The Shifting School Equation
There wasn’t room to discuss it yesterday, but we suspect the public/private school issue is on a number of people’s minds. Over the weekend, The Times ran an article about the number of people who bought their apartments in recent years with the assumption that they would send their kids to private school. Now that…
There wasn’t room to discuss it yesterday, but we suspect the public/private school issue is on a number of people’s minds. Over the weekend, The Times ran an article about the number of people who bought their apartments in recent years with the assumption that they would send their kids to private school. Now that the economic downturn has made that a more difficult proposition, they are left to confront the limitations of their own school district. In some cases, parents are even considering renting a cheap apartment within a good school district just to get access—after all, it would be cheaper than the $30,000+ tuition in Manhattan. (It’s more like $25,000 here in Brooklyn.) Question for the renters and those in the market to buy in Brooklyn: Has the school issue shifted your real estate plans since the downturn began?
The Sudden Charm of Public School [NY Times]
Photo by Steve and Sara
Bedstuy11216, that is the most intelligent thing anyone has said about education here in a long time. It is also the only sensible thing to do, given the state of the system. Your statement should be plastered in the Times, and sent to every parent in this situation.
In all honesty, I don’t know what all the hubbub is all about… you’ll only have to live for 15 or so years under the direct “leadership” of this up and coming maladjusted, close-to-illiterate generation. Then you’ll be dead and you can let the Mad Max world take over…
I have two kids, with a third on its way (possibly today – contractions coming pretty regularly now). The eldest will be starting kindergarten in the fall of 2010. My thoughts:
1. Physical safety is the only must-have in my kids’ school.
2. Acedmics are a distant second. All the focus on “academics” for 6-year olds has always struck me as a bit ridiculous. Kids do NOT – I repeat NOT – need to get into the “right” elementary school in order to grow up and get an ivy league education or whatever it is you will push your kids into. I went through one of the worst public school systems in rural New England until I dropped out of high shool at 16 (never even got a GED), and now I am an accomplished lawyer. Schooling is often irrelevant. Upbringing is so much more important.
3. Live for yourself. Don’t live for your children. Keep them safe and let them grow up and be happy. If you impose a bunch of overachieving values on them they will end up talking about you on a therapist’s couch some day. Chances are, your kids are just normal, even though most of you probably insist they are gifted. Love them for the normal kids they are.
Here I am being judgmental again. Oh well.
Chicken Jr is being pulled out of private to go to public next year. Going to spend the money on a flash car instead.
no ringo, i totally understand your point. my comment above was perhaps a bit too simple and granted i dont have kids to begin with so some would think i shouldnt even be in this thread to begin with. but a lot of times people have to learn to work with what they have. that might mean a subpar school, but hey you know, when life gives you lemons (and it’s giving us a lot of lemons these days!).
and speaking of middle schools.. gack! when i accidentally pass a middle school getting let out i run! literally! lol.
i got pelted with rocks once on the LES! (tho actually that was a high school that got let out hahahah)
*rob*
Instead of complaining and trying to squeeze ever more kids into the already overtaxed “Good” schools, target an underfunctioning school but one that shows some promise and has an administration open to new ideas and partnerships. Organize and recruit your fellow wealthy parents to commit to sending their kids. Instead of $25- 30,000 a year have each of them commit to contribute at least $3,000 per child. Focus on something the funds will go to that will improve the overall quality of the school (library, computers, science lab, gym equipment, sound and lighting equipment for the auditorium, chess teacher, art supplies, after school program). Have them use their lofty connections to get organizations to partner with the school. Create a relationship with local politicians to get your chosen school on the radar. With extra funds and a heatlhy partnership between parents and school administrators, within two years you will see a turn around.
No sympathy from me either. I have to heartily agree with Rob here.
We pour gazillions of dollars into our public school system only to have a mere quarter of it worth going to, according to many. With better off, smart, educated people doing whatever possible, short of illegality to get their kid into one of these schools, it kind of begs the question as to the fate of the kids in the remaining 3/4 of the system, whose parents aren’t as smart, connected or even concerned. Where is the money going, and why can’t this get fixed? Long, and old rant that cannot be answered here, I know.
I can understand, however, the concern for good schools, and good educational opportunities, they are one of the foundations of a successful life, but to rent another apartment so your kid can go to a ‘good’ KINDERGARTEN? Come on. Kindergarten? Getting them into a decent middle and high school is one thing, but I would think the first couple of years of school in a place that is clean, safe and has caring teachers could be found in more places than just the “best” districts. These people need to suck it up, and figure out how to put that apartment money into helping directly in the education of their child, such as in buying art supplies, or books, finding time to volunteer in the school, and doing whatever is possible to make that school a great school for all of the kids. You shouldn’t HAVE to do those things, but the reality is, you do. Lots of concerned parents who have never had the wherewithal to consider private schools have been doing so for a long, long time.
Meh. I don’t think Rob nailed much more than public sentiment of people without young children.
If a school is bad because 70% of the kids’ parents suck, exactly what can the parents of a kindergarten student do to make the other parents discipline their children?
While the parents in aggregate can certainly be blamed, intentionally sending your kid to a school that does not provide a good environment for learning because you think you can make up for that by being super-dad or whatever is naive, foolish, and irresponsible.
My kid has a few years before kindergarten, and I expect to move twice before he starts school. Once this year to wherever we find the best deal for now. And once again 2-3 years from to move (hopefully to buy) in a neighborhood with a school district I’m comfortable with.
As for private school, we’ve always planned to send our kid to public school, but having gone to a lousy (and 95% white, fwiw) public school myself, I would seriously consider private school if I couldn’t find a good public option, although it would be hard to afford (and we certainly couldn’t buy a place and pay for private school).
Thanks for the link to the Daily News article. If the elementaries get too overcrowded, the obvious place to make room is to eliminate public school pre-k altogether. Most friends and family I know who live in other cities, and even the suburbs, don’t have public pre-k in elementary schools. It’s a great thing and prepares kids for K, but given a choice, I’d prefer a less crowded K-5 elementary with the city/state subsidizing universal pre-k at private nursery schools for those who can’t afford it. That’s what happens in most other places. In fact, full-day K is also something NYers take for granted and in many places, K in still a half day. So the expectation that the city should provide full-day pre-k for kids isn’t realistic. In fact, the DOE would be using scarce resources more wisely if they got rid of sibling priorities for pre-K and made those spots income-based.
Rob, I also posted on the previous forum post that parents can certainly improve schools if they make the effort. PS 107, mentioned in the article and one of the most successful schools (score-wise) was certainly not a desirable school 6 or so years ago, when everyone tried to get kids into 321 by hook or by crook, or chose charter schools like Brooklyn New School and Childrens School. Now see it bursting at the seams and enormously popular after a few short years. There’s no reason to think this won’t happen again in the future — I find it odd that all these articles make no mention of this as even being a possibility.