Catholic Schools vs. Charter Schools in the United States

By: Caitlyn Melville and Mryia Cadle

Here in the United States, there are several different schools that students can attend

In this PowerPoint, we will discuss Catholic, parochial schools and charter schools, including the positive and negative aspects of each

Caitlyn attended Catholic school and Mryia attended a charter school, so our personal opinions are intertwined in this presentation. We hope you enjoy it!

Introduction

Textbook Definitions A parochial school is defined at a

school operated by a religious group. Today, in the United States, the term most often refers to a school governed by the local Catholic parish or diocese (Koch 64). 18 interscholastic sports and 24 clubs and organizations that students were encouraged to join. Parochial schools are not funded by the government and are not mandated by local, state or national government. There is a tuition fee to attend parochial school. It is estimated to cost between $4500 and $7500 for a parochial high school per year (unfortunately, my tuition was much more).

A charter school is a publicly funded elementary or secondary school that is granted a special charter by the state or local education agency (Koch 176). Charter schools are usually free from some rules and restrictions of regular public schools. It allows for teacher creativity and freedom of control for their own classrooms.

Uniforms

Caitlyn’s Experience Mryia’s Experience

At Notre Dame, we were required to wear uniforms that consisted of a plaid kilt, a white polo shirt, school sweater, dress shoes and knee socks or tights. I believe that uniforms made it easier for students to get to school on time; just throw it on, (as long as it is ironed, of course) and go! It was an all girls school so we did not feel the need to impress each other!

At the Manatee School for the Arts, you could choose what kind of pants you were going to wear so long as they fit in with the normal uniform restrictions. I felt that this really alleviated a lot of stress on the student body because clothes can often be used as a tool for self segregation.

We both seem to agree that some sort of uniform is beneficial to the students. We have both been required to wear a uniform, yet we still both think they were advantageous. Uniforms can be a controversial, hot topic. What are your thoughts? This could be an interesting discussion!

Uniforms (Continued)

Teacher’s Opinions

Catholic School Charter School

Caitlyn interviewed Chris Bianchi. “Teaching here is a true pleasure. I love being able to teach in any format that really speaks to the girls; I don’t have to teach to the test(speaking about standardized tests) and that in itself allows me more freedom to teach topics that are useful and engaging for my students” (Bianchi).

Mryia interviewed Cindy Willis. “You teach the same skill sets, but you get to choose how to present them, it really lends itself to your own teaching abilities and not the states" (Willis).

Positive Aspects

Catholic School Charter School

Rigorous curriculum; always feel challenged to do your best

Opportunity to explore your faith

Small class size Easy to make friends No standardized tests! In my case, numerous

interscholastic sports and clubs to join

Teachers are not just teachers, they are mentors and role models

Open and accepting, allows creativity

Allowed to mingle with upper and lower classmen, male and female

Small class size Get to know everyone

and make friends Many opportunities,

especially with the arts and academically

Negative Aspects

Catholic School Charter School

Sometimes, in elementary school, you are stuck with the same 20 students, every day, from kindergarten through 8th grade. That is hard if you don’t get along with those kids

Need to apply; highly selective process

Entrance exam and interview required

Tuition can be expensive Uniforms

Small graduating class

Need to apply Uniforms Higher teacher

turnover rate than most schools

May be difficult for these schools to find funding

Pictures

Notre Dame Academy, Hingham, MA

Manatee School for the Arts, Palmetto, FL

School Logos

Notre Dame Academy Manatee School For the Arts

Examples of Uniforms

NDA Uniform Manatee School for the Arts Uniform

Manatee School for the Arts (http://www.msfta.org/site/default.aspx?PageID=1)

Notre Dame Academy (http://www.ndahingham.com/)

School types: The difference between public, private, magnet, charter, and more (http://www.babycenter.com/0_school-types-the-difference-between-public-private-magnet-ch_67288.bc?page=1)

Web Links

Bianchi, Christopher. E-mail interview. 25 January, 2012.

Koch, Janice. So You Want to Be a Teacher? Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. Print.

Willis, Cindy. Personal interview.31 January, 2012

Works Cited