Selecting the right school for your child has become a big business. Schools now have marketing budgets that help pay for advertising, open houses, and pencil’s and post it notes embellished with the school name and slogan. In the state I live in, schools of choice give parent’s an option to move their child to another public school that is not in their district. All of the private, public and charter school options can be overwhelming for parents trying to make an informed decision for their children’s education.
Fortunately in this shoppers market there are some good resources that can help make choosing the right school a more informed decision.
Great Schools, will not only help you locate schools in your neighborhood or in another city, but it gives an option to compare different schools based on criteria such as student-teacher ratio, test scores, and student population. In addition, current school parents can leave personal reviews of the school. An additional service noted on the website allows you to sign up for free for e-newsletters for students in Kindergarten through 5th grades. These newsletters offer timely information including expert advice, book reviews, and help with learning.
Another nice service is hosted by Standard and Poors- School Matters and provides more in depth information such as school or district wide graduation rates, and what areas the school needs to work on to gain Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in the No Child Left Behind Law.
The best way to research a school is to go and talk to the administrators, and teachers. Sit in on a class or two and talk to the students and their parents if possible. You could go to the school play or football game to get a better idea of the community that is already in place. Nothing will replace parental intuition or firsthand observation and experience.