Essay 2

Within the Nation's school system, about 46 million students are enrolled in public schools in kindergarten through grade 12, and another 6 million are enrolled in private schools (Choy, 2). It's obvious that education is an essential part of everybody's life. WIthout it there would be no standards when going for a job or applying for an internship. During the years of primary and secondary education a person gathers skills and knowledge that they will be constantly critiqued on throughout life. Whether it's high school grades that are shown on a transcript when applying for college or the social skills gathered over the years that come out during an interview. When choosing where the best place for an education is there are two main options; public school or private school. Although both are an opportunity for success there are a few main things to look at when choosing an institution including, the cost, the curriculum, and the individual students and teachers that makeup both private and public schools. 

When comparing public and private schools the cost of each institution is the major difference. Public schools depend primarily on local, state, and federal funds, while private schools are generally paid through tuition payments (Choy, 2). Aside from fundraisers, field trips, books and other essentials needed for school, the average tuition cost in a private schools in 2007-08 ranged anywhere from $6,000 to $27,000 a year. This was all depending on whether the school was a religious affiliated school and whether it was an elementary, secondary, or a kindergarden through 12th grade school (Council for American Private Education, 1). Public schools are tuition free and there really isn't a "cost" for a student to attend a public school. However because 93 percent of education expenditures are covered by the state and local governments, the money has to come from somewhere (Finance, 1). Every workers paycheck gets tax deductions that go towards public schools education. Although parents who send their kids to private schools are paying a large tuition amount, unfortunately for them, they are not excluded from getting taxed by the government. Either way its looked at, education isn't "free". 

Aside from the cost, the curriculum thats taught at each school differs immensely. The majority of the influence for the public schools curriculum comes from the State Department of Education, local school boards, and district staff (Choy, 15). The actual teachers and the principle of the schools don't have much say in what's being taught in their classrooms. A "Common Core" was made to serve as a instructional guide so teachers and parents are aware of what they need to do to help the students (Blumenfeld, 1).  At the end of high school each student has a required number of classes that is needed to be passed before receiving a diploma. This includes a set number of math, english, science, and history classes, which are the common core classes. Each subject has a set textbook that the teachers are required to base their teaching off of. This insures that students across the states are relatively being taught the same courses. Because of the strict curriculum, public schools have far less freedom in whats being taught compared to private schools. Unlike public schools, the curriculum for private schools is determined in the individual schools. Each private school may have a different curriculum (NYC Private schools, 1). Some schools focus on religion while others may focus on the specific schools philosophy. For example, if the private school caters to the arts, half of their classes may be made up of art credits where as in a public school, there would only be a few classes taken for art over the span of 4 years. Although private schools have a flexible "curriculum", they are still required to teach basic subjects that are determined by their local Department of Education (Boland, 1). 

Another way in which public and private schools reflect differences is in their student populations. In a public school there's no denying a student because he or she doesn't meet the standards of that specific school. Everybody is accepted. This allows diversity throughout the hallways of public schools. Different cultural backgrounds can certainly be a positive impact on a school however it does bring up different challenges for the teachers in the schools. They are required to be sensitive to the different cultural backgrounds and to be open minded where different students are brought up and their views on other ethnicities (Choy, 7). Behavior issues are also something public school teachers have to deal with more then private school teachers. Its required for a underage student to attend school which is one of the reasons education is free. Therefor, some students don't want to learn, they are simply there because they have to be there. In a private schools its different. The students parents are paying a large tuition amount and for the most part, the students want to be there to better their education. Although these issues exist in both schools, its proven that public schools have far more problems with behavioral issues and cultural issues then private schools do (Choy, 8). 

Unsure on how I want to end my essay, please let me know if you have any suggestions!