Scholarship Funding Organizations

One of the basic differences between private and public schools is the fact that most public school teachers belong to a union. Does that make a difference for public school teachers? Does having a unionized faculty benefit schools? How did unions get involved with public education? Are private school faculties unionized? Basically, the question is, should teachers be unionized or not? My answer to that question is "Yes" if you teach in a public school and "No" if you teach in a private school. Let me explain why.

In Public Schools: The Case for Protection and Leverage

Public schools are essentially controlled by the government at the local, state, and national levels. They also are funded by taxpayers at all those levels. So it makes sense for teachers to want and need some protection from and leverage with those three quarters. The most potent protection public school teachers have is their union. Teacher unions also furnish the leverage or negotiating strength necessary to engage administrations in frank discussions about matters like compensation, class size, accountability, etc.

Private schools are funded primarily by the tuition fees paid by their customers, i.e., the parents of their students. Endowments and fundraising make up the delta between what tuition raises and the actual expenses for the school year. Income and expenses must align. Each private school is an independent corporate entity controlled by school trustees, not governments. Each private school has its own particular mission and educational goals. Each school hires teachers

When you compare public and private K-12 schools, there are several things in public schools which you will not find in private schools. Those points of comparison are points which parents consider when thinking about sending their children to private school. Large class sizes, lack of consequences for unacceptable behavior, lack of parental involvement as well as cuts to activities and programs are not things that you will commonly find in private schools as a rule.

Large class sizes

Teaching a large class of students, say, 30-40 students of any age, creates all sorts of classroom management issues for even the most experienced teachers. Maintaining control over a large number of students is possible but decidedly difficult. As a result, one of the reasons parents send their children to private school is for the individual attention which small class sizes afford. It is relatively easy for a child to hide in a large class. That's not so easy to do when you have 12-15 students sitting around a table with their teacher. After all, you want your child to interact with her teachers. You don't want her to end up hiding in the back of a large classroom. You sent her to private school so she could learn.

When you have 12-15 students in a class, you really can teach. Discussions, analyses, and explanations are much easier to facilitate with a smaller group. Everybody's opinion matters. From the teacher's perspective, it is much easier to assess progress when

• "Popular teacher murdered"
• "Accusations of sex abuse at prestigious private school"
• "Lavish expenditures on headmaster's house renovations"

I am not making these up. These are examples of incidents that have actually taken place at private schools.

• In the course of running any business, things happen that can generate negative and unwanted publicity.
• A private school is a business. How you handle a crisis will have a huge impact on the future of your school.

It's the head of school's worst nightmare to read a story about something that happened at his school.

• It's a parent's worst nightmare to read a story about something that happened in her children's school.
• It's a teacher's worst nightmare to be in the midst of the maelstrom, which is the evolving story with all its investigations.

Managing A Crisis

The Head of School's Role

21st-century heads of schools know that they cannot simply circle the wagons and deny the existence of the story. A couple of decades ago, when social media and blogs did not exist, the fortress mentality was how many heads handled tough situations.

• You expelled a few students and fired some staff, and hopefully, the matter was put to rest permanently. Not anymore.
• Unfortunately, smartphones flash photos, comments, and opinions around the world in seconds.
• Your story better deal with all those reports effectively and professionally.

These days, when bad press appears, it takes on a life of its own.

• It is bad enough to see a column

Opinion

Private school vouchers are available in one form or another in thirteen states and the District of Columbia. That being so, I wondered whether schools which accept vouchers are subject to state regulations over and above what they normally would be subject to. The National Conference of State Legislatures has a useful State-by-State Comparison of School Voucher Laws which allows you and me to compare the various programs.

Background

Currently thirteen states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws which provide scholarships for students meeting specific conditions so they can attend private school. These scholarships are generally referred to as vouchers. Do these private school voucher programs give parents' the choices they desire? Do private schools' give up their most cherished feature, namely, their independence? How are these programs working? What results are they achieving?

John Stoessel and others make the case for vouchers.

Most voucher programs have good intentions. They seek to give parents options in a specific set of circumstances. Sometimes the state voucher law is written to give vouchers to students with a learning disability. Other laws are written with low-income families in mind. Interestingly enough there seem to very few conditions which the private schools accepting vouchers have to meet. If the school merely accepts students without being concerned as to the source of their funding, the school apparently does not have to sacrifice any of