School Systems?

[Kiley]

What makes a "good school system" good and a "bad school system" bad? What criteria or rating system is used? How do you find these things out?

[Renrel]

I am not really there yet, but some of the things I try to look at when concidering places to buy a home:

How much per capita spent in the schools?
What are the SAT scores?
If there is a state wide testing system how does the school do on it?
What are the college admissions numbers?
Do they have extra curricular activies - music, art, sports, theater?
What do they have in place for Special Needs and Gifted Children?
Child teacher ratios in different grades.
How old are the school buildings?
Do they have good and safe play equiptment?
Are the buildings in need of serious repair? Asbestos, leaks, etc?
Number of computers per a class room? How are the computers used?
Number of books in the libaries?
Transportation provided?
What do parents in the district say about the school department, district and principals?
It the neighborhood stable or transient? When owners live in a town they are more invested in the schools and willing to pay taxes to support them. When a town is mostly rentals than the owners will be less willing to pay taxes for the schools. So a presently good district could go sour quickly if there is a change in the economy.

[Kiley]

Renrel - these are great, thanks. How do you find this stuff out?

[Renrel]

In MA Boston Magazine does a report every year with a pull out and I rely alot on that. I have also found some of the info on the web. A realter should be able to give you alot of the info, since that is the kind of thing people want to know when they buy a home. You could also try contacting your state Board of Education or just the school districts you are interested in and asking for the info. As I stated in my post I have really just been looking informally so I am not a real expert on how how to research this stuff. But think about your childs particular needs in a school. If you have a child with special needs you love a school district that puts alot of effort into that kind of program but if you have a normal child than you may resent all the money that goes for those programs. If you have an athletic kid than the music program may not mean as much to you as the Soccer budget.

[Janey]

Kiley - you could also check out School Matters (http://www.schoolmatters.com/). It was pretty eye-opening for me. The two elementary schools near our house are failing miserably. :(

[Kiley]

Kiley - you could also check out School Matters (http://www.schoolmatters.com/). It was pretty eye-opening for me. The two elementary schools near our house are failing miserably. :(

This is just the kind of thing I was looking for! Thank you!!!!

[princesse]

I think the best way to find out about a school is to go there. Talk to the principal. If they can't make time for you, that's an issue.... whether you have a child there or not, if you are a community member you count! You will get a great feel for what the school is all about; the heart of what matters....

To check a district go to a school at each level. Don't stop at the elementary. No one should be too busy to talk to you, though it is best to call first.

Numbers and reports are important, but I want to have a feel for what is really happening in that buidling, and you can't get that on a computer.

[nuhmah]

It seems that most people focus on academics when they choose a school for their child. That is all well and fine, but a school should be about educating a person for life, not for a test - I would look for a school that also focuses on offering electives classes, after school activities, rewards/activities for students who "do the right thing" and even sports (if applicable).

Schools who tend to focus on these other things might not always meet their "Adequate Yearly Progress" score as state by NCLB, but if they are making gains in their scores then they are making progress (usually) and they are also focusing on things other than test scores.

Also, look into the demographics of the area before you judge test scores - a small rural farming community is not comparable to an inner-city school where 80% of their students are ELL (and they might both be in the same county!).

[Southlooper]

[QUOTE=princesse]I think the best way to find out about a school is to go there. QUOTE]


I second this!

Not all schools are for all kids. My cousin was sent to Catholic School from K-10th grade. Her grades and love of school started going down once she hit 7th grade. Reason being she hated her school, but since the school was considered the "best" her parents insisted she remained where she was. Finally she managed to get herself "disinvited" to return. She went to public school, went from a D-F student to a straight A student. She graduated from Stanford and is now in med school.

[pixielou]

one thing to keep in mind - just because a high school has average sat scores of 1100+, and 90% of the students go on to harvard - that is no guarantee that *your* child will have those same scores and go to harvard.

not all children fit all schools. and there is more to learning that performing well on a certain test.

~pixie

[Kiley]

*bump

[mamax2]

We like Great Schools (http://www.greatschools.net/) as a research tool since some private schools are included as well and there's room for parent, teacher and principal narratives, which are much more telling, IMO, than test scores.