In December 2021, the New York Times published an op-ed about Randi Weingarten, the head of the largest public school teachers union in the United States, asking: “Can This Woman Save American Public Education?” Within hours the Times revised the online headline to read, “What Will It Take to Get Schools Back to Normal?” Then, it was switched to “We Desperately Need Schools to Get Back to Normal.” 

But most parents realize that public schools aren’t getting back to normal anytime soon. In early 2022, after winter break ended, more than a million of the nation’s public-school children were locked out of their school buildings. Teachers in Chicago refused to go back to work. Detroit’s teachers did the same. Teachers in Oakland, Calif., and San Francisco threatened to strike. Many wondered what had happened to the $190 billion of federal funds for K-12 Covid mitigation funds allocated to keep schools open. As the problems in public schools increasingly come to light–from Covid restrictions to political indoctrination and teachers’ union interference–many parents are frustrated and looking at other options, including private schools.

At this inflection point in the education system, parents need accurate information about private school options. Private schools can contribute to education diversity, with options for parents to select the school that best meets their children’s individual needs or aligns with their family’s faith and values. Diving into the details of private schools and their associations, accreditors and outside consultants can pay dividends as parents search for solutions. 

To help parents make wise decisions, Parents Defending Education has produced a report, “Private School 101: What Parents Need to Know to Be Educated Consumers,” with a lay of the land of private schools and a case study of one private school–Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, Mo.–and how it went woke, with the help of “diversity, equity and inclusion” consultants.

Typically, private school application season includes January application deadlines and spring decisions. To make wise choices, parents need to educate themselves before they enroll in a school and then stay engaged after they decide.

Parents’ rights concerning their child’s private school can be limited by the school’s student enrollment agreement, a contract between the school and the parents. Agreements cover matters such as tuition and student handbook compliance and can include language giving the school the right to dismiss a student whose parents or guardians no longer have a “cooperative” relationship with the school, as one contract stipulates.

Parents’ voices are powerful when they band together, especially with grassroots and national organizations to help: pushing for school choice, transparency, accountability and excellence in education rather than social justice indoctrination. Sunshine is the best disinfectant; fixes are possible, and alternatives exist. Private schools will be a key piece of the path forward in the parent movement of 2022. And we hope we can help you along the way.

Resources


History of Private Schools

Private Schools: From Their Origins through Today The first school in the modern-day United States predated the Pilgrims and was a private, independent school in a land not even a…

Resources

Private School Associations, Accreditors and Oversight

Although private schools are independent, school associations, as well as accreditors, consultants and state and federal government education agencies, can influence private schools.  The various levers of influence include: 1.

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National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)

Modern day indoctrination in private schools The National Association of Independent Schools, a nonprofit based in Washington D.C. representing over 1,600 private schools, offers a window…

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Private School Rights and Enrollment Contracts

Because private schools are considered private actors, they have broad discretion over their mission, vision and operations. Private school enrollment is a contractual relationship between a school and a family.

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Speaking Up at Private Schools

Since private school education is a choice, parents need transparency to make an informed decision before choosing their child’s private school and in order to stay informed along the way.

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Documenting Your Issue

Public and Private School Resource: If you’re going to raise concerns about something going on at a school — private or public — you have to document, document, document. What…

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Incidents


Investigations


How Pembroke Hill School Went Woke

  • Mary Miller

Friday, June 5, 2020, was an eventful day in Kansas City, Mo.  That day, officials at Pembroke Hill School–the most elite prep school in town and…

Case Studies

Philip McAdoo Diversity and Inclusion Consulting LLC

What is Philip McAdoo Diversity and Inclusion Consulting LLC? Philip McAdoo is an Atlanta-based “diversity, equity and inclusion” practitioner and self-described LGBTQ activist with an extensive…

Consultants

Sophic Solutions LLC

What is Sophic Solutions LLC? Based in Kansas City, Missouri, Sophic Solutions LLC says it is a “change management and consulting firm” offering “a broad and diverse range of training…

Consultants

Pollyanna Inc.

What is Pollyanna Inc.? Pollyanna Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. According to its website, Casper Caldarola established Pollyanna in 2015. She was a trustee…

Consultants

Glasgow Group

Rodney Glasgow is a diversity, equity and inclusion practitioner and activist and the founder of The Glasgow Group, a consulting organization with well documented ties…

Consultants

Love Educational Services LLC

What is Love Educational Services LLC?   On Jan. 6, 2017, Bettina Love registered Love Educational Services, LLC, as a limited liability company, based in Atlanta, Georgia, with the Georgia…

Consultants

Muhammad, Gholnecsar | HILL Pedagogies LLC

Who is Gholnecsar Muhammad? Gholnecsar Muhammad describes herself on her Twitter account as a “Disruptor of Oppression.” An associate professor of language and literacy at Georgia State University, Muhammad, known…

Consultants