there for the district. But for a handful of private schools, the district is truly "the only game in town," as my union attorney told me. That's why they treat teachers like shit.

[clear eye]

15. Why do you hate teachers? n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. If you mean test scores, charters are worse.

[dkf]

9. So the movement away from private schools wouldn't be caused by

Charters then right?

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. It's probably the economy

Why pay when you can get it for free.

I also seriously doubt most parents are savvy enough to research test scores.

[FBaggins]

12. Yes. Almost certainly the economy.

Private schools are rarely cheap. If your job is in danger (or gone) then the calculus changes re: how much you are willing to spend for the presumed better education of a private school.

[tonysam]

14. The article says it's the economy

Private school enrollment, especially for Catholic schools, has declined for decades. I attribute it to the fact Catholics are completely assimilated in the country as a whole, and there really is little need for a separate school system. Parents feel there is no point in spending the extra money when they can get "free" education in the public schools.

[FBaggins]

11. Too early to say that at this point...

...but it's certainly true that there's no evidence that they're any better either.

Of course... then there's the debate re: how much test scores tell us in the first place. :)

[alp227]

16. Interesting article. Recommend.

The article also says:

Not all private school rosters are shrinking. The Haverford School in Montgomery County is bigger than ever this year, said headmaster Joe Cox. "In tough times, education is an even more valuable commodity," he added.

Good for them.

And...

Philadelphia archdiocesan schools had 106,110 students in 1999-2000; this year, there are 72,310, a decrease of almost 32 percent.

Some of the declines are likely due to the shrinking number of school-age children in Pennsylvania.

Regarding the decline of enrollment in religious schools, could another factor be the http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402199.html">decline of religious belief among people too? Also, I wonder if people are starting to be more open-minded and look beyond the "private > public" factor.

[tonysam]

17. I also think that is true, too. n/t