By: Caitlyn Melville and Mryia Cadle

 Here in the United States, there are several different schools that students can attend  In this PowerPoint, we will discuss Catholic, parochial schools and charter schools, including the positive and negative aspects of each  Caitlyn attended Catholic school and Mryia attended a charter school, so our personal opinions are intertwined in this presentation. We hope you enjoy it!

 A parochial school is defined at a school operated by a religious group. Today, in the United States, the term most often refers to a school governed by the local Catholic parish or diocese (Koch 64). 18 interscholastic sports and 24 clubs and organizations that students were encouraged to join. Parochial schools are not funded by the government and are not mandated by local, state or national government. There is a tuition fee to attend parochial school. It is estimated to cost between $4500 and $7500 for a parochial high school per year (unfortunately, my tuition was much more).  A charter school is a publicly funded elementary or secondary school that is granted a special charter by the state or local education agency (Koch 176). Charter schools are usually free from some rules and restrictions of regular public schools. It allows for teacher creativity and freedom of control for their own classrooms.

Caitlyn’s ExperienceMryia’s Experience  At Notre Dame, we were required to wear uniforms that consisted of a plaid kilt, a white polo shirt, school sweater, dress shoes and knee socks or tights. I believe that uniforms made it easier for students to get to school on time; just throw it on, (as long as it is ironed, of course) and go! It was an all girls school so we did not feel the need to impress each other!  At the Manatee School for the Arts, you could choose what kind of pants you were going to wear so long as they fit in with the normal uniform restrictions. I felt that this really alleviated a lot of stress on the student body because clothes can often be used as a tool for self segregation.

 We both seem to agree that some sort of uniform is beneficial to the students. We have both been required to wear a uniform, yet we still both think they were advantageous. Uniforms can be a controversial, hot topic. What are your thoughts? This could be an interesting discussion!

Catholic SchoolCharter School  Caitlyn interviewed Chris Bianchi. “Teaching here is a true pleasure. I love being able to teach in any format that really speaks to the girls; I don’t have to teach to the test(speaking about standardized tests) and that in itself allows me more freedom to teach topics that are useful and engaging for my students” (Bianchi).  Mryia interviewed Cindy Willis. “You teach the same skill sets, but you get to choose how to present them, it really lends itself to your own teaching abilities and not the states" (Willis).

Catholic SchoolCharter School  Rigorous curriculum; always feel challenged to do your best  Opportunity to explore your faith  Small class size  Easy to make friends  No standardized tests!  In my case, numerous interscholastic sports and clubs to join  Teachers are not just teachers, they are mentors and role models  Open and accepting, allows creativity  Allowed to mingle with upper and lower classmen, male and female  Small class size  Get to know everyone and make friends  Many opportunities, especially with the arts and academically

Catholic SchoolCharter School  Sometimes, in elementary school, you are stuck with the same 20 students, every day, from kindergarten through 8 th grade. That is hard if you don’t get along with those kids  Need to apply; highly selective process  Entrance exam and interview required  Tuition can be expensive  Uniforms  Small graduating class  Need to apply  Uniforms  Higher teacher turnover rate than most schools  May be difficult for these schools to find funding

Notre Dame Academy, Hingham, MA Manatee School for the Arts, Palmetto, FL

Notre Dame Academy Manatee School For the Arts

NDA Uniform Manatee School for the Arts Uniform

 Manatee School for the Arts ( 1) 1  Notre Dame Academy (  School types: The difference between public, private, magnet, charter, and more ( difference-between-public-private-magnet- ch_67288.bc?page=1)

 Bianchi, Christopher. interview. 25 January,  Koch, Janice. So You Want to Be a Teacher? Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Print.  Willis, Cindy. Personal interview.31 January, 2012