Islamic schools are usually a good solution, but not in all cases. This post will make sense to parents who do not want to sacrifice academics for Islamic identity or vice versa. Here are some important questions that you should ask before deciding where you will place your kids.
1. How strong (academically) is the public school next door?
You should compare the academic strength of the Islamic school to the public school. Some Islamic schools are very good. Some public schools are really bad. More often though, you will find a public school in your area that is much better, academically, than the Islamic school. You need to find out : What is that difference? Is the difference very big? You can usually find out the ranking of the public school is by visiting many online web sites.
Islamic Schools are more difficult to rate academically. Some of the questions you could ask are: did the school graduates go to very good colleges? What was the performance (in public schools) of the children who left recently from the Islamic School? What is the school’s ranking in the standard achievement tests? Is the school accredited, and with who? Are all the teachers certified?
There is no fair "Islamic" comparison between both types of schools. Islamic schools may have a lot of problems, but in general they will be much better in that respect.
If the public school is much better academically, then it scores a point.
2. What is your family’ Strength ?
If you have a strong home Islamically, then you should consider public schools. This is the most difficult question to ask, since those who are focused Islamically tend to want more of the same (and vice versa). In any case, you may be able to provide at home much of the fundamentals that are provided in the Islamic school.
If your family is well educated, and you can provide the child with a healthy academic challenge at home, even beyond what the Islamic school may give, then this points in favor of Islamic schooling. For instance, will you have resources, computers, books, go to the library, help them be organized, develop a love for reading and math, etc…
The Islamic personality of the child will be shaped by both home and school, with more importance towards the home in the younger ages.
Public schools score a point if you have a strong Islamic home (for ex: you pray together as a family, both parents are practicing, you have Islamic resources at home, you take the kids to the mosque more than once per week, they have many Muslim friends, etc..)
3. How old is your child?
I believe that it is more important to place kids in Islamic schools in the younger ages – until between 4th and 8th grade. This is the time when they are building their character. Of course there is more danger in public schools at the high school age. However, they are at least mature enough to put up a fight to maintain their Islam. Also, this can prepare them for life in the "real world". Also, resources in high school become very expensive. Public high schools often have much more resources that Islamic High schools.
If your child is in 7th grade or older, Good Public Schools score a point.
4. What are your child’s abilities
Due to their limited resources, Islamic Schools often cater more to the average student. That is: if you are very smart, the Islamic school does not have AP courses for you to grow your talents. If you need additional academic help, they do not have the capacity to provide that for you either. Average students do well in Islamic schools: They maintain their academic average, yet maintain an above average Islamic identity.
This is a tricky question. 80% of children are average. But 80% of parents think that their kids are in the top 20% compared to other kids. And that does not add up.
Another way of saying it is : Islamic schools are low risk, low reward (low risk of losing Identity, low reward of creating exceptional students). GOOD public schools are high risk, high reward (high risk of losing Islamic identity, high reward of creating exceptional students). One thing is noteworthy : because of the additional pressures that public schools place on the person’s Islamic character, the youth will either be broken Islamically (80%), or become very strong and proud of their faith (20%); therefore the high risk rating.
If your child is in the 20% above or below average academically (through independent observers :) and they are motivated Islamically, and the public school is much better than the Islamic school, then Public Schools score a point. Some signs of Islamic motivation include: they are praying, they want to know about Islam, they like going to the mosque, they have Muslim friends, they are proud to be Muslims, they are honest, etc...).
5. How much does it cost
Finally, how important is the cost factor for you? Are you willing to annually pay the $5-$7K Islamic schools require (per child)? Public schools are not free by the way. They cost $10-$16K per year. It is just that you don’t directly pay for it (pay through taxes, etc..).
On a personal note, although tuition for my three kids in Islamic Schools is a big deal, I still hope that Islamic schools will raise their tuition in order to raise their standard: pay the teachers more, and give the students a better education. It is wrong to try to commoditize Islamic schools. Islamic schools by nature cater to a special segment of the Muslim society : rich, practicing parents. They are attended by 5% of the Muslim kids. Trying to model a school to offer Islamic education to “everyone” is a failed model, since it serves no one. Islamic schools are not a right, but a luxury.
If cost is a major factor, then public schools score a point.
II. The bigger picture
Even if my own kids go to Islamic Schools, as a Muslim activist, I think that we have to invest more in public schools. More than 90% of Muslim children in America go to public schools. We need to be engaged, not just individually as parents, but as a community, in the public schools, in order to influence a healthy education for our children. Girls who wear the Hijab should not be ridiculed. Just like Yum Kippur is celebrated, Eid should be celebrated. Curriculum should highlight Muslims' contribution to America and to the world. We should not tolerate anti-Antisemitism, or Islamophobia. We can ask for Arabic to be taught as second language.
In fact, I must go a little bit further. As a practicing American Muslim, I am obliged to care for everyone’s education and everyone’s well-being. As a community, we need to fight for everyone’s right to receive a good education, not just Muslims. Islam teaches that good is due to every child and this is therefore the responsibility of our community. Drugs, crime, teenage-pregnancy, and other social problems are ours to find a solution for. What if indeed, "every child, is my child?", as a good friend used to insist?
III. Your turn
Please share your experience and questions. What worked for you? What is your experience? What additional factors need to be taken in consideration when evaluating both schools ?
Thank you! Finally someone who see's it the way I do. I am really sick and tired being told over and over that I HAVE to put my son in an Islamic school. "Public schools are full of corruption" is all I hear, all the time.
ReplyDeleteI put my son in an Islamic school a few years back, and all though there is no use in dwelling over the past, I seriously regret that decision.
My son is not what many would call an "average student". He needed additional academic support in school. Not only did the school not offer that, but it also failed t o comminicate with me as a mother what I need to do to help him at home. They labeled him as below average from day 1, and based on that label, they would not send HW home "because he doesnt know how to do it". They would send notes home about reading contests, but not send it with my son. When I found out about the contest, I was told "not to worry about it, since he cant read"!
At the end of the year, they insisted that he repeat Kindergarden, since he did not learn anything during the year. They were basically telling me, you spent $6500 tuition for nothing.
He went to a great public school for first grade (he did NOT repeat KG). They not only offered all the additional help at school that he needed. They also were very great in keeping me posted and helping ME help him.
He went from "not knowing how to read" to being one of the top readers in the class based on what his teacher told me.
I know not all Islamic schools are the same. I am sure there are some great Islamic schools out there. But by the same token, there are also lots of great public schools out there as well.
I am happy with my sons current education, and I am positive-inshaa Allah- that he will grow to have strong Islamic values from home.
Assalam alikom,
ReplyDeleteMay Allah reward you all. One thing I think we should put in mind is what is your child's personality like? If the child gets influenced easily by the surroundings, and is unable to be different when she/he has to,then maybe putting them in public schools is not very wise. The opposite is also true.
Considering Tutoring for struggling kids in Islamic schools or even for talented kids to provide more challenge for them is a burden financially but it may work for those who can afford it.
If my kids go to Islamic schools, then I think parents should provide an opportunity for them to get involved in the larger community in a healthy way, sports, volunteering at a library, having good relations with neighbors and helping in community services that will please Allah and give dawah and also help our children put the Islamic values they learn about in practice.
If our children go to Non Islamic schools, we still need to do the same but also make sure they have a good foundation of Islamic knowledge[ I guess that starts with parents too} and they are not only given this knowledge as when they do something wrong [The Haram haram comments ], they then unfortunately associate Islam with being boring, hard and depressing.
It is important that they have masjid friends, and don't give up if you have a first bad experience because there must be someone out there looking for what you are looking for.
There are many great values that this country teaches in common with our Islamic values, yet there are some other aspects that parents should pay attention to in helping their kids develop them, simply because no one else will:
1-respect to elders, i personally found it hard to teach it to my kids because it is not really taught in America, A good balance will be teaching your kids to speak their mind and talk to you when they need to, but they also need to do that in the right way [tome-body language].
2-Submission to Allah:
I also notice that when raising kids in America, that might be a tough concept to teach especially if you can't balance it with critical thinking and using one's intellect.
It is a very hard thing to do in this country to understand that I have to follow the absolute true guidance of Allah, try to understand his deen, yet also work my mind in figuring out whether or not it is his deen, and not just someone's opinion. Once I know it is from Allah then even if it doesn't agree with my desire, then I have to follow, because Allah knows better.
This concept may be hard to follow in a revolutionary country who's people are used to questioning everything and doing what they believe is correct.It is getting our kids to understand that the most correct thing to do is to trust the creator more than you trust your own selves.
Our Islamic experience Alhamdulilah is free of the tyranny of men who use religion to enslave other, so we don't have this resentment in other non Muslim communities to the word submission, and our kids should not inherit this resentment.
Raising kids is not an easy job, you will sometimes be feeling like you failed, or there is no use to trying, but that is the beauty of it, to keep going and trying to raise the best Muslim generation, whether in Islamic or Public schools, may Allah guide us to doing what is right and what pleases him. Ameen
Thank you for this post. We tried an Islamic school for nearly two years and ended up pulling our academically advanced child before the year’s end, to homeschool her. This is now our second year of homeschooling. So you are correct. Islamic schools tend to work best for the average students.
ReplyDeleteI wish you would write a post about the third option out there: Homeschooling. In our state, a child can be homeschooled and enroll in up to two core highschool courses per year at a public school. That is in addition to all the sports, arts, volunteerism, and other opportunities to have contact with society that are easily accessible to homeschoolers.
I truly believe that homeschooling is a middle ground where you can adequately address the academic and Islamic needs of your children, plus add the benefits of public schools, and have contact with Muslims and fellow neighbors of different faiths.
JAK for the summary. One option you have not discussed is what if you have a very good Islamic school. The graduates of such school can go to well respected colleges. I know that some of the Islamic schools especially towards high school have their students take their classes at the local community colleges and students tend to catch up.
ReplyDeleteMy children go to public school. From my prospective the real challenge is that the community unfortunately is not structured to accommodate them. Many Muslim activists who helped establish Islamic institutions in this country at the very beginning thought the solution is the Islamic schools. So, instead of putting the money and effort to have excellent after schools and weekend program that would attract the youth and preserve the Muslim identity they pored the effort and money into Islamic schools, so that we come 20 years latter with very weak programs outside Islamic schools, which really leaves us (especially at areas with weak Islamic schools) have to choose between to bad options, have our children go to the public schools with all the challenges "80% risk to go bad" or Islamic schools and sacrifice education.
I think the best formula for each family depends on the activities and extended network for their children. If you fail to provide a strong meaningful company, activities and Islamic education while your child goes to public school, it will be a failure. It is different if your child's high school have MSA and Jumaa prayer or not. On the other hand if your child goes to Islamic school and does not get strong challenge academically at home and other academic challenge as well as activities within the larger society it will be a failure as well. I know that many see the second failure is more accepted as long as they are sound Muslims.
If it was up to me from scratch, I would have built the community around strong Islamic Presence at public schools and provided Islamic education and identity outside. The could be with Youth centers that have after school programs, workshops and training about getting involved as parents in public schools and help it to be morally sound. Strong middle school and high school programs are must. I would say especially starting from middle school, as high school is kind of two late.