Public and Private Education in America: Examining the Facts

by Casey D. Cobb, Gene V Glass

Overview

This title will give students and other readers a clear understanding of the true state of public and private education systems in the United States by refuting falsehoods, misunderstandings, and exaggerations—and confirming the validity of other assertions.

This work is part of a series that uses evidence-based documentation to examine the veracity of claims and beliefs about high-profile issues in American culture and politics. Each book in the Contemporary Debates series is intended to puncture rather than perpetuate myths that diminish our understanding of important policies and positions; to provide needed context for misleading statements and claims; and to confirm the factual accuracy of other assertions.

This particular volume examines beliefs, claims, and myths about public and private K–12 education in the United States. Issues covered include categories of public and private schools and variations in academic performance and socioeconomic status therein; controversies surrounding school choice, including school vouchers and charter schools; accountability and assessment of private and public schools; debates about school environment, safety, and curricula; and teacher and administrator quality. All of these issues are examined in individualized entries, with objective responses grounded in up-to-date evidence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440863745
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/23/2021
Series:	Contemporary Debates
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.45(w) x 9.55(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Casey D. Cobb is Raymond Neag Professor of Educational Policy at the University of Connecticut. Cobb is is coauthor of Fundamentals of Statistical Reasoning in Education and Leading Dynamic Schools.

Gene V Glass is an American statistician and researcher working in educational psychology and the social sciences.

Table of Contents

How to Use This Book ix

Introduction xi

1 Private vs. Public Schools 1

Q1 Do students in private schools outperform students enrolled in public schools? 2

Q2 Are political conservatives and corporations the biggest supporters of privatization of the American K-12 school system? 7

Q3 Do private schools accept students with disabilities? 14

Q4 Are public and private school teachers similar in their educational and socioeconomic backgrounds? 18

2 School Choice: Competition, Stratification, Homeschooling, and Vouchers 21

Q5 Do market-based reforms such as school choice increase competition and improve school performance? 22

Q6 Do school choice programs contribute to the resegregation of American schools? 32

Q7 Does homeschooling lead to better outcomes for students than traditional public schools? 38

Q8 Do school vouchers produce better student outcomes? 45

Q9 Do education tax credits and education savings accounts divert money from public to private schools? 53

3 School Choice: Charter Schools 59

Q10 Do charter schools have significant variations in structure, operations, and performance from school to school? 60

Q11 Are charter schools actually public schools? 66

Q12 Are charter schools more innovative than traditional public schools? 79

Q13 Do charter schools perform better than traditional public schools? 85

Q14 Are poorly performing charter schools closed down? 95

Q15 Are most publicly funded charter schools operated by Education Management Organizations and Charter Management Organizations? 102

4 Standards, Accountability, and Assessment 111

Q16 Have standards-based reforms worked to improve the academic performance of American schoolchildren? 112

Q17 Are the Common Core State Standards a national initiative-and if so, do they amount to a national curriculum? 117

Q18 Has time that students spend preparing for and taking standardized tests increased dramatically in U.S. public schools? 121

Q19 Has high-stakes testing improved schools? 129

Q20 Is it difficult for public schools to fire bad teachers? 136

Q21 Do assessment systems exist that can accurately capture the value-added impact of teachers on their students' test scores? 144

Q22 Is the United States lagging behind other nations in K-12 education? 152

Q23 How are the political interests that shape education policy organized? 158

5 Teaching and Learning 165

Q24 Do later school start times make a difference in children's learning? 165

Q25 Is bilingual education effective? 171

Q26 Does homework increase student achievement? 180

6 School Environment 187

Q27 Are students disciplined disproportionately by race and gender? 187

Q28 Are small schools better than large schools in providing a quality education to students? 195

Q29 Are American schools less safe now than in the past? 200

Q30 Are public and private schools still racially and economically segregated? 204

Q31 Do today's full-time virtual schools offer a high-quality education for students? 208

Q32 Do students learn more in smaller classes? 216

Index 221

Editorial Reviews

A convenient, information-rich source for anyone interested in schooling; if it counters misperceptions about public schools, inspires policy, or even merely spurs research, it will have been a worthwhile acquisition.” —Library Jourbanal

“Recommended. General readers through graduate students; professionals.” —Choice

“If you are looking for a book to provide detailed research and findings that can help inform policy decisions, this book fits that purpose.” —The School Administrator

From the Publisher

""If you are looking for a book to provide detailed research and findings that can help inform policy decisions, this book fits that purpose.""

The School Administrator

"Recommended. General readers through graduate students; professionals."

Choice

★ 12/01/2021

Cobb (education, Univ. of Connecticut; Fundamentals of Statistical Reasoning in Education) and Glass (National Education Policy Ctr.) weigh 32 questions related to K-12 education, grouped under six topics: private vs. public; school choice; charter schools; standards, accountability, and assessment; teaching and learning; and school environment. The authors embrace objectivity, representativeness, and validity in education research, but they admit that the social constructs defining education make hard data elusive. A great deal rides on the answers, however. Their short answers (e.g., public schools perform as well as private schools) precede in-depth discussion of the facts behind the conclusions. International peer comparisons and political and corporate involvement are critically examined. The authors recognize that much debate comes down to tensions between liberty and equality, the individual vs. society. This volume's evidence—carefully collected, sorted, and assessed for statistical accuracy—is especially important for public schools, at a moment when education is increasingly viewed as a market commodity fostering competition—arguably threatening goals of inclusion, diversity, and democratic solidarity. VERDICT A convenient, information-rich source for anyone interested in schooling; if it counters misperceptions about public schools, inspires policy, or even merely spurs research, it will have been a worthwhile acquisition.—Patricia D. Lothrop, formerly at St. George's Sch., Newport, RI

Library Journal