Marketwire - Low income families with children attending inexpensive private schools say their children do better academically and experience fewer social problems than children at public schools, according to the results of a new survey published by the Fraser Institute.
The survey and accompanying study - Low Incomes, High Standards, Can private schools make a difference for low income families? Findings from the Children First: School Choice Trust Parent Survey - examines the experiences and satisfaction levels of low income parents whose children attend inexpensive private schools compared to those who attend public schools.
Survey participants were drawn from Ontario families who applied for a grant through Children First: School Choice Trust to send their children to a private school.
Children First: School Choice Trust was launched by the Fraser Institute in 2003 to help low income families send their children to a school of their choice.
The program provides tuition assistance grants worth up to $4,000 per child, per year, to Ontario families whose average household income is less than $29,000 per year.
Survey participants were broken into three groups: families who received a Children First grant; families that did not receive a grant, but were still able to send their children to a private school; and families who did not receive a grant and whose children attended a public school.
For each question, Children First families reported that their children's academic performance improved and behavioural problems decreased, but there was no statistical difference between the scores of families who attended private schools with or without a Children First grant.
Significant differences were noted in the scores of families at private schools compared to those at public schools. In every case, a larger proportion of families with children at public schools reported that the child's academic performance, social skills and behaviour had worsened than did families with children at a private school.
Visit www.fraserinstitute.org for more information or to download a free PDF of the study.
