You know, I think you may have it wrong. Of course, we're both talking anecdotally here and it would be nice to have statistics to back up either of our claims. But let me give you more anecdotal evidence. I believe from having talked to a couple of my previous professors that the idealists DO initially head to public schools. But after a few disenchanting years, they start to look for positions with private schools. The reason isn't money. The reason given is almost uniformly, "I wanted to make a difference." In public schools, more often than not, the teachers feel like they are trying to empty an ocean with a spoon. But in private schools, these idealistic teachers can see with their own eyes that they are making a difference. At the end of the day, we are all human beings. Most humans need to feel appreciated and to experience the rewards of their efforts. That is why private schools have better teachers.
Now for fact based evidence, which trumps your anecdotals. Private schools have a higher college matriculation rate, higher SAT scores, higher average post-education earnings rate, and a lower drop-out rate. All of this is directly correlated to the higher quality teachers in private schools. Ergo, private schools have better teachers. |
