Running head: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE



Running head: ACHIEVEMENT GAP PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Reasons Why Private Schools Outperform Public Schools

Fr. Juvenalis Mutalemwa Ndaula

St. Ambrose University

EDAD.530

A paper presented in partial completion of course requirements for EDAD.530

- Educational Research.

Fall, 2009

Abstract

The variance in academic performance between students attending public and private schools remains a topic worthy of investigation. If this variance actually exists, the reasons are surely complicated, as it is possible that private schools are more accountable to parents; private schools have more clearly defined outcomes and expectations for students, and that private schools enroll students demonstrating a more clearly defined set of values. This paper examines seven factors which may be used to suggest whether private school students outperform public school students. The factors include: school mission, religiosity, higher expectations, curriculum, higher social status, freedom to determine means of assessment, and budget components and motivations. When these factors are considered, a variance between public and private school student performance is observed.

Table of contents

Chapter 1

Introduction 4

Chapter 2

Review of Literature 6

Chapter 3

Summary, Conclusion and Implications 14

References 17

Reasons why private schools outperform public schools

Student achievement is not simply a matter of what happens in school. Although schools can and do make a dramatic difference, research (Maureen T. Hallinan, 2006) has identified numerous factors which affect student success. The variance in academic performance between students attending public and private schools remain a topic worthy of investigation. If this variance actually exists, are there present specific factors which can be used to measure performance variables and investigate the perceived differences in student performance?

The current school choice debate among the parents has been a point of interest to address. Some parents support private schools on the basis that private schools give quality education. The time has come to move beyond the school choice rhetoric and shape a more comprehensive approach to school renewal. The research (Edith Rasell & Richard Rothstein, 1993) identifies that it is possible to break the bureaucratic block and extend the educational options for parents and students, making every school a school worth choosing.

School administrators, teachers, parents and all shareholders seek student success because such will help students solve current and future problems and demonstrate which will help improve the community (Michael Fullan, 2001). If education is not accepted as a high priority, negative consequences such as ignorance, technological backwardness, and lack of capable employee, will be experienced.

Research (Marzano, 2003) suggests that student academic achievement can be linked to the presence of, a guaranteed and viable curriculum, challenging goals and effective feedback, parent and community involvement, safe and orderly environment, collegiality and professionalism. The issue is whether those factors are present at a higher level of expectation in private compared to public schools.

Problem Statement

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether there exists a variance in academic performance between students attending public and private schools and if this variance actually exists, to identify performance variables which can be used to measure the observed differences in student performance.

Definitions

Before a review of literature can be accomplished, some terms must be defined. Public schools are schools funded with tax revenue and administered by a government or governmental agency (Frederick C. Mish, 2005). Private schools retain the right to select their students and are established, conducted, and primarily supported by a nongovernmental agency (Frederick C. Mish, 2005).

Limitations

This paper is limited to a review of literature examining whether there exists a variance in academic performance between students attending public and private schools and if this variance actually exists, are there present specific factors to identify performance variable which can be used to measure the observance difference in student performance? Any generalization to aspects other than the variance in academic performance between student attending public and private schools and identification of performance is beyond the scope of this paper.

Chapter 2

Albert J. Boerema, (2009), argues that “improving performance, equity, and efficiency of schools has been a long-standing goal of the U.S. educational system. The publication of the 1983 report A Nation at Risk increased the interest in that effort” (p.112).

The variance in academic performance between student attending public and private schools remain a topic worthy of investigation. According to Boerema (2009), researchers (Coleman, Hoffer, & Kilgore, 1982) have identified differences in academic achievement between students attending public and private schools suggesting that private schools are “associated with higher cognitive outcomes than public schools in reading, vocabulary, and mathematics” (p.113). Boerema notes that “students in their junior and senior years in high schools learn slightly more in Catholic schools than in public schools” (p.113). If this variance actually exists, are there present specific factors which can be used to measure performance variables and investigate the differences in student performance?

Hypotheses

Gerald W. Bracey (2000), author of Bail Me Out mentions researchers like Richard Rothstein of the Economic Policy Institute, Martine Carnoy of Stanford University, and Richard Benveniste of The World Bank as he explores school-based student academic performance. According to Bracey “these researchers approached different types of schools to test six hypotheses about the differences derived from clichés one often hears:

1. Private schools are more accountable to parents.

2. Private schools have more clearly defined outcomes and expectations for students.

3. Private schools have better behaved kids with a better set of values.

4. Private schools have more effective teachers selection and retention practices.

5. Private schools obtain their success with the same kinds of curriculum used in public schools (at least, for common subjects).

6. Private schools innovations stimulate improved practices at the public schools with which they compete” (p.166).

Their research found no clear answers. Although Bracey (2000) does not provide statistical differences in these six areas, the research reveals that all schools are accountable but the most highly scrutinized schools are public schools. “In at least one school, parent input was so overwhelming that the school set up a panel to review parents’ questions and criticisms. One teacher reported that she got a letter a week from every one of kid’s parents with specific curriculum suggestions; another said that 25 parents showed up on the first day of school to tell her how to organize the curriculum” (p.167). On the other hand “Affluent private schools were responsive, too, but their administrators were successful at convincing parents that curricular and instructional matters were entirely the prerogative of the school and teachers and administrators” (p.167). What then could be the reasons for a higher level of trust and success in private schools?

School mission

Any school seeking to be successful needs to have three structural elements embedded in a school mission: these include the core technology, the management structure, and the relations with the external customers and governors (Boerema, 2009). Boerema (2009) suggests that student academic achievement is associated with the characteristics of the structural elements of the school in which the learning takes place and the individual characteristics that the student brings to the learning situation. “Individual student characteristics include interest and motivation, prior learning and learning experiences, support from family and peers, academic ability, socio-economic status, race-ethnicity, language and gender” (p.116). Furthermore, Boerema (2006) argues that “public schools have been based on a set of values that is too thin to constitute a distinct school mission. Private schools, on the other hand, are typically distinguished by their mission, which is based on beliefs about the nature of the good life, the human task, and the role that education should play in preparing for that life and task” (p.185).

Religiosity

While students attending public and private schools may not be identical, one might error in accepting a generalization as noted by Bracey (2000) that “private schools succeed because they can pick and choose students, they have more freedom to dismiss disruptive students, and their parents are more involved in their children’s education” (p.165). However, according to Maureen T. Hallinan (2006) research has shown that “religion plays an important role in adolescents’ lives, positively impacting their academic performance, educational aspirations, worldview and optimism about the future” (p.73). Further, Hallinan argues that adolescent religiosity has been related to a reduced likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors such as smoking, drugs, and alcohol abuse. Religion has been linked to higher levels of communal organization whereby the whole community lives as one family sharing values and activities as Hallinan states: “Catholic high schools exhibited higher levels of communal organization, as defined by shared values and activities, and more caring relationship among faculty and students. This communal organization was in turn associated with greater teacher commitment and student engagement” (p.77). Hallinan (2006) further adds that Catholic-school students for instance differ from public-school students in behavior that could be directly influenced by school practice. “Catholic students skip school less often and spend more time on homework. Academic differences between public and Catholic school students are due to the greater discipline and more rigorous requirements in Catholic schools” (p.77). Aligned with how religion is linked to student achievement, Hallinan (2006) argues that “students who go to private religious schools are expected to have higher ratings on measures of self-esteem, self-efficacy, and altruistic participation than those who go to public schools. However, the psychological benefits of attending private religious schools may be grater for students who have higher levels of religious involvement. For these students, the norms and values found at home and within the larger religious community, may positively influence students’ self-esteem and self-efficacy. This is less likely to be the case for students who have low levels of religious involvement” (p.78).

Higher expectations and curriculum

Moreover, public schools have been found to allow students to have a choice in the course when compared to private schools as Ravitch (1996) states, “Across the curriculum, the same pattern emerges: the public schools allow students to choose easy courses, while the Catholic schools have the same high expectations for all their students” (p.81). Rense Corten and Jaap Dronkers (2006) hypothesize that differences related to school climate or high values and expectations of teachers and students might explain differences in scholastic achievement between private and public schools (Dronkers, 2006).

Higher social economic status

Rense Corten and Jaap Dronkers (2006) assert reasons explaining why private schools outperform public schools basing their arguments on the differences in school effectiveness. “Because private schools are more likely to demand pupil fees, they are more likely to attract pupil from the higher social-economic-strata, resulting in better scholastic achievement on average” (p.182). Further, the authors suggest that better learning circumstances are provided by private schools, hence a more intensive curriculum or fewer pupils per teacher (Rense Corten & Dronkers, 2006).

Freedom in private schools and means of assessment

Furthermore, Elizabeth DeAngelis (2008) in her article Proposal for Honors Thesis Achievement Trends in Public and Parochial Schools in Maine suggests that some parochial schools have generally been left untouched by the guidelines of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Some of the private and religious institutions have been allowed to determine their own means of standardized assessments for grade level achievement. “One of the most common testing strategies parochial schools use is the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). Like its Maine counterpart, the Iowa test requires students to demonstrate knowledge in the content areas of English/language arts and math. Although the results of this standardized test are one way to gauge ability among elementary school students, the result are not employed to measure teachers’ effectiveness in teaching unlike those test associated with NCLB” (p.1). DeAngelis (2008) argues that “Teachers of these institutions are not assessed by the scores their students obtain on state issued exams, and their students are not required to meet these federal standards” (p.1). DeAngelis (2008) suggests that despite of other standardized assessments, such a freedom provides other opportunities to use suitable methods in assessment that match the environment and actual school plans for the success and achievement of students.

Budget cuts and motivation

However, Oscar Barillas (2009), in his article Private Schools vs. Public Schools - Top 5 Reasons Why Private Schools Are Better Than Public Schools, suggests students in private schools perform academically better than students in public schools. Among the five reasons Barillas (2009) suggests is the premise that state budget cuts do not affect private schools. His research suggests that “most public schools are making concessions to try and reduce their overall expenses, cutting down useful programs and teachers. However, schools not funded by the state are hardly making any reductions in their overall economic budget” (p.1). Moreover, he suggests that students are motivated to perform higher in independent schools than in state funded schools. “…because parents and guardians are paying for their student’s education, the students are pressured to perform well and impress their parents” (p.1).

Data from the U.S Department of Education

The debate rerated to whether private or public education is better may also be addressed using simple basic data obtained from the U.S. Department of Education, National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP).

Table 1.

Numbers of schools and students’ average NAEP reading and mathematics scores, by type of school, grade 4 and 8 for the year 2003 represents how private schools outperform public schools.

|Type of school |Reading | | |Mathematics | | |

| |Number of |Number of |Average score |Number of schools |Number of |Average score |

| |schools |students | | |students | |

|Grade 4 | | | | | | |

|Public |6,908 |191,400 |216 (0.3) |6,914 |191,400 |234 (0.2) |

|Private |542 |7,500 |235 (0.8) |539 |4,700 |244 (0.7) |

|Catholic |215 |3,700 |235 (1.0) |216 |2,300 |244 (0.8) |

|Lutheran |90 |900 |232 (1.9) |88 |600 |245 (1.5) |

|Conservative |79 |1,000 |* |78 |700 |* |

|Christian | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | |

|Grade 8 |5,531 |155,000 |261(0.2) |5,527 |153,500 |276 (0.3) |

|Public |568 |8,300 |282 (0.7) |558 |5,100 |292 (0.3) |

|Private |224 |4,000 |281 (0.9) |224 |2,500 |289 (1.4) |

|Catholic |101 |1,000 |281 (1.6) |96 |600 |296 (1.6) |

|Lutheran |92 |1,100 |276 (1.5) |90 |700 |286 (2.6) |

|Conservative | | | | | | |

|Christian | | | | | | |

* Reporting standards not met.

Note: Schools participating in the combined private school category include those in the “other private schools” category, which is not listed separately in the state. Standard errors of average scores appear in parentheses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education, Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), 2003 Reading and Mathematics Private School Study.

The purpose of the study was to examine differences in mean National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading and mathematics scores between the public and private schools. According to the report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, (Braun, Jenkins, & Grigg, 2006) “the average scores in reading and mathematics of students in private schools were found to be higher than those of students in public schools” (p.1). Such difference in achievement has been a turning point where some of the researchers have suggested various ways to bridge the gap in achievement.

Chapter Three

The variance in academic performance between students attending public and private schools remains a topic worthy of investigation. For the past 30 years, The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has reported that students in private schools outperform students in public schools. The purpose of this paper is to examine different factors as to why private schools outperform public schools.

Summary

The researcher in this paper examines several factors that contribute to the widening of the achievement gap between private and public schools. The researcher examines that private schools are typically distinguished by their mission, which is based on beliefs about the nature of the good life and the human task. According to Boerema (2006), parents choose schools on the basis of the mission. The private schools prepare students for development of their spiritual, social, physical, aesthetic, emotional, moral and personal being, thus a greater parental involvement in school life and the education of their children (Boerema, 2009). The research also, suggests that Catholic schools succeed because they can pick and choose students, they have more freedom to dismiss disruptive students, and their parents are more involved in their children’s education (Boerema, 2009).

Moreover, the researcher states that religion matters to adolescent psychological and social development because students who have higher levels of religious involvement tend to have higher self-esteem, a greater sense of self-efficacy, and higher levels of participation in community service activities (Hallinan, 2006). Furthermore, the researcher identifies that private schools tend to have smaller class sizes than most non-private schools (Rense Corten & Dronkers, 2006). Additionally, the research points out that state budget cuts don’t affect private schools because private schools hardly make any reduction of their overall expenses, cutting down useful programs and teachers, and that students are motivated to perform higher (Barillas, 2009). In any case, the variance in academic performance between students attending public and private schools remains a topic worthy of investigation.

Conclusion

The achievement gap between private and public schools has been widening for decades possibly because private schools have the flexibility to create a specialized program for students (DeAngelis, 2008). As it is possible that private schools may use art or science in all classes, or take children on extended outdoor trips that blend lessons across the curriculum, private schools can create their own curriculum and assessment systems (DeAngelis, 2008). Boerema (2009) has identified that student academic achievement in private schools is associated with the characteristics of the structural elements of the school in which the learning takes place and the individual characteristics that the student brings to the learning situation. In any case, to impact and bridge the gap of student achievement in private and public schools, guaranteed and viable curriculum, challenging goals and effective feedback, parent and community involvement, safe and orderly environment, collegiality and professionalism need to be implemented. (Marzano, 2003).

Implications

Although the results of this literature review connected with reasons given in suggesting that private schools outperform public schools, the variance in academic performance between students attending public and private schools remains a topic worthy of investigation.

References

Barillas, O. (2009). Private schools Vs Public schools - Top 5 reasons why private schools are better than public school. Ezine Articles. Retrieved September 30, 2009 from Reasons-Why-Private-Schools-Are-Better-Than-Public-School&id=2356862

Belfield, C.R. & Henry, M.L. (2002). The effects of competition between schools on educational outcomes: A review of the United States. Review of Educational Research 72, no. 2, 279-341.

Boerema, A. J. (2009). Does mission matter? An analysis of private school achievement differences. Journal of School Choice, 3:112-137.

_________. (2006). An analysis of private school mission statements. Peabody Journal of Education, 81(1), 180-202.

Bracey, G. W. (2000). Bail Me Out: Handling difficult data and tough questions about public schools. Thousand Oaks: California. Corwin Press, Inc.

Braun, H., Jenkins, F. & Grigg, W. (2006). Comparing private schools and public schools using hierachical linear modeling (NCES 2006-461). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Science. Washington, D.C: U.S Government Printing Office.

Corten, R. & Dronkers, J. (2006). School achievement of pupils from the lower strata in public, private government-dependent and private government-independent schools: A cross –national test of the Coleman-Hoffer thesis. Educational Research and Evaluation, Vol.12, No. 2, April, 179-208.

DeAngelis, E. (2008). Proposal for honors thesis achievement trends in public and parochial schools in Maine. Retrieved September 28, 2009 from

Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hallinan, M. T. (2006). School sector and student outcomes. Notre Dame: Indiana.University of Notre Dame Press.

Kahlenberg, R. D. (2000). The people’s choice for schools. In R. D. Kahlenberg, (ed.), Public school choice vs. private school vouchers. (pp.133-135). New York: Century Foundation Press.

Marzano, R. J. (2003). What works in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria: Virginia. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Mish, F. C. (ed.). (2005). Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (11th ed.). Massachusetts: Springfield, Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

Rasell, E. & Richard R. (1993). School choice: Examining the evidence. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.

Ravitch, D. (1996, December 7). Why do Catholic schools succeed? Forbes, 81.

Reardon, S.F. & Yun, J.T. (2002). Private schools and segregation. In R. D. Kahlenberg, (ed.), Public school choice vs. private school vouchers. (pp.71-79). New York: Century Foundation Press.

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