Allright so here's a shocker. Private schools actually spend less money per pupil than public schools and are more efficient. Since I went to public school in high school (even though it really should have been a private school the way it was run), I sort of have a distorted view of private schools. I see these ritzy schools with marble floors where kids are picked up and dropped off in bentlies. Well, that's not the case. Most private schools are very modest and about 76% of private schools have some religous affiliation.
Also, private schools on average are reported to spend about 1/3 the amount per pupil that public schools are. Public schools spend about six thousand dollars per pupil while private schools spend around two grand. Now we do have to take into account that private schools don't have to have school lunch programs and transportation, but such a finding seems quite the paradox.
I personally think that private schools spend less because they are not constantly under watch by the community. They have more incentives to look at creative ways of spending money to improve school performance and it seems to have worked. Private schools are reported to have more integration, higher student performance and more student civil action.
I don't think that public education should be taken away because it's the only way to ensure education for all, but maybe our public schools should try to take a few tips from private schools.
Interesting blog. I've come across similar research about private school spending. But I disagree that public education is the only institution capable of ensuring "education for all." There is historical evidence ranging from Ancient Greece to 19th century America, that fully private systems can and did make education widely accessible to their populations ("Market Education, The Unkown History", Andrew Coulson). Athens for instance had no government in education and not only made education widely affordable, but was the intellecutal and cultural capital of the ancient world. Literacy in America was reported to be as high as 90% on the US Census prior to public schooling, and it was rising.
Competitition between schools brings costs down. Remember that America depends completely on the private sector for basic goods such as food and clothing, and they are available to all. In fact, we enjoy an enormous amount of social equality in these areas as well. It is difficult to determine a person's income by their attire, just as Donald Trump and I go to the same store for hot dogs.