Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

We are seriously considering sending our boys to one of three Catholic elementary schools in the area. I have a teaching degree, about to complete a second one, have worked in the schools, etc but ALL related to public schools, standards and requirements. One of other other recent posts mentioned that Catholic schools are a bit behind educationally compared to public schools. How is this possible? The three schools we are looking at follow the Common Core standards that our local public school follows, they take the state tests and they only hire NYS certified teachers who have gone through the same requirements to become a teacher that the public school teachers have. I also read in the recent posts that the teachers aren't as good because they pay less so the good teachers are getting hired by the public schools. I don't know if the person who stated this knows anything about the teaching profession BUT there are NO teaching jobs right now. In fact, not only is it extremely hard to find a job but it is now hard to keep a teaching job once you get it. Every district around me is cutting programs, departments, and closing schools. Because of this, the Catholic schools, although paying much less, can be just as selective with their hiring process because even the great teachers can't find or keep a job. Also, getting a teaching job often...not always has nothing to do with how great of teacher you are. Most.... If not all...of the teachers I know got their jobs because of who they know. Even all of my professors who were admins, heads of departments or teachers all in Long Island school districts agreed, saying to use your contacts.

My point here is that Catholic schools can hire awesome teachers at a crappy price because of the unfortunate situation for teachers regarding getting a job in the public schools and even getting a Catholic school job at the low pay is hard because of all the unemployed teachers out there combined with the low enrollment in the schools often resulting in schools closing.

With this said, I have heard over and over that the students are behind public school kids. Why do you think that this happens given everything I stated above about the teachers being just as qualified and the school having to conform to state standards and testing?

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

Thank you for asking in such a nice way! I was going to ask this on the other thread and just figured I'd leave it alone since I am not one to get too involved in possible drama threads (and I've been around way long enough to know)....

For those that think this is true.... it it your opinion or experience? Do you have statistic to back it up? I'm just genuinely curious.

I went to Catholic schools my whole life. I went to a competitive, good-ranking HS and started on Biology, Chemistry, Physics and then took college level Micro-biology in senior year, along with advanced level English and calculus. I got to college having 9+ credits already.

I will say that based on my experience, my kids, in a Catholic school now, are on par with public school (my nieces and nephews are in public and some are same grade as my own kids, so I can compare easily). My kids can partake in numerous other courses for advancement, there is an honors program, and they partner with the HS for the junior high students to take classes there, taught by the HS teachers.

And aside from the new teachers in the past few years they have hired due to expanding enrollment (definitely not a decline at all!), all the teachers there average 15+ years teaching at the school, some with 20+ years. With such a low pay, I think that's dedication to the school, the students, the teachings, etc.

Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

I don't think Catholic schools are behind public schools at all. My one nephew moved from Catholic to public and was so bored - he had already learned the curriculum and had to wait for them to catch up. He moved back to Catholic school and is graduating 8th grade next month - top of his class, and going to a prestigious Catholic HS in Manhattan in the fall. His brother started out in public school and wasn't learning anything. He moved to Catholic school and it was so difficult for him because he was so far behind. He had a lot of catching up to do and they expect much more from him there than at the public school.

My DS goes to Catholic school and the teachers there chose to teach there because religion is very important to them, as it is to the school. They follow Common Core also. We've been happy with all his teachers so far.

I think it all depends upon the schools you are considering (both public and Catholic). I don't think you can broadly say one is better than the other, but in my experience Catholic is usually better. I think some people form the opinion that public is better because they often will have more extra curriculars (at grammar/middle school level - not HS) and that's very important to some people. As far as I'm concerned, I will sign my child up for lessons or whatever league sport if he's interested - I don't need those available at school. His school has art, music, computers, phys ed, library, etc like the public schools. That's what I expect at this level. Many of the Catholic HS are very big into sports and activities so there is no difference from public there.

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

I think, as I said in another post, it's impossible to make a blanket statement that all Catholic schools are better than public schools or that all public schools are better than Catholic schools. It depends upon the schools being compared.

However, I feel that Catholic schools get this incorrect reputation because people are rather misinformed. The judgments are often based off of things people "have heard" but have not experienced themselves at all. On top of that, some people do not want to believe that Catholicism is capable of any good at all, so these opinions spill over into their views about schools. Sorry to be so blunt...but I really do feel that's the truth.

Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

I have always heard that a lot of catholic schools had great sports programs and competitive academics. Some you need real good grades to get in (hs) St anthonyS and can't remember the name. Char??? My husband coaches football and always has great things to say about the catholic schools.

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

I have always heard the exact opposite!

I grew up attending public school. For HS my parents thought catholic school would be a better fit. I was SO BEHIND all the other kids who had gone to catholic their whole lives. I really struggled when I had done fairly well in public school the previous years. Also my catholic high school 75% was considered passing vs. 65% in public. They really raise the standard IMO.

Now my children attend catholic school. My nephew is one grade level above my oldest DC but goes to public school. Even though he is a grade ahead, they often times are learning the same things, assigned the same books to read, etc.
Also they have stopped teaching children how to write in cursive in public school ( I can't even wrap my head around that. Will these children growing up have signatures? will they be able to read cursive???) meanwhile my DC are ONLY allowed to write in cursive. Everything must be in cursive at all times. Homework, classwork, and all tests.
My nephew also didn't start learning a second language in school until middle school. Our catholic school starts teaching them Italian from Pre-K on.

I think much more emphasis is put on things public schools are lacking. Like handwriting, discipline. Not only are they getting a wonderful education but they are taught to be respectful and have good manners as well.

Message edited 5/26/2013 10:41:17 PM.

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

I am always surprised when I hear people say Catholic schools are behind. I live in what is considered a very desirable school district, and my kids go to a local Catholic school. My friends from the neighborhood who are doing public school have compared notes with me, and were surprised to see that the Catholic school kids were actually ahead in the material they were covering. According to them, the young grades at our Catholic school (my oldest is in 1st so I can't compare middle school, etc) were spending more time on science and social studies than in the public school too.

Someone else already alluded to this on this thread, but I think a lot of negative notions about Catholic school are really fueled by anti-Catholic sentiment in general.

That said, is Catholic school a perfect fit for everyone? No-- ESPECIALLY in the case of anything beyond very mild special needs and/or behavioral problems. Catholic schools are just not equipped with the resources to handle such needs. Also, I don't know if all Catholic schools are like this, but it might not be the best fit for a child with severe allergies. At least at my kids' school, it is not peanut free-- my DC bring PB&J practically every day. Homemade treats are allowed for birthdays and holiday parties too.

Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

I really do not think people think Catholic school gives a lesser quality education at all. We were all set to send DD to Catholic school but she is special needs and they do not have the facilities for her. Back when I was in school, all the kids in catholic school learned the same things we did plus some. When I went to college, I went to a Jesuit school and 90% of the kids graduated from a Catholic HS. They had a greater broad base knowledge than I did and I played catch up a lot the first year (with the exception of Math because I was offered Calculus one and two at HS). To this day I remember them knowing so much history and geography and I don't even think we learned geography in school. I think maybe the difference would be at the HS level in the amount of electives and AP courses that are offered but those can always be done after school hours or in partnership with a school district and even that differs from district to district.

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

I think the answer to this question depends entirely on the public school district and Catholic school you are comparing. We live in a top district on LI and, I will say, the Catholic school in our town definitely has the reputation for not being as good academically. My DS was in a Catholic private preschool and I would have loved to have him continue in the Catholic school setting for elementary but, I just couldn't do it given what I had heard. In fact, almost 50 kids came over from said catholic school this year alone to my DS's elementary school. Some of the mother's are my friends and they said they needed to get tutors to bridge the gap between what they had learned in the catholic school and what they were expected to know at the same grade level in the public school (4th grade).

This is nothing new to me...I went to Catholic school for one year in HS. I left the public school in classes one year ahead enriched - the entire yr at catholic school was a joke to me. When I came back to the public school I was no longer a year ahead enriched - but, just a year ahead.

That said, I do live in what has the reputation of being a top school district in LI. I do think it all depends on the schools being compared..

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

Just as you can't paint all public schools with the same brush, you can't do it for all Catholic schools. Your best bet is to look at the individual schools in your area to figure out which is best for your child.

I also want to add that many excellent teachers teach in Catholic or private schools because that is where they want to be. I am a former Catholic school teacher and had great experiences with some incredible teachers. Like any school or job, we had a few duds, but most of the teachers were good at their jobs, most had masters degrees (because like public schools there is a step increase in pay with higher education.) I left teaching, but if I hadn't, I would have stayed in Catholic school because I liked the mission, I liked the parental involvement and I liked that faith was part of the education.

Message edited 5/29/2013 12:13:32 PM.

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

I don't necessarily think they are behind. The one thing I've heard from several people is that if the child needs services...they are less likely to get them in a Catholic school. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

I absolutely disagree with that - and that's coming from someone who pulled their kid out of Catholic school.

I found the curriculum to be top notch where I sent my son. What I did find lacking was anything outside of the norm. That means accelerated classes & any special needs.

Also depending on the school & it's teaching, I'm not sure how "up to date" their health classes are & their teaching towards puberty, sex education, evolution.

I agree with the PP who said you can't make a blanket statement about any school.

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

Message edited 5/31/2013 10:13:42 AM.

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?

I teach in a catholic school and I don't think we are behind the public schools. I do think there are "better" catholic schools than others; but that can be said about public schools too. We follow the sane NYS curriculum and "common core" just like the public schools.

Re: Another Catholic school question. Why do people say they are behind public schools?