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Open letter to a parent that asked…
By audhill | December 8, 2007
Public or private?
Dear Parent:
It’s not about whether the school is public or private. It’s about the individual school or district, the resources available to it, the quality of teachers and administrators, the philosophy of the school system and how committed the investment in that philosophy is. Some private schools are mom and pop stores with inexperienced teachers and stretched resources. If the teacher body is changing all the time, watch out. Also, do they have the resources to provide your child with all the experiences you would want them to have?
Don’t rely on reputation (in public or private); reputations can sometimes be the laurels that schools sit on.
It’s an arduous process finding out whether the school you want your child to attend is actually the right school. Find out what kinds of assignments and what philosophy the different departments advocate. Ask for a book list and find out if the books are on/above or below grade level. Find out how much test prep is being done in your school. IMHO, if there is a significant amount, watch out…. unless Stanley Kaplan Middle School is what you were looking for. But, don’t totally discount the scores, because if the school isn’t getting them, thats an important piece of information. Watch out for jargon and sweet talking. Most of it means nothing and often smarmy talk about authentic assessment or data based instruction or the whole child… is code language. Not always, of course… but authentic assessment can mean portfolios and rigor or it can mean lazy teacher summer camp. Data based instruction can mean evaluating where your child’s strengths and weaknesses are, or it can mean we only care about scores and we’re dropping the ball on any child that isn’t in our crosshairs for that goal. If your child would be a candidate, find out about opportunities for advanced classes and how placement is determined, hetero versus homogeneous grouping, after school activities. What are the arts programs like, what about sports. What kinds of technology is available for children to use. Find out how old/young the teacher population is. You want a mix of experience and enthusiasm.
Find out what your administration (department chairs, principals, superintendents of curriculum and instruction, etc.) did before administration. Evaluate their credentials, as well as teachers. They are the heads of the hydra and their experiences and interests influence the direction of schools.
Also, if your child is in elementary, check out the middle school and the high school. Be sure that you like the view all the way up. Some people like to mix and match… public and private depending on the quality of the different levels. It’s hard to move a child away from their friends at a certain point, but if you like one part of the system better than another… be ready to vote with your feet.
Good luck in your search.
Topics: education |