Johnny Duddy

Multimodal Essay

Intro to Rhetoric

5/7/2023

Private vs Public Education

For as long as many can remember in the modern day of education there is a constant

dilemma consistent among parents when they are choosing whether or not to send their children

to private or public education for high school. There are so many pros and cons for each side. As

the author of this piece, I feel as though it’s right to address the audience with the fact that there

may be a bit of bias in this essay. I myself, attended a private Jesuit high school, named Boston

College high school in Dorchester Massachusetts. Where I had an extraordinary experience, and

even though my education there is concluded once I graduated this past spring the alumni

connection is palpable even only through my first year of college. As a student here at Fairfield

University it is not difficult to acknowledge the fact that a large number of students attended a

private high school. It almost has its own culture to it. When doing my research, I made sure to

bring it up with a handful of my friends to see what their opinions on the matter were, whether

they attended private or public, and whether or not they felt as though their education set them up

for college and beyond. Private schools, despite the higher cost, provide a superior education and

produce better futures in public schools due to their smaller class sizes, specialized programs,

and higher academic standards.

 When asked to conduct a survey in our English class I took it upon myself to ask questions that

I thought would be applicable to any sort of educational background. To be fair the sample size

on the survey is quite small, as only a fraction of the class went ahead and took the survey.

Despite the low numbers it does show suggest that some students in our English class attended

public school, and 66% of students claimed that they are high school set them up well enough to

succeed in college. However that means that 33% of students do not believe that their high

school did such a job. One real life scenario that I believe is one of the biggest attractions to a

private school education is the specialized programs. Private schools often have a low student

teacher ratio which allows for students to identify with what they believe they will excel in

earlier on in their academic careers. For me personally. When I was a sophomore in high school I

joined the inaugural cohort of the Michael D White center for emerging leaders. This was an

opportunity to be part of a group of students who are like-minded in the sense that we wanted to

grow up to be leaders in our own individual fields. After speaking with some of my friends here

at Fairfield I’ve come to understand that this is not a common occurrence. As a matter of fact

almost no public schools have a program like that and if they do, it is once in a blue moon. It ties

in so well with the concepts of alumni connections. Michael White whom is name is used in the

program. Donated countless amounts of money so that that center for emerging leaders could

become a reality for students like myself. In my experience a large benefactor in a students

overall time at a public school revolves around the amount of people that truly care for each

individual student and will move mountains in order for a path to be paved for each student.

Whether it is in the writing center in the library, or even after school tutoring. It could be

coaches, or mentors or even your peers. It is a norm for this to be a reality, because Morceau at a

private school than a public school, it’s genuinely considered “cool” to be smart. Outside
Fairfield University on a worldwide basis some of these themes still ring true. “It is suggested

that the Hong Kong education authorities reassure parents about the quality of teaching in

primary schools and publicly pronounce on the potential value of after school private tutoring.”

(Tse, S. K.) Statistically some of the smartest students around the world are from the Hong Kong

area. And when it is put on display that even these bright students excel with one-on-one

attention, it should be an obvious green flag when it comes to private schools offering smaller

class sizes with an opportunity of having one on one interactions with teachers on a regular basis.

There’s consistent evidence that shows that the smaller class sizes make a difference, one

universal way to test this theory is with standardized testing. Before student goes into college it’s

heavily suggested and in someplace is mandatory for each individual to take the SAT, or ACT.

They both claim that they are measures of a student’s academic success. These exams are often

studied for months in advance and students will receive tutoring if they see it that way. “In fact,

private school students outscored public school students by at least 20% on all four areas of the

AC T; English reading math and science.” (Lydia Martin). A very popular and equally legitimate

counter argument for my thesis is simply revolving around the price, sending students as young

as 14 or 15 years old to a school that can cost as much as it does to go to college might seem far-

fetched too many. And logically thinking perhaps it does. However, it’s often talked about, your

return on investment. If the students so choose to indulge in the programs offered at a private

school and immerse themselves in the education that it is offered, then it is more likely that the

student will get into a college or university with a scholarship of some sort. Thus, making money

back that had previously been invested in their education.

Finally, outside academics it is important to know the extracurricular activities are an

important culture when it comes to private education. Sports teams are taken almost as seriously
as professional ones. And clubs are robust and open to anyone. This goes hand-in-hand with the

concept that private schools receive funding from alumni in order to fulfill certain wishes for the

extracurricular activity aspect. In conclusion, the decision to attend a private or public high

school is a personal one that should be based on the needs and goals of the student and their

family. Private schools offer smaller class sizes and more rigorous academic programs, while

public schools are typically more affordable and can be more convenient for families in the time

being. It is important to consider all of these factors when making this important decision.

Sources cited:

Tse, S. K. (2014). To what extent does hong kong primary school students’ chinese reading
comprehension benefit from after-school private tuition?  Asia Pacific Education Review, 15(2), 283-
297. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-013-9307-4

Author’s first and last name (or organization’s name): Lydia Martin
Title of the article: Public vs. Private School: Interesting Statistics
Title of journal, magazine, or website where the article is published: Friends Central School Blog
Title of library database (if it is a library source): N/A
Date of publication: January 25, 2022
Page numbers (if applicable): N/A
Date you accessed the source: April 21, 2023