Public and Private Education in America

Casey D. Cobb, Gene V Glass

This title will give students and other readers a clear understanding of the true state of public and private education systems in the United States by refuting falsehoods, misunderstandings, and exaggerations-and confirming the validity of other assertions.This work is part of a series that uses evidence-based documentation to examine the veracity of claims and beliefs about high-profile issues in American culture and politics. Each book in the Contemporary Debates series is intended to puncture rather than perpetuate myths that diminish our understanding of important policies and positions; to provide needed context for misleading statements and claims; and to confirm the factual accuracy of other assertions.This particular volume examines beliefs, claims, and myths about public and private K-12 education in the United States. Issues covered include categories of public and private schools and variations in academic performance and socioeconomic status therein; controversies surrounding school choice, including school vouchers and charter schools; accountability and assessment of private and public schools; debates about school environment, safety, and curricula; and teacher and administrator quality. All of these issues are examined in individualized entries, with objective responses grounded in up-to-date evidence.

Examines claims made by individuals and groups of all political backgrounds and ideologies

How to Use This BookIntroduction1 Private vs. Public SchoolsQ1. Do students in private schools outperform students enrolled in public schools?Q2. Are political conservatives and corporations the biggest supporters of privatization of the American K-12 school system?Q3. Do private schools accept students with disabilities?Q4. Are public and private school teachers similar in their educational and socioeconomic backgrounds?2 School Choice: Competition, Stratification, Homeschooling, and VouchersQ5. Do market-based reforms such as school choice increase competition and improve school performance?Q6. Do school choice programs contribute to the resegregation of American schools?Q7. Does homeschooling lead to better outcomes for students than traditional public schools?Q8. Do school vouchers produce better student outcomes?Q9. Do education tax credits and education savings accounts divert money from public to private schools?3 School Choice: Charter SchoolsQ10. Do charter schools have significant variations in structure, operations, and performance from school to school?Q11. Are charter schools actually public schools?Q12. Are charter schools more innovative than traditional public schools?Q13. Do charter schools perform better than traditional public schools?Q14. Are poorly performing charter schools closed down?Q15. Are most publicly funded charter schools operated by Education Management Organizations and Charter Management Organizations?4 Standards, Accountability, and AssessmentQ16. Have standards-based reforms worked to improve the academic performance of American schoolchildren?Q17. Are the Common Core State Standards a national initiative-and if so, do they amount to a national curriculum?Q18. Has time that students spend preparing for and taking standardized tests increased dramatically in U.s. public schools?Q19. Has high-stakes testing improved schools?Q20. Is it difficult for public schools to fire bad teachers?Q21. Do assessment systems exist that can accurately capture the value-added impact of teachers on their students' test scores?Q22. Is the United States lagging behind other nations in K-12 education?Q23. How are the political interests that shape education policy organized?5 Teaching and LearningQ24. Do later school start times make a difference in children's learning?Q25. Is bilingual education effective?Q26. Does homework increase student achievement?6 School EnvironmentQ27. Are students disciplined disproportionately by race and gender?Q28. Are small schools better than large schools in providing a quality education to students?Q29. Are American schools less safe now than in the past?Q30. Are public and private schools still racially and economically segregated?Q31. Do today's full-time virtual schools offer a high-quality education for students?Q32. Do students learn more in smaller classes?Index