Shouldn't We Make Public Schools Like the Best Private Schools?

So, I read this article about private schools and the best practices of the leading independent schools in our country. The article makes the point that private schools are themselves market-driven and that if anyone would adopt reforms along the lines of those pushed by "corporate" reformers, it'd be private schools. After all, if they don't produce results, parents won't shell out the cash to send their kids, right?

The article makes some good points -- namely, that teacher pay is relatively predictable (there aren't typically huge bonuses or merit pay programs), that firing is rare and that evaluations are not usually based on student test scores.

Then I had the good fortune to spend an entire day (a full 18 hours) at a well-regarded private school with a high school speech team I help coach.

Which caused me to think about the article. And about education reform in general.

This particular school has nice facilities -- they are not opulent, but they are excellent. And we know from research that school buildings matter.

Parents spend about $15,000 per year to send their children there. While there are also fundraisers and other sources of income, it's fair to say this school assesses the cost of educating each child at $15,000 per year. That's almost double the state average per pupil spending in Tennessee.

The school also pays teachers relatively well. Not long ago, a friend of mine was leaving his teaching job there. When his position was advertised, the starting salary was listed at $52,000. Most Tennessee teachers would have to earn a Master's degree and teach 15 years to earn that amount. But that's the starting pay they were offering. I don't know how their pay scale works over time, but even if that teacher received no raises for 10 years, they'd be nicely ahead of their public school counterparts.

Students and teachers at this and other leading private schools also have access to excellent resources -- including textbooks and materials that are not 10-12 years old.

So, let's review. Excellent education is obtained in private schools without all the "cool" reforms currently being pushed on public schools. The essence is this: Spend enough on students to ensure access to excellent educational resources, pay teachers well and offer them stability, house the school in a nice, clean building that is fully functional (not in portable trailers).

That's it. Private schools have no incentive to engage in these practices if they are not working. Parents would simply spend their money elsewhere.

We simply need leaders with the will to not only demand these things, but also to make them happen.