Choosing a school is one of the most important decisions a parent will make. Since the start of a new school year is quickly approaching, many parents have been asking me for my list of “Best Schools” across the state. The truth is there is no “best school.” I have heard great success stories and just as many disappointing stories across all learning settings.
It is fantastic that we have choices available to us. We can either send our children to the local public schools for which we are zoned, and have our children grandfathered into the neighboring middle and high schools. Or, we can go with private, charter, or magnet schools that offer specialty programs that target the specific learning needs of our children. There are also virtual learning programs that seem to work better for some children, while others thrive in technical schools, or home settings. It is so important that we do our homework when it comes deciding on a school. More information on school descriptions and other resources can be found here.
Principles: What is the schools mission and vision statement? Is it aligned with your goals and beliefs? Does this school have partnership values? Is information shared and transparent between staff and families? Does the school make sure students and families have access to all programs and information?
It’s all about matching your beliefs, expectations, and your child’s learning needs to the school of your choice. This will require some research. There are several things we want to know about a school before enrolling our child. We want to know about the schools personality, principles, policies, and performance.
Personality: Every school has a personality. We can tell a lot about the culture of a school by its appearance, newsletter, website, and of course, the behavior of staff and faculty. It’s a great sign if all the school’s materials are easy to read, informative and you were able to find information easily. Many schools have mastered the art of communication with parents, while others are still working on their methods. Ask about how the school communicates with its parents and members of the community. Does the school have many partnerships with community businesses? What about the school’s climate? From the moment you walk through the front door, you should feel welcomed. The front office staff should greet you with a smile and be happy to help you. Maybe there’s “Welcome” signs in different languages, student artwork, or cheerful pictures of the staff and students engaging in different activities, gracing the front office walls. Be careful not to judge a book by its cover – some schools can’t help the structure of a tall and intimidating building, or guest parking that’s quite a walking distance from the main entrance. But, hopefully, the staff makes up for it with their kindness and partnership culture.
Personality: Every school has a personality. We can tell a lot about the culture of a school by its appearance, newsletter, website, and of course, the behavior of staff and faculty. It’s a great sign if all the school’s materials are easy to read, informative and you were able to find information easily. Many schools have mastered the art of communication with parents, while others are still working on their methods. Ask about how the school communicates with its parents and members of the community. Does the school have many partnerships with community businesses? What about the school’s climate? From the moment you walk through the front door, you should feel welcomed. The front office staff should greet you with a smile and be happy to help you. Maybe there’s “Welcome” signs in different languages, student artwork, or cheerful pictures of the staff and students engaging in different activities, gracing the front office walls. Be careful not to judge a book by its cover – some schools can’t help the structure of a tall and intimidating building, or guest parking that’s quite a walking distance from the main entrance. But, hopefully, the staff makes up for it with their kindness and partnership culture.
Policies: You’re going to want to review the schools policies on several topics. Is Parent Involvement important to the school? How involved are families and parents in decision making processes and school activities? How well informed are families about new changes and is training offered? If you're concerned about bullying, be sure to review their Bullying Prevention policies. Do they enforce their rules? It’s perfectly okay to ask how many cases of bullying they’ve recorded the year prior, and how they’ve handled bullying situations in the past. What was the outcome? If your child's behavior is a concern, it’s also important to know about how the school disciplines its students. Is there high incidents of restraint and seclusion? Does the school practice and apply strategies for Positive Behavior Supports?
Performance: Every State Department of Education has a website with information and data collected on all schools. Every school is graded annually on its performance, which is based on how well students do academically. You should be able to find the schools grade and whether or not it met its target goals.
Performance: Every State Department of Education has a website with information and data collected on all schools. Every school is graded annually on its performance, which is based on how well students do academically. You should be able to find the schools grade and whether or not it met its target goals.
There is also a website called Great Schools that can also be pretty helpful with making your choice. This site compiles data, demographics, student performance, and parent reviews.
If advice from other parents is most important to you, there are a few online support groups you can join. Yahoo.com offers free online support groups on virtually any topic from disability specific groups to home-schooling parent groups. This is especially helpful to parents moving from one state to another who would like the opinions of parents, family members, students and educators. Tip: create an email account exclusively for this. Some groups are very active and will flood your email account!
If advice from other parents is most important to you, there are a few online support groups you can join. Yahoo.com offers free online support groups on virtually any topic from disability specific groups to home-schooling parent groups. This is especially helpful to parents moving from one state to another who would like the opinions of parents, family members, students and educators. Tip: create an email account exclusively for this. Some groups are very active and will flood your email account!
I would caution parents of children with disabilities who have IEP’s (Individual Education Plan) in place, to please do your due diligence when it comes to removing your child out the public school system and into private school settings. There is a blanket of protection provided by IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) that is required by public schools that receive federal funds. Schools in the private sector may offer similar services, but don’t have to adhere to the same requirements. Many parents, sadly, have called me with this issue. One parent I spoke to was sold on a school that catered to children with Autism, and it sounded really great. But when the time came around for reviewing the IEP, and requests were made for making changes (increased therapy time, one-on-one aid assistance, etc.), all of sudden promises became difficult to process at that time. Another parent withdrew her child from the public school system and into a private school that specialized in teaching students with dyslexia. Six months later, due to lack of funds, the school shut down. She had no idea the new school was struggling financially. Both situations left parents having to either rush into finding another school, or go through process for re-entry into the public school system. This just means we have to do our research and try to make the choice we feel is best for our child.
I mentioned earlier that there is no “best” school. Please keep in mind that not everything mentioned in this article will apply to your needs and expectations. Maybe you’ve never had issues with staff restraining or disciplining your child. Maybe bullying has never really been an issue for your child, but focusing on improving reading is more your focus. Maybe a school that has cutting edge technology is important to you. Please note that if you’re looking for that perfect school, you’ll find yourself frustrated and filled with un-necessary anxiety. Every school has its challenges, and that’s okay. Think about what’s most important to you and your child’s learning needs, then base your decision on the school that ranks closest. It’s important that your child enjoys the people he or she is learning from, this makes learning so much easier. It’s equally important that you can build a relationship with your child’s school and be welcomed to contribute as a meaningful partner.
© 2015 Sensory Friends
© 2015 Sensory Friends
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