Data from the latest Kansas state assessments shows that students in private school districts do better than students in comparably sized public school districts. This holds true for both tested subjects: math and ELA (reading).
Comparing private school to public school test data is not an easy task since there are only a relative handful of private school districts in the state due to a lack of school choice.
That notwithstanding, Table 1 (math) and Table 2 (ELA) compare the five largest private school districts – Kansas City Catholic Dioceses, Wichita Catholic Diocese, Salina Catholic Diocese, Lutheran Schools of Topeka, and Dodge City Catholic Diocese – with three similar sized public districts for each. The data in the tables represents the percentage of students who tested proficient in those two subjects.
The comparisons are in two student groups: all students and low income students.
The data speaks for itself. In almost every instance, a higher percentage of private district students tested proficient than those in similar sized public districts.
In previous analyses, KPI has compared private to public state assessment achievement using different methodologies. The results are always the same. Overall, students do better in private districts than in public districts year after year.
Coupling those consistent results with the latest NAEP scores, it behooves the leadership in Kansas to do something about it.
As of this writing, President Trump is attempting to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Whether the president has the authority to do so is not the point here. The point is the protests of those big government groups on the left are troubling, albeit predictable, to say the least. At the same time NAEP scores continue to be unacceptably dismal, the howling illustrates that the concern is much more with saving the government employees in the department than saving the students.
This is yet another example of how public education is all about the adults, not the children.
Putting all these factors together – low test scores, private schools outperforming public schools, the new political atmosphere embracing school choice, and a push to reduce federal intervention in education – it is incumbent upon the elected leadership in Kansas to jump on the bandwagon and provide some real choice for parents and students across the state.
It’s all about political will.
