Private school teachers share a greater sense of community within their schools. A strong sense of community among teachers leads to more effective instruction and greater satisfaction with working conditions. Elementary teachers in public and private schools use similar teaching methods. Private elementary school teachers handle homework differently than public elementary teachers. Some educators argue that homework is most beneficial to students if teachers collect, correct, and return their assignments.
Public schools provide a wide array of academic support and health-related services.
More schools in both sectors are providing extended-day programs, but public schools are behind private schools in this area. In general, teachers in public schools more often have certain attributes that are thought to play a key part in effective teaching than do private school teachers. Yet overall private schools are reported by teachers to embody a greater feeling of community, offer more teacher autonomy, and more teacher influence over curriculum. A copy of the essay that the overview above summarizes is available online, at the Web site of the National Center for Education Statistics. The National Education Association of Alaska published an essay challenging the assumptions often made about public and private schools and reaffirming the value of public schools in our society.