DATE: Monday, October 20, 1997              TAG: 9710180015

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B8   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Opinion 

SOURCE: BY DANIEL P. RICHARDSON 

                                            LENGTH:   77 lines

DEFENDING AMERICA'S EDUCATION MIX

In his Oct. 3 column, editorial page editor Keith Monroe stated: ``Of course, it's possible to get on a private school's waiting list. One's children can become well-educated at several local schools if they can get admitted. It is necessary to be a) prosperous, b) well-connected and c) have a child who is academically above average going in - so as not to drag down the school's average. . . .''

This column highlighted the ongoing attack in newspapers and by public officials against private education. If any attack can be well-meaning, this one is, as it is being made in large part to support public education. But denigrating private education and writing it off as elitist and counterproductive to the future of the Republic will not benefit public education.

I recently attended a National Association of Independent Schools conference. One of the issues discussed was the press' labeling of private schools as elitist and exclusive and relegating these schools to lesser news coverage.

I returned to Cape Henry Collegiate School, determined to sample press coverage, comparing coverage between this year and last year from January through September. Recognizing that Cape Henry Collegiate School was but one school and could provide too small a sample, I included two other independent schools in the survey. The results were disheartening. Feature/focus articles declined from 60 in 1996 to 38 in 1997. Newspaper mention of the schools declined from 354 to 267. I asked two management employees of The Virginian-Pilot about the change in coverage. I was told that the newspaper believes that its duty is to feature public education for the greater good of the community.

America's system of education is a mix of public and private. At least one student in 10 attends private schools. The public sector benefits because the parents of these students still pay full taxes but don't use the public schools. In Virginia, additional money flows to the public schools because the state reimburses school districts for all students whether they are enrolled in private or public schools.

Some see private education as having an unfair competitive advantage, but this is hard to understand when parents choose between an option that is free and one for which they must pay.

Private schools make an economic contribution to the community, just as independent businesses do. The interdependency of private and public schools is readily demonstrated. Public schools would be bankrupted if the private-school students entered them. And if public-school students were to try to go to the private sector, there would be no room.

The view that all private schools are elitist is wrong, as is the concept that all private schools are the same. There is as much diversity in the types of private schools as there is in the ethnicity of our population. The range of private schools includes religious, for-profit, not-for-profit, for-the-gifted, for-the-troubled, for-the-learning-disabled and-so-on. Private schools include elitist schools, just as there are elite public schools offering gifted-student programs, geography or outstanding teaching and leadership. The point is that all schools are part of a public/private system that has served our country well - a system that deserves universal fair treatment.

The view that all private schools are beyond the economic reach of many Americans is wrong. Many private schools offer financial aid. In Cape Henry Collegiate School, approximately 20 percent of students receive financial aid ($750,000 worth). Grants range from full tuition to $200 and are awarded based on need. Many of the other private schools in Hampton Roads have similar programs. The financial aid programs answer in part the allegation that to be accepted you have to be prosperous.

Also, many private schools have worked hard to create diverse student bodies and faculties. The stereotypical view of private schools as bastions of Anglo-Saxons is out of date. Some private schools are Jewish, others primarily African American, but most have diverse student bodies.

The press and public officials should understand, appreciate and support the total system of American education and not just one part of it. MEMO: Daniel P. Richardson is headmaster of Cape Henry Collegiate School

in Virginia Beach. KEYWORDS: ANOTHER VIEW

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