Why the declines at private schools?

All I hear from union types are grumping. How are the results coming out?

using public funds. I figure they can monitor who attends and who doesn't and where they get established. I imagine it's a way for some people to get what they want without paying for it. Those are usually rich people.

and are often worse than traditional public schools.

So you think teachers ought to be "at-will." Nobody in their right mind would go into this field if the jobs end up paying daycare wages.

How do they exist then?

Times are tough. Some people will work anywhere.

As for charters, many hire 'teachers' who aren't certified.

who apply. Same is true in private schools. It is hell to find teaching jobs in public education--there is NO shortage of teachers nationwide and never has been (there has been a geographical maldistribution of teachers, however, so some states had "shortages" while other states had huge gluts of applicants).

In my area, northern Nevada, the charter schools are overseen by the school district, and many of the staff members are actually school district employees who are allowed to take "leave" of their regular jobs for up to three years. These schools generally have a much higher turnover of staff, however.

The fact the school district oversees these schools, and actually has these schools listed on their website directory as part of the district, means there is no real "competition" out there for the district. But for a handful of private schools, the district is truly "the only game in town," as my union attorney told me. That's why they treat teachers like shit.

Charters then right?

Why pay when you can get it for free.

I also seriously doubt most parents are savvy enough to research test scores.

Private schools are rarely cheap. If your job is in danger (or gone) then the calculus changes re: how much you are willing to spend for the presumed better education of a private school.

Private school enrollment, especially for Catholic schools, has declined for decades. I attribute it to the fact Catholics are completely assimilated in the country as a whole, and there really is little need for a separate school system. Parents feel there is no point in spending the extra money when they can get "free" education in the public schools.

...but it's certainly true that there's no evidence that they're any better either.

Of course... then there's the debate re: how much test scores tell us in the first place. :)

The article also says:



Good for them.

And...



Regarding the decline of enrollment in religious schools, could another factor be the http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402199.html">decline of religious belief among people too? Also, I wonder if people are starting to be more open-minded and look beyond the "private > public" factor.