Talk:University-preparatory school

The list is huge!

If someone feels inspired, he might look through the list of US prep schools and get rid of the less-notable ones - it's getting very large. — Dan | Talk 18:31, 21 Nov 2004 (UTC)

• Good grief, we'll wind up importing all the article-level notable school debate onto this page. The main debate at least seems worth having because it's about full-blown articles, rather than a single list entry. Also it's 45 schools right now, which, given the much larger number of U.S. prep schools (about 1,200 members of NAIS [1]), makes me think we are still in the notable range. About half I know by reputation, and I don't really know that much about this. Right now, it's still pretty naviagable. I'd postpose clean-up until we got above 120. When we know we are outside the top 1 percent (arbitrary, I know) clean-up benefits will out weigh the debate costs. Chris vLS 22:04, 21 Nov 2004 (UTC)

• I agree that this list is far too large. Not every private school is a prepartory school in the sense we're describing--for example, so-and-so day school, (or obscure boarding school.) I'll weed out the less-notable ones. Feel free to restore the page if you think that this is unwarranted.

• As a matter of point, 1% of 1,200 would be 12, not 120. I think that the list within the article shouldn't exceed 50 or so -- otherwise, farm it out to a separate article. Christopher Parham (talk) 05:00, 2005 May 23 (UTC)

• It seems most people agree that the large list is having a negative impact on the article. I think the large list should be moved to a seperate page (List of University-Prepratory schools) since the list may still be informative to some, and what should be left on this page is the intro information and a very small list of the most notable schools. How's that sound? Chriscobar 14:02, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

• Fine, as long as a list exists. But what happened to the prep schools listed that are not in the U.S. or the U.K.? Pelegius 23:13, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Teachers pay

Prep schools do not pay more than public schools, they typically pay less. For example, a teacher at the top-notch prep schools in Boston, New York, Philly (Where?), and DC(Where?) with five years' experience and a master's degree makes about 45,000(45,000 what?). A teacher with the same experience and level of education in a top-notch publich school makes about 55,000(55,000 what?).

This article would be improved by including some common criticisms of prep schools such as the above.

This is an interesting comment, it seems unlikely but I'd like to see the source you're referring to, it would certainly warrant a change to the document that suggests the opposite is true. Sapoguapo 16:00, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

Top 10 list?

An anonymous user has added the Top Ten Ranked preparatory schools. Based on what exactly? Is there a link to a source? How was this ranking generated? Does this section belong? Knoma Tsujmai 23:42, 6 May 2005 (UTC)

No, and I've removed it, since it is unsourced and probably copyrighted. — Dan | Talk 00:02, 7 May 2005 (UTC)

I believe that Time magazine had an article about the top private schools in America, though I never read the article jcarkeys 23:14, 25 May 2005 (UTC)

Remove list?

How about removing the list entirely? It isn't really all that helpful for people reading an article on prep schools, and it's going to keep getting long and unwieldy as everybody thinks "their" prep school is notable. If someone feels strongly about having it, how about making a separate list and linking that? --W(t) 04:55, 2005 May 23 (UTC)

Meaning of the term

Perhaps there should be a comment on the meaning of the term - or rather about its near meaningless nowadays. When this term arose (18th/19th century?) only elite schools systematically prepared students for college, but now pretty much every high school does. Hawkestone 17:43, 26 March 2006 (UTC)

Religious prep schools

The implication that religious prep schools are somehow less academic than others is absurd. Many of the finest prep schools are run by relgious orders, espc. the Jesuits (No, I did not go to a Jesuit school) but also other Chuches and Religious groups. Pelegius 23:22, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Bias

The first paragraph is wrought with biased language ("At preparatory schools, tuition is used to pay excellent teachers and provide enriched learning environments", "Where public elementary and secondary schools, by design, teacher and administrator apathy, or simple neglect, are failing many students who wish to matriculate to university, prep schools ensure such progression"). Consider moving such discussion to a section called "Support and Critiques of Prep Schools" or something of the sort. This especially got me: "Thus, prep schools are, because of their differing mission as compared to public elementary and secondary schools, both academically dissimilar and academically superior, in both method and substance, to public elementary and secondary schools." Regardless of the basis in fact, that statement is purely opinion. Pvodenski 20:33, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

• Amen to that! Go for it Pvodenski (or someone), and rewrite that first paragraph. Among other things, it's totally unacceptable to state that prep schools "ensure" matriculation in a university. Sapoguapo 22:27, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

• i agree, that first paragraph sounds like an advertisement for prep schools69.249.46.86 01:33, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

• I just edited the first paragraph to make it a bit more neutral, and I altered its content a bit beyond that. Sapoguapo 06:34, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

There is also a strong USofA bias: the term was in use in the UK long before the US and if any version of the definition is to be taken as 'standard', i.e. not qualified by a national meaning (cf. 'Preparatory School (UK)' entry) it should arguably be the original, UK version. Alternatively, and probably better, this entry should also be qualified as 'Preparatory School (USofA)'. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.137.167.45 (talk) 00:38, 30 May 2008 (UTC)

Shingakkou

Can the ubiquitous shingakkou (進学校) in Japan be considered college prep schools? If so, there should be a section on them, for their numbers are great, sayeth the Lord. --Denise from the Cosby Show (talk) 00:22, 4 June 2008 (UTC

SLY111

The American entry is puerile. I'll research the topic and contribute to entry.

Opening paragraph

the last few sentences are poorly worded and thus somewhat confusing. They talk about host schools and doing work for the same, this seems to imply that some prep school are run as a adjunct to regular schools, with students enrolled in both. While perhaps this is true in some countries, it certainly isn't true in the US, and the juxtaposition with the final sentence about the number of prep schools in the US seems to imply a connection. Then there is the strange parenthetical comment about Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Hiwaii. The latter two have been states since 1959. In fact, I think this sentence more properly belongs in the US section, and why limit it to just the 50 states plus PR? re there prep school in other US holdings, like the Virgin Islands, Guam, etc.?Wschart (talk) 13:19, 1 August 2011 (UTC)

Wrong link

In section Spain, hastings school is given a wrong link (to some school in canada that goes by the same name) 78.1.130.216 (talk) 14:14, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

Gymnasium best school, according to Pisa

I removed that line, since i never saw such a claim in PISA documents and the claim appears rather ludicrous to me. The cited source was small local newspaper with about zero expertise in such matters (most likely such a personal opinion of some staff writer).--Kmhkmh (talk) 22:29, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

I removed the second sourced with Guardian as well since it didn't make much sense on its own and was a bit off topic anyhow. The Guardian as a source is better than local German newspaper but its reference to PISA is imprecise and I can't find the table he talk about under the link provided.

More generally speaking that gymnasiums tend to have good pisa rating nationally or internationally is simply due to the fact that the crudely speaking get attended by the 30-50% "top students" (selection after elementary school). So you cannot really compare them to schools who serve an full range of students (rather than a preselection). The German organizers of PISA are of course aware of that problem and hence never made such a claim about the gymnasium as the one found in the ,local German newspaper.--Kmhkmh (talk) 22:46, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

Australia

Australia has preparatory schools, yet there is no mention? Rfkzsaok7 (talk) 03:21, 23 October 2012 (UTC)

USA and Canada

Prep schools are not exclusive to the private systems in North-America. Many school districts have specialized schools, including fine-arts schools, and university preparatory schools. Canadian Federation of University Preparatory Schools (CFUPS), Boston Preparatory Charter Public School, McKinley Preparatory High School, and Cody - Detroit Institute of Technology College Prep High School are a few examples.