How do I find the best public school for my kids?
I’m relocating to a new city. How do I find the best public school for my kids?
answer:
Start your search at great schools.net Enter the desired city in the search window and you’ll get a list of all the local schools, which you can then compare side by side in academics, state test scores, student-to-teacher ratio, and economic level. There are even parent reviews to help you further narrow the field. Once you find a few schools that sound appealing, visit them in person. “Test scores are only part of the equation,” says Brandi Roth, Ph.D., coauthor of Choosing the Right School for Your Child. “You have to get a feel for the school.”
Ask pointed questions during your visits: (1) What is the annual rate of staff turnover? Anything higher than 10 percent and you should look into the reason why, says Roth. (2) How qualified is the staff? Look for an average of 3 years’ experience, and ask where they were educated. A study by the Illinois Education Research Council found that in high schools with poorly qualified teachers Cudged by licensing exam scores, colleges attended, and years of experience), only 15 percent of students were prepared for college. In schools with highly qualified teachers, that number rose to 50 percent.
Also, “notice whether your questions are met with candid answers,” says Roth. “If they’re not, think about how they’ll disseminate information to you in the future.”