How to Choose the Best Elementary School

How to Choose the Best Elementary School

Public, private or parochial? Montessori or Waldorf? Parents have more educational choices than ever, which is both wonderful and overwhelming. How do you pick a school that helps your child thrive--and that meshes with your educational values? Once you've found the ideal school for your child, all you have to do is get him or her in. As many parents will tell you, this is no easy task.

Selecting the best school

1. Take a good look at your child's temperament, personality and learning style. You want to find a school, public or private, that builds on his or her strengths. When considering the issue of class size, take into account whether your child is more naturally comfortable in large or small groups.

2. Explore various educational philosophies. Montessori schools, for instance, encourage students to pursue their own interests, while Waldorf schools integrate arts into the curriculum but frown on using computers and television.

3. Visit schools and talk to teachers, administrators and other parents about that school's academic emphasis. If the curriculum is strong in science but not in art, you may wish to look elsewhere for a school that suits your budding Picasso.

4. Get a written description of the academic goals for each grade. If they're not written out, they may not be sufficiently well developed. Evaluate whether the curriculum will challenge your child. Dig a little deeper into the curriculum and teaching style. Some teachers use broad themes on one topic (dinosaurs, the solar system) to teach lessons in math, science, art and so on. Are students actively engaged in what they're learning? What kind of student work is displayed in halls and classrooms?

5. Look for challenging enrichment programs that encourage creativity and stimulate development such as art, dance, science, music and bilingual language programs.

6. Investigate how well students are doing academically. How does the school measure their progress, and how do they perform on standardized tests? Your school system should publicize each school's test results.

7. Ask what the student-teacher ratio is. Also find out about what kind of help the teachers get in the classroom in terms of the number of aides and parent volunteers.

8. Learn what services are available if your child has a learning disability or other special needs. Investigate the special-education staff, opportunities for individualized attention and the policy on mainstreaming in the regular classroom.

9. Ask about family involvement in the school. Schools, often beset by draconian budget cuts, welcome and encourage parent involvement. Find out how much volunteer time is expected and decide if you have that time to give. If you're working full-time, explore other ways besides classroom time that you can volunteer such as write the newsletter and serve on the PTA.

10. Take a look at the condition of the playground, library, classrooms and bathrooms. Is this a place you'd like your child to go to school? Is it a stimulating and creative environment?

11. Step back from the political debate if you're having a difficult time choosing between private and public schools. There's no questioning the value of public education. It is also clear, however, that safety concerns, spiraling class sizes and diminishing resources all detract from a child's education even when the level of teaching and quality of curriculum is very good. The situation is highly variable from district to district and will remain so as long as school funding is tied to property taxes. ***


Title : How to Choose the Best Elementary School
Keywords : Tips, Parenting, School

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