Choosing a Public School? Most people think that the school that their children will go to is a decision that is out of their hands. It is true that for most students, the school that they are destined to go to is tied to what school zone they live in. The public school system basically sets where children go to school based on where they live. If, however, you want to use the public school system and you want to find the best one for your child, consider that you might be able to evaluate local schools much as if you were evaluating private schools.
Use the following steps to help you decide what public school is the best for your family and your child:
- Step 1: Brainstorming session to figure out what you need. If possible involve your child in the discussion too. Discuss the qualities and characteristics you’re looking for in a school. Consider practical aspects, quality aspects, and special programs.
- Step 2: Prioritize considerations.
- Step 3: After getting a clear picture of the preferences, find the schools that match the sorted out needs. Then zero in on the schools fitting the criterion set by you.
- Step 4: After deciding on the schools that fit your description, visit the schools to get a first hand assessment. No matter how much you read or research about a school, nothing beats a personal visit.
- Step 5: Choose the school.
Step 1: Figure Out What You Need
When figuring out what they need in a public school, parents usually consider the following:
- Practical Considerations
- Quality Considerations
- Special Programs
Practical Considerations
Practical requirements are those that you cannot budge from. Usually, this involves location or enrollment requirements. By now you understand that you can’t just pick the school you want to go to every year. The public school system dictates where you’ll go based on school district zoning laws. If you’re willing to move, then you have a wider range of schools that you can pick from. Also, consider that there are special programs, such as Magnet Schools, Charter Schools, Gifted and Talented Programs, and Immersion Programs that are often cross-boundaries, such that as long as you’re in the same county as that school system, you can apply to go to that school.
If you’re considering a school within your county, practical requirements include whether transportation is included. This makes sense to consider for programs that allow you to enroll your child into a school that you are not zoned in. In addition, if you need it, does the school offer before school and after school care?
Cost is a big practical consideration. Yes, public school is free but housing isn’t! Since public schools depend on local and state taxes for the most part, you’ll find that the better schools are normally in the costlier zip codes. For example, if you’ve got your heart set on a school within Fairfax County, Virginia (one of the best areas for public schools in the nation), plan on shelling out over $400,000 for a single family home! The personal property tax there can easily explain how Fairfax spends over $11,000 per student within the public school system every year!
Quality Considerations
If you could go to any school you wanted to, how would you decide which one to go to? You’ll need to consider the school’s performance, both academically and otherwise. Evaluating public schools isn’t as simple as comparing test scores. You must first consider what it is about a public school that matters the most to you.
Find out the importance a school gives to improve student achievement. Look for the Strategic Plan and School Improvement Process. Find out the steps to support student success in classroom. Keep in mind that the success rate of a student depends on the class size. The larger the class size, the lesser time a teacher will devote to an individual student.
In a recent Washington Post article, the following measures were used to evaluate schools:
- Overall Test Scores. These are usually standardized test scores such as the SOL tests or a Standford-9 test.
- Dropout Rate is a measure that is used at the High School level. It is a simple ratio of the number of students that quit school without graduating over the total number of students at that school.
- 8th Grade Algebra Completion is another indicator of how difficult a school’s curriculum is; it is only valid for middle schools.
- PTA/PTO Participation Rate will show you what the level of parental involvement is at the school. This is a simple ratio of the number of parents involved in the PTA or PTO over the total number of students that attend that school.
- Student Mobility Rate indicates how many students leave or enter a school mid-year. This is more an indicator how transient a population is in the school district. But some critics say that this number demonstrates the amount of classroom disruption that can occur at that school.
- Student/Teacher Ratio
- 1st Year Teacher Rate will tell you how experienced the staff is at a school.
- Diversity Index measures how likely two students picked at random will both be from a different ethnic background.
Don’t think you have to do all of your research yourself. Many publications such as the Washington Post, Newsweek, and US News and World Report, all produce information on public schools.
What else school looks toward besides its impetus on academics - reading, math, writing, spelling, computer literacy? Everyone knows that learning doesn’t begin or end with textbooks. See that the school lays equal emphasis on character development as well as academic development. School must teach students the importance of respect for others, respect for themselves, honesty, fairness, self-sacrifice, and integrity. Go through the school curriculum to find out how well the school addresses core subjects. Also visit classes and read the school’s report card to be hundred percent sure of the school’s competence. While going through curriculum see whether it is matching your expectations and educational goals of your child or not.
Some features that parents can look for in a school are a well-equipped library, a collection of age-appropriate books, a separate lunchroom and auditorium or large classroom for meetings and presentations, and adequate physical education facilities. Also look at the background and qualifications of the teachers.
In the present world technology plays an important part. So, see how the school value technology to accomplish the mission of helping students become educated, self-directed, and productive members of the society. Technology demands trained staff, therefore it is necessary that the staff is trained to guide students in using available resources.
Get information on the facility to notify the parents in case of an emergency. How prepared is the school for emergencies in general? What is the school’s policy regarding guns, knives, other hazardous items and school's policy towards bullying.
Special Programs
With Special Programs, you’re going to need to consider the type of curriculum, the teaching methodology, any special needs your child may have, and even what extracurricular or sports programs are emphasized at a school. Programs that stand out in a public school system include Magnet schools, charter schools, gifted and talented programs and Immersion programs. What strategies are used to teach students who are not fluent in English?
Step 2: Prioritize Considerations
To prioritize considerations, first understand that you’ll need to put practical considerations before quality considerations. Last should be extracurricular considerations. You won’t find any one school that beats out all other schools across the board. So, it’s important to prioritize your considerations so that you find the public school that really meets your needs.
Step 3: Research Schools
After getting a clear picture of the preferences, find the schools that match the sorted out needs. Then zero in on the schools fitting the criterion set by you. Usually you’ll filter out many schools based on your practical considerations. You can then rank the schools by the quality scores that meant the most to you. Plan to visit the short-listed schools.
Step 4: Visit Schools
After deciding on the schools that fit your description, visit the schools to get a first hand assessment. No matter how much you read or research about a school, nothing beats a personal visit.
A visit to a school is important to check the environment of the school, behavior and attitude of the teacher and the facilities provided by the school.
Do not underestimate the role of the principal in the functioning of a school. A principal is the person who should be capable of many roles at a given time. He has to be a CEO, a fund-raiser, an instructional leader, a traffic cop, community booster and keeper of the school vision. Good principals have the ability to turn the vision into reality by enlisting the help of teachers, parents and the community. However, keep in mind that principals are frequently moved from one school to another. Some districts move good principals to schools with problems, while others believe in keeping principals in one school for years.
Step 5: Choosing a School
After you’ve visited your short-listed schools, you’ll need to sit down with your family and go over your results. Hopefully by prioritizing the different needs you have for a public school, you should have a pretty clear idea of which schools would be the best for you child.
Tips
If you are considering moving because you want your children in a specific high school pyramid but they are not high school age yet, talk with realtors to get an idea of the addresses that have been most robust over the years to school rezoning laws. It’s not unusual for school zoning areas to change every couple of years. You might want to consider moving to make the best school experience for the level of school (elementary, middle, or high-school) that you’re child is in and figure that you may need to move in the future to keep your child in the high-school pyramid that you want them to be in. Another thing to consider is that school’s fit for your child may change over the years so that by the time your child is ready to go to high-school, you no longer find the high-school you targeted 10 years ago to be your number one choice.
For special programs in public schools such as Magnet schools, charter schools, Gifted and Talented, etc., make sure you begin your admissions process early. Don’t run out of time and miss any enrollment deadlines. Some Magnet schools and Charter schools use a “first come, first serve” queue for enrollment.Find out!
Conclusion
Choosing a school is a matter of great concern for every parent. What should you expect from a school? First and foremost, it must bring out the best in students - academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. It should, in some way, reflect family’s interests and desires.
Resources
Much of the information we found for this article was found on the web on useful sites such as:
- Washington Post’s School Guide (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/education/schoolguide/topschools/)
- Bright Horizons Family Solutions Choosing a Schools ( http://www. brighthorizons.com/Site/pages/choosing_a_school.aspx?Nav=parentcas)
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