Education has long been termed as the universal “key to success.” This is attributed to the fact that it is only through good education that we equip ourselves with the best skills both mentally and physically to yield positive results in our journey for success.
However, education without direction is not effective, and as such, it is of equal importance that one understands their strength and weaknesses to balance them to achieve the best results in all their endeavors.
The educational system of a society is fundamental to the development and ultimate advancement of the entire community.
Educators and governments all over the world have acknowledged that teaching practices can have a significant effect on the education of the population leading to a significant impact on economic and social outcomes of their citizens (Merseth, 1997).
For this reason, high educational achievements have been seen as favorable for a nation’s well being. However, over the last few decades, it has been argued that students in parochial schools have had higher educational achievements than their public school counterparts.
This study shall, therefore, analyze the principal points of conflict between these two educational systems. The benefits and shortcomings of each system shall be evaluated in a bid to justify or discard this claim.
In most avenues in life, for someone to achieve significant success, he/she has to have the backing of skilled, resourceful and capable people. This statement holds for education institutes as well and at times the very success or failure of individual hinges on the educational institute and its members.
The faculty members consist of the educators on whose skills students rely on to ensure their success in their endeavors. The achievements which fall under each member of the faculty reflect heavily on the student’s education.
This is because with achievement comes profound aptitude in the respective certain discipline. Therefore, if the educators in the school have under their belts numerous achievements, it can be deduced that they have honed their skills in their respective field.
In today’s aggressive business world, it takes more than mere raw skill and intuition to curve a notch in the market.
A solid educational background proves invaluable and enables one to remain competitive in an environment that is constantly being flooded by skilled personnel (Alexander, 2005).
The parochial schools have been praised for promoting discipline and respect for authority among their students (Fraser, 2000). This is true considering that they are based on the fundamentals of religion.
Also, these schools hold very strong feelings towards rules and the adherence of the same. As such, students in parochial schools work harder and disciplinary cases are rare. This makes the likelihood of dropouts very low.
On the other hand, public schools are characterized by a high degree of freedom among the teachers and students.
Disciplinary cases are very high because the main focus in these institutions is often imparting knowledge to the student as compared to parochial schools whose main focus is promoting moral standards among their students.
Most people are content with whichever quality of education they get. However, parochial schools are very serious about the quality of education they offer (Fraser, 2000).
While it is true that one’s efforts determine whether they succeed in education, Merseth (1997) asserts that the quality of education offered also contributes a great deal to a person’s success. To this effect, public schools have been hailed for offering quality education.
This can be attributed to the fact that they are required by law to have adequate learning equipment, more subjects and extracurricular activities (Alexander, 2005).
Parochial schools have limited resources due to low financial base. This means that they offer the fewer subject, are not adequately equipped and often have fewer extracurricular activities.
Public schools provide educational programs consisting of subjects that impart general knowledge and development to the students in terms of rational thinking and intellectual capabilities.
Also, the extracurricular activities in these schools enable students to learn the importance of teamwork and conflict resolutions.
In as much as parochial schools may seem appealing, they do not consider the impact of interaction (positive as well as negative) and competition to the future of the student.
School settings are characterized by peer groups, high competition and are very interactive.
From these aspects, students are able to learn the value of teamwork, how to cope in competitive times, how to strategize, apply the available resources to the maximum and how to interact (respect and social ethics) with different people.
Parochial schools discourage interaction among students and are very strict thereby denying the students their right to free will. As such, students from parochial schools are more conservative and cannot adequately make decisions as compared to their counterparts in public schools.
Also, parochial schools do not offer many subjects as compared to public schools mainly due to financial constraints.
To this effect, students from parochial schools are bound to have a difficult time in adapting to change than students from public schools whose curriculums are extensive and prepare them for various challenges in this ever so dynamic world.
References
Alexander, K. M. (2005). American Public School Law. NY: Cengage Learning.
Fraser, J. W. (2000). Between Church and State: Religion and Public Education in a Multicultural America. NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Merseth, K. K. (1997). Cases in Educational Administration.USA: Longman.