Public Vs. Private School Education

There is no doubt that compared with much of the rest of the world, American education is losing its standing. " American public schools were once ranked with the world's best. No longer. We have lost our edge, and that poses dire consequences for our country's future. Evidence from international comparisons is consistent and alarming. Data show that American schools don't begin to approach the standards of the rest of the developed world" (Murphy 641). The fact that public education is under-funded understaffed, and often the pre-school as well as elementary school pupils are housed in poor conditions may be one reason for the rise of private and so-called "Charter" schools. There have been many reasons for the growth of private and "charter" schools over and above the disillusionment by parents about the quality of education they are getting. Another reason is, whether we like it or think it is fair or not, the decision by some parents to withdraw their children from schools that have required long hours of busing and created a multi-racial school community.

There are many plausible reasons why people are concerned about America's education priorities, and the fact that the Bush Administrations' efforts to "Leave No Child Behind" is hardly a success story. However, it is fair to dispel one myth namely that teachers are underpaid. This usually comes from teacher's unions, of course. Here is a fact worth considering: "The average teacher's salary does seem modest at first glance: about $44,600 in 2002 for all teachers. But when we take an accurate account of what teachers are paid for their labor and compare it to what workers of similar skill levels in similar professions are paid, we find that teachers are not shortchanged at all" (Greene 17).