Differences+Between+Private+and+Public+Kindergarten+Education

There is a common debate over the issue of whether or not there are differences in public education and private education. Many studies have been performed in public and private high schools; however, this article examines the differences between public and private education at the kindergarten level. [] One difference between public and private kindergarten education discussed is how public schools and private schools are governed. Public schools, as most know, are headed by the state in which they are located. Because of this, the public schools must have a standardized curriculum, even for kindergarten. Carbonaro (2006) states, “When combined with pressures for testing early in students’ elementary school careers, it is possible that the importance of academic skill building has supplanted other goals” (p. 4). This means that because public schools are worried about testing and meeting the state standards, other skills that are important in an educational setting, especially in early education, are not as stressed as academic skills. In private schools, however, the curriculum does not have to be restricted by state standards, so preparing students for later tests is not as much of a major concern as in public schools. This means that private schools can have a “less academically oriented” curriculum, as Carbonaro (2006) states, putting “more emphasis on socialization skills,” as well as focusing on “artistic and creative endeavors more heavily” (p. 4). Because of this difference in governance, there are differences in public school and private school curricula, including of kindergarten, affecting the educational environment of young children.

Another difference between public schools and private schools that is a major concern for parents when deciding to enroll their children in kindergarten is class size. In public schools, class sizes are more likely to be larger than in private schools, shown in the study Carbonaro (2006) presents in his article (p. 6). In contrast, private schools tend to have smaller class sizes. This is because private schools can deny admittance to children if smaller class size is desired. Betts and Shkolnik (as cited in Carbonaro, 1999) found that “some research suggests that a teacher can devote more time and attention to individual students when class size is smaller” (p. 6). This could be the reason why kindergarten students in private schools, which tend to have the smaller class sizes, learn more and perform better than those in public schools, because they are simply getting more individual attention. Whether or not those kindergarten students learn more in private schools, class size is important to consider when enrolling children in kindergarten.

References Carbonaro, W. (2006). Public-private differences in achievement among kindergarten students: differences in learning opportunities and student outcomes. //American// //Journal of Education//, //113//(1), Retrieved from []