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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2007 > October > 10 > Entry
Study: Private schools don’t raise student scores
(Students at Chaminade-Julienne, a Catholic school founded by two religious orders, wrap Chirstmas gifts for senior citizens last December.)
A new study of over 12 years of test scores and student data shows no advantage for poor urban children who choose private high schools over public schools.
The study was conducted by the Center on Education Policy, a group run by former Democratic congressman Jack Jennings that supports public schools. It looked at 1,000 urban students nationwide.
The results echo other recent studies but are different from the conclusions of prior research, which found private schools raised test scores.
The center took the recent studies, which controlled statistically for the impact of family factors, a step further by looking at student scores over a long period and examining where some of the kids ended up later in life. In most cases, private school graduates had no advantage.
“Instead, it appears that private schools simply have higher percentages of students who would perform well in any environment based on their previous performance and background,” Jennings said.
Harold Wenglinsky of Columbia University, the author of the study, said his findings suggest parents and home life have even more powerful effects on school achievement — and the schools have less influence — than is commonly believed.
Parents, he said, may expect too much if they believe a private school education by itself better prepares kids academically.
“The higher performance at private schools is more likely a reflection of the collective resources and support that these parents bring to the school than to factors intrinsic to the school setting,” he said.
Dayton school board member Jeff Mims, a former legislative lobbyist on behalf of urban public schools, said the finding show public schools are not inferior. The former Dayton Public Schools art teacher and soccer coach said many former students went on to successful lives.
“Regardless of where they come from or what school went to, they found a way to be successful,” he said. “Urban children, in a lot of cases if someone turns light on early enough, they fight harder to get where they are going.”
The profiles of successful people, Mims said, do not always include top-rated schools. What is common in those profiles is opportunities seized — top grades, perfect attendance, leadership in clubs and organizations and success in athletics, art or music.
“It’s those opportunities we need to duplicate for other students,” he said.
One exception in the study hit close to home for Dayton.
Wenglinsky found students that attended a subset of Catholic schools — those run by religious orders within the church — did show positive academic effects.
Thanks in part to the influence of the University of Dayton, which is run by the Marinanist order, religious orders have played a role in Catholic education here.
Ann Battes, a deputy superintendent for the Cincinnati Archdiocese, said schools run by religious orders emphasize their guiding values, such as community service, leadership or humility, and inspire in students a sense of mission.
Students leave those schools with academic skills and with something extra that may help them succeed.
“Everything we do is through a lens of faith,” she said. “How we approach problems and relationships should be impacted through our lives.”
Battes said she did not believe the study’s conclusion that private schools did not enhance kids academically.
“I think our public schools are doing a fine job,” she said. “I support them and want them to do well. But for Catholic schools it is hard to measure some of the intangibles.”
UPDATE: Read more about the study at the Center on Education Policy’s Web site.
(Image credit: Chris Stewart, DDN)
Permalink | Comments (12) | Categories: Private Schools
Comments
By Becky
October 16, 2007 5:27 PM | Link to this
Private school has it’s advantages because there is less crap going on in them. They are learning at a far more advanced pace. They are learning harder stuff and going farther with it. Dayton public schools ruins almost every one in it. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve lived it through family members. Public school is no good.By joe mamma
October 12, 2007 8:56 AM | Link to this
Scott…I really don’t know what to make of this study. I was under the impression that on average private schools spend less per student. So isn’t this study telling us that throwing money at schools is not the solution?By Gerber
October 12, 2007 5:50 AM | Link to this
I agree with the conclusions of the study and with Caroline. The biggest single factor in the future success of a child is his/her parents. This conclusion makes the case for vouchers. Why should the public pump money into government schools if parental involvement determines success, not smaller class sizes,teacher’s pay, or having a modern building?By Laura
October 11, 2007 7:47 PM | Link to this
There is nothing that stops teachers from using “teachable” moments to teach values. We can and do try to teach students how to make good choices in many areas. We can even expose students to various religions as long as we don’t teach just one or endorse one.By Peter J
October 11, 2007 8:37 AM | Link to this
So Scott, are you saying that the only Catholic Schools that have shown a measurable difference in positive academic effects are those run by religious orders? i.e. Marianist schools and not Archdiocesan schools…By null
October 11, 2007 12:27 AM | Link to this
As a parent of two previous Catholic school students, I have found Caroline and Oldprof’s opinions to be right on. I took both my children out of Catholic schools and have been very pleased with what they have learned now vs. if I would have continued where we were. I have always been involved in my childrens education and continue to coach them on how important it is to get a good education and learn as much as they can from every teacher. My youngest has always had very low test scores (25 percentile) and this year her test scores were above and beyond her grade level. I am pleased with our decision to move them and believe that what may be right for one student may not always guarantee success for another. I am just thankful that I had the courage to see there was a problem and do something about it especially since I always believed private schools were the only way for my children.By Concerned Mom of 3
October 11, 2007 12:12 AM | Link to this
I think the people who acknowledge the importance of parental involvement are absolutely on the mark. That is the definitely the greatest factor for determining a student’s success or failure in any school. Here are a few of my personal obervations when comparing public schools with Catholic schools… The nice thing about teaching in a Cathlic school is you don’t have to tip toe around teaching moral values. One of the main goals of the school is to teach values. (If I am not mistaken, I think the advertisements for Catholic schools use the motto “Teaching Values for a Lifetime.”) The teachers are encouraged to take advantage of the “teachable moments” for reinforcing the ten commandments. They also teach students about how to make wise choices in their lives. As with anything in life, there are advantages and disadvantages to everything… It is harder for Catholic schools to offer services to students on the extreme ends of the bell curve. The enrichment (or AP) classes may have fewer offerings in a catholic school than the local public school. (I am thinking of Oakwood, Centerville, and Kettering- not Dayton Public Schools. I know that Dayton’s gifted programs have taken a huge back seat with the recent levy failure.) Catholic schools have a very difficult time meeting the needs of children with special needs. The catholic schools can turn students away- and they do. The costs of providing classroom aides, and related services like speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and adapted physical education are very high. The private schools are not able to absorb those costs. In this regard, the catholic schools are missing an opportnity to truly embrace people of different abilities. (They are also missing the opportunity to “go out and serve” on a day to day basis.) I know that CJ will work with some students with disabilities… But this is a school by school decision. The special eduction laws do not apply to Catholic schools. I strongly support both public and private schools. Again, the key factor is parental involvement. The parents need to carefully consider which option is best for their child/children, make a decision and stick with it. (Stability is so important. Switching shools every year is not wise.) Parents should make a careful decision early on- and stick with it except in the case of an extreme circumstance. Sorry for the long post…By Oldprof
October 10, 2007 9:10 PM | Link to this
As more and more public money is diverted to private schools, the legislators and bureaucrats will exert more and more control over those schools—and slowly and surely, there will be no difference at all.By SDSwith5
October 10, 2007 9:06 PM | Link to this
There is not enough information here for me to make my own conclusion. Was the study done nationally or in one state? Did the survey conductors use a value-added method of comparison when analyzing their data (thereby indicating that the exact same students were followed for the same 12 year period of time)? Who was the control group? There are just too many unanswered, research based questions for me to put real stock into this claim at this time.By Rick
October 10, 2007 7:10 PM | Link to this
Ho-hum a study supported by a Center that supports public education, and which appears to contradict most previous studies. Scott, could it be that THIS study is biased? Even the author of this study acknowledged: The existence of a private school effect was first identified by James Coleman and his colleagues in a 1982 study (Coleman, Hoffer & Kilgore, 1982). That study found that, even after taking into account key background characteristics of students (mainly their socioeconomic status), students attending private high schools, on average, outperformed students attending public high schools. �Coleman and Hoffer in 1987 reanalyzed the national data from the 1982 study to respond to these criticisms and to replicate successfully their findings. Methodological issues aside, study after study has found a private school advantage. Studies of privately funded voucher plans in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Dayton, Ohio, initially found positive effects for African American students (Peterson & Howell, 2001) although in later years of the program these effects washed out (Howell & Peterson, 2002). And an evaluation of a statewide program in Florida found positive effects there as well (Greene, 2001). One other recent study has made use of longitudinal data that can address these issues. In a 2005 study, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) compared public and private high schools using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988-2000. NELS includes data not only on student achievement in high school, but also on educational outcomes after college, including civic-mindedness, job satisfaction, and educational attainment. The NAIS study found that the average private school student outperformed public school students on all of these measures. It did not, however, make full use of the data�s longitudinal nature.By Melanie Cameron
October 10, 2007 5:53 PM | Link to this
Dear Education Bloggers, The Supreme Court is hearing the NY vs. Tom F. case regarding special education and choice Missouri released a poll that reports teachers and citizens support school choice expansion. What do you think about the case before the Supreme Court? How about school choice getting high marks from Missouri�s teachers? Voice your thoughts at www.edspresso.comBy Caroline
October 10, 2007 5:43 PM | Link to this
This is no surprise to me. I have taught at both urban private and public schools. I have seen successful and unsuccessful students at both settings. The key to success is almost always parental involvement. Parents need to interact with their kids—read to them, talk to them about current events, etc. Parents need to show their kids that education is important, and they need to support teacher conferences and open houses. If parents depend on schools to raise their children, then they will be disappointed. Learning is easier at “calmer” schools where there are less disruptive students. However, if a student wants to be successful and work hard, they can do so at the DPS schools.