The NYSAIS is a voluntary association of independent schools in the state of New York. Many of the NYC Private Schools that we reference and discuss are a part of the NYSAIS association, and the association itself has a huge impact in the Private School community.
With so many private schools and their own, sometimes competing, philosophies, its a wonder that so many of them agree to a central philosophy and mission. To that end, the NYSAIS gives their meaning for the phrase “independent school.”
Independent is a key word, for an independent school is free to develop and carry out its own philosophy of education, free to choose those students it can serve best, and free to employ as teachers those it deems best fitted to instruct and to lead the young.
The NYSAIS goes further to define the elements that factor into the consideration for an independent school. Here are some interesting points:
They are different in that they are not generally comprehensive schools but are rather designed for particular elements in the community, be they the gifted, the learning disabled, the verbally or the visually oriented, or those with special academic, artistic, or athletic bents.
They are different in that their simple administrative structure enables them to respond rapidly to changing conditions and needs, to develop appropriate methods and materials, to take advantage of new discoveries in learning, to dispose of practices which no longer serve their students’ best interests.
They are different in that parents play an active part in the governance of most schools, choosing trustees, and through trustees the school heads.
They are different in that they are directly accountable to parents. Independent schools which do not meet parents’ standards do not last, because parents withdraw their children and with them financial support.
They are different in that they are actively self-regulating, actively promoting self-improvement through their member accrediting agencies.
They are different in that they are each free to seek the most effective ways to educate the particular children in their charge and in so doing to provide for the needs of a diverse population. Different children learn in different ways. Different independent schools provide those ways.
While many of these elements can be said to be representative of some public schools also, they are hallmarks in the reasons why many parents choose a private or independent school.
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