I have found that most parents take one of three approaches—and each has its pros and cons. I will be exploring these options in the next few blogs.
Strategy One: The Whole Nine Yards
Apply your child as early as possible (in preschool or kindergarten) to the top prekindergarten or K–12 school on your list.
Pros:
1. The greatest benefit of applying your child at an early age is that there are fewer hoops to jump through; there are no SSATs, essays, or regulated testing at this age.
2. If your child gets in, he or she will be with the same children and the same staff for the next 13 years.
3. Many schools have the most spaces available and the fewest applicants at the kindergarten or preschool levels.
4. If your child is not accepted at the school of your choice, you can try again the next year they are taking applications.
5. If you selected a particular school because of its religious beliefs you know your child will have the same ideals and values throughout his education.
Cons:
1. The most obvious disadvantage to sending your child to a private school at preschool or kindergarten is that steep tuition bill. (Think 13 years x $15,000. That’s over $200,000 when you include books, uniforms, field trips, locker fees, etc! Yikes!) By waiting to enroll your child in a private school, you can save tens of thousands of dollars.
2. Many parents feel that the entire family will benefit from spending some time in their neighborhood elementary school. My own children (and their parents!) formed long-lasting friendships with children and adults in the community where they live—friendships that would not have been forged had we had shuttled them off to private school in kindergarten or preschool. My kids can ride their bikes through our neighborhood and know everyone!
3. In recent years, more and more children are being diagnosed with mild cases of ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and other learning differences. In many children, since the symptoms are not acute, the problem cannot be identified until a child is in first or second grade, and reading. When a bright, vibrant, five year old is accepted into a private school that does not have the testing capabilities to diagnose these differences, the child can suffer in school and be left behind.
4. Not all kids who get into fast-paced academic schools in kindergarten will be up to the task in sixth or ninth grade. I have heard from numerous parents whose children did fine in the lower grades, but in later grades, struggled with the workload and pressure of the heightened expectations. Many parents resorted to hiring outside tutors to keep up the pace.
5. Waiting until your child is older will allow you to find a school that is more in tune with your child’s needs. At four or five it is difficult to tell what your child will excel in. By the time he or she reaches fourth or fifth grade, you will have an idea what his or her passions are and you can cater to that.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Private vs. Public School: Is it really worth the money?
When I was doing research for my first book, The Parent’s Guide to Private School in Hawaii, I found that almost everyone I talked to, blindly, believed that a private school education was better than a public school education in Hawaii.
If I asked the question, “If private school and public school cost the same amount, where would you send your child to get the best education? The answer was almost unanimous. Parents would choose private school.
Asked a different question: “Do you think private schools are really worth the money?” I would get some different answers. Some said, yes. Others said, no. Still others, it depends.
And who can blame them? Do the math! If you have a child enrolled at one of the top private schools in Hawaii from kindergarten through grade 12, that’s roughly $195,000 ($15k x 13 years) for an education that does not even include preschool or college!!!
Add preschool and a second child to your family and you have spent, roughly $420,000 on your children’s primary education.
Is it worth it? My answer is, unequivocally: It depends.
It depends on how much of a financial hardship, scheduling nightmare, driving headache, inconvenience, it will be on you and your family to pay for and drive daily to and from a school that is not near your home. It depends on your reasons for choosing a school. Does it offer a program your child needs that cannot be met at a public school? It depends on what your other options are within your home district. It depends on whether your extended family will help with finances and scheduling. These things, and many more need to be taken into consideration.
Surprisingly, (in spite of the subject of my first book) I am a HUGE proponent and supporter of public schools in general. I am also one of the first to admit that the system in Hawai‘i is broken.
I wrote The Parent’s Guide to Private School in Hawaii NOT because I think everyone should send their child to a private school, but because I realized almost every parent in the state was struggling with the same dilemma and, while all public school information is public information-most available on line, private schools have no rules to abide by in deciding what to tell you.
At first glance, they all say their programs are “good,” their teachers “great,” their facilities “above average” and their test scores “awesome.” And while there are some great (even spectacular) private schools in this state, there are also some that are unaccredited and using untried curriculum, but still charging thousands of dollars a year. I thought parents should have all the information before they decided.
The truth is, there are still some very good public schools in the Islands. (Some of the best are listed in the back section of The Parent’s Guide to Private School in Hawaii in a section titled: Other Options.) These schools are good (not due to any D.O.E. standards and No Child Left Behind doctrines) but because of huge parental and community support.
I firmly believe that families should NOT be forced to make the choice between spending thousands of dollars a year in tuition OR giving their child a poor education, in an unsafe environment. And so, I believe in supporting all efforts to make our public schools better (including trashing the current $2.7 billion a year system and starting over, but they never go for that idea!) So instead, I am on the board of a local charter school, I attend school board meetings; all three of my children have spent some time at public schools. I contribute to fundraisers and community projects that support my local schools. I support charter schools and the great things they are doing.
All that said, I do think there are times when private school is worth it and I will get into that in my very next post here.
In the meantime, please share your thoughts on Private School versus Public School: Is it really worth the money?
If I asked the question, “If private school and public school cost the same amount, where would you send your child to get the best education? The answer was almost unanimous. Parents would choose private school.
Asked a different question: “Do you think private schools are really worth the money?” I would get some different answers. Some said, yes. Others said, no. Still others, it depends.
And who can blame them? Do the math! If you have a child enrolled at one of the top private schools in Hawaii from kindergarten through grade 12, that’s roughly $195,000 ($15k x 13 years) for an education that does not even include preschool or college!!!
Add preschool and a second child to your family and you have spent, roughly $420,000 on your children’s primary education.
Is it worth it? My answer is, unequivocally: It depends.
It depends on how much of a financial hardship, scheduling nightmare, driving headache, inconvenience, it will be on you and your family to pay for and drive daily to and from a school that is not near your home. It depends on your reasons for choosing a school. Does it offer a program your child needs that cannot be met at a public school? It depends on what your other options are within your home district. It depends on whether your extended family will help with finances and scheduling. These things, and many more need to be taken into consideration.
Surprisingly, (in spite of the subject of my first book) I am a HUGE proponent and supporter of public schools in general. I am also one of the first to admit that the system in Hawai‘i is broken.
I wrote The Parent’s Guide to Private School in Hawaii NOT because I think everyone should send their child to a private school, but because I realized almost every parent in the state was struggling with the same dilemma and, while all public school information is public information-most available on line, private schools have no rules to abide by in deciding what to tell you.
At first glance, they all say their programs are “good,” their teachers “great,” their facilities “above average” and their test scores “awesome.” And while there are some great (even spectacular) private schools in this state, there are also some that are unaccredited and using untried curriculum, but still charging thousands of dollars a year. I thought parents should have all the information before they decided.
The truth is, there are still some very good public schools in the Islands. (Some of the best are listed in the back section of The Parent’s Guide to Private School in Hawaii in a section titled: Other Options.) These schools are good (not due to any D.O.E. standards and No Child Left Behind doctrines) but because of huge parental and community support.
I firmly believe that families should NOT be forced to make the choice between spending thousands of dollars a year in tuition OR giving their child a poor education, in an unsafe environment. And so, I believe in supporting all efforts to make our public schools better (including trashing the current $2.7 billion a year system and starting over, but they never go for that idea!) So instead, I am on the board of a local charter school, I attend school board meetings; all three of my children have spent some time at public schools. I contribute to fundraisers and community projects that support my local schools. I support charter schools and the great things they are doing.
All that said, I do think there are times when private school is worth it and I will get into that in my very next post here.
In the meantime, please share your thoughts on Private School versus Public School: Is it really worth the money?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Parent's Guide to Private Schools in Hawaii
Aloha parents, grandparents, teachers, students, and administrators,
It is once again admission season here in Honolulu and things are heating up. In the next month or two, applications will be available, charter schools will be playing the lottery, and the craziness will begin again.
One word of advice: Relax!
As I have stated again and again, this is not a competition! It is just an exercise and an opportunity to see what is out there! There are so many possibilities, if you do your homework!
Private (independent) schools, charter schools, boarding schools, home schooling, public school, geographic exemptions, I write about them all in my book, The Parent's Guide to Private Schools in Hawaii.
I wrote this book because, while I was researching schools for my own children, I realized that every other parent in this town was asking the same question: WHERE DO I WANT TO EDUCATE MY CHILD?
I spent almost four years researching my book, asking parents and teachers and students and administrators questions about education. As my updating continues, I am happy to open the forum to you directly. Please write in with your school experiences.
I am also hard at work on my second book: The Parent's Guide To Daycare, Nursery Schools & Preschools in Hawaii, due out in 2009 and I would also love to hear from parents, grandparents, and teachers and all about your experiences with preschools and daycares.
In other news, the Maui Writer's Conference will be "on the road" this year and is taking place in Honolulu, this Labor Day Weekend. I will be there in person to witness an amazing cast of talented writers, agents, screen writers, and publishers, including Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of Ocean; Bobby Moresco, the Academy Award winning screenwriter of the movie Crash; Sam Horn, author of Tongue Fu!; and Patricia Wood author of the bestselling book Lottery. (More at http://www.mauiwriters.com/index.html )
Also, please stay tuned to our site as we are planning an educational conference this October titled "EDUCATION OPTIONS IN THE ISLANDS" that will include guest speakers from private, public, home school and charter schools. Guest speakers include Fred Birkett, (Ed. M. Harvard) author of Charter Schools: The Parent's Complete Guide, Everything You Need to Know to Make the Right Decision for Your Child.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Aloha,
Jacqui Pirl
It is once again admission season here in Honolulu and things are heating up. In the next month or two, applications will be available, charter schools will be playing the lottery, and the craziness will begin again.
One word of advice: Relax!
As I have stated again and again, this is not a competition! It is just an exercise and an opportunity to see what is out there! There are so many possibilities, if you do your homework!
Private (independent) schools, charter schools, boarding schools, home schooling, public school, geographic exemptions, I write about them all in my book, The Parent's Guide to Private Schools in Hawaii.
I wrote this book because, while I was researching schools for my own children, I realized that every other parent in this town was asking the same question: WHERE DO I WANT TO EDUCATE MY CHILD?
I spent almost four years researching my book, asking parents and teachers and students and administrators questions about education. As my updating continues, I am happy to open the forum to you directly. Please write in with your school experiences.
I am also hard at work on my second book: The Parent's Guide To Daycare, Nursery Schools & Preschools in Hawaii, due out in 2009 and I would also love to hear from parents, grandparents, and teachers and all about your experiences with preschools and daycares.
In other news, the Maui Writer's Conference will be "on the road" this year and is taking place in Honolulu, this Labor Day Weekend. I will be there in person to witness an amazing cast of talented writers, agents, screen writers, and publishers, including Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of Ocean; Bobby Moresco, the Academy Award winning screenwriter of the movie Crash; Sam Horn, author of Tongue Fu!; and Patricia Wood author of the bestselling book Lottery. (More at http://www.mauiwriters.com/index.html )
Also, please stay tuned to our site as we are planning an educational conference this October titled "EDUCATION OPTIONS IN THE ISLANDS" that will include guest speakers from private, public, home school and charter schools. Guest speakers include Fred Birkett, (Ed. M. Harvard) author of Charter Schools: The Parent's Complete Guide, Everything You Need to Know to Make the Right Decision for Your Child.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Aloha,
Jacqui Pirl
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)