Essential Questions on Choosing a School

In preparing for my interview with Margaret Larson on King 5's New Day Northwest show, I considered a series of essential questions parents have about choosing a school. Answers to these questions are available on the Essential Questions on Choosing a School page.

"What’s wrong with just sending my child to the local neighborhood school? When did school become a choice?"

• “What matters most for a child, in a school?”

• What are some essential things parents should do to choose the right school?

• "I'm overwhelmed! How do I keep some perspective? Manage the information I gather? Weigh my choices?"

• "What if I get it wrong?"

"What’s wrong with just sending my child to the local neighborhood school? When did school become a choice?"

There is nothing wrong with sending your child to the neighbodhood public school. In fact, neighborhood schools give children a sense of belonging. Public schools draw children from diverse backgrounds. Thus, children learn how to work and get along with different people from a young age.

Public schools have struggled in recent years to provide effective Math and Reading instruction. Parents are also questioning the need and impact of high-stakes tests on teaching and learning. This is why parents are looking more closely at schools.

“What matters most for a child, in a school?”

There are clear indicators of what matters most to a child in school —

Relationships: Strong and trusting relationships with teachers and peers matter. Trusting relationships with teachers assures a child of attention when she most needs it. Safe relationships with peers give her courage to take on challenges both inside and outside the classroom.

Experiences competence and finds something of interest: A child experiences competence when the material being taught is developmentally appropriate, when she receives support in the face of challenges and when she can herself see that she is making progress. When subjects or activities draw her interest, she looks forward to school. Her interests help her build confidence.

Partnership between home and school: When a child's school work is valued and respected at home and when her parents have access to information about school, she feels supported in her learning.

What are some essential things parents should do to choose the right school?

Start early: Starting early gives parents time and a variety of avenues to understand schools and also what works for them. I think it’s a good idea for parents to start looking at schools, at least by early in the Fall of the year before they plan to enroll.

Know your options: It is important for parents to get to know schools and understand the full range of their options, whether they are consider public or private school education. Parents choosing public school education have many more choices than they always know about. Private schools often offer financial aid. It is important to understand how a family can apply for such aid. See this article on School Options for detailed information.

Talk to other parents: Other parents who are also looking for schools have the same kinds of questions and talking them bring to light aspects that had not been considered. Talking to the parents of current students at a school can help reveal a sense of what your own experience might be like.

Visit schools: It is possible to visit all schools – public and private. Most visits happen while the school is in session. Seeing a school in action can give parents an invaluable feel for how it might actually work for a child.

"I'm overwhelmed! How do I keep some perspective? Manage the information I gather? Weigh my choices?"

Once you start thinking about the many factors that define a child’s experience in school it can indeed get overwhelming. Parents can keep weed through the mounds of information and perspectives by doing some simple prioritizing …

First: Consider the logistical factors: Logistical factors like transportation can be a deal breaker. You might not want to drive 30 minutes out of your way to get your child to a school you think is great. Sometimes cost is a factor. Weed out schools and options that break the deal for you.  

Next, think about your child and what her experience might be: Think about your child and what she most needs. Some children need a great deal of attention. Others need clearly defined routines and structures. Others are very social. These needs play into your child’s learning experience. Identify those characteristics and needs of your child that you feel like you shouldn’t compromise on.

Finally, ask what you most hope for your child: What is the best thing that could happen to her because of her education? What is the worst? What is the one thing you most hope she will experience? What is the one thing you most hope she doesn’t experience.

Essentially, you can weed through information and your many options by asking yourself what is most important to your child and your family.

"What if I get it wrong?"

It is important for parents to know that it is always okay to change schools. If a school truly doesn’t work after all your efforts, it is SO okay to change it. However, you should not consider changing schools as your first option. Most often when a school doesn’t work for a child, it is because she is not have the best learning experience. There are several things parents can do about this:

Partner with the teacher: Learn about what is going on in the classroom and advocate for any additional support your child might need. Schools often have learning specialists and also offer additional tutoring help during and/or after school that could help your child. Be willing to share responsibility and take on doing some extra work or paying extra attention at home. The teacher does after all have a whole class to work with.

Seek help outside of school: Today we have so many options for tutoring, enrichment and for meeting specific learning challenges. Some schools even allow outside tutors and specialists to come work with your child in the school.

Give it time within a reasonable timeframe: Sometimes it takes a while to see a change especially if you are dealing with deep learning issues or habits of mind. Parents need to be patient while knowing when they have given a particular effort enough time to now try something else.