My husband and I recently chose a private school for our child in Boulder County, Colorado. Looking back, we really didn't ask all the questions we could have asked, to understand which private school would give our child the best school experience and the best foundation for a life of learning. Fortunately, now that we understand more about the private schools, we still feel great about our decision. If we had it to do all over again, we'd choose the same school! However, not everyone is so fortunate. So, in addition to the top questions parents ask the private schools, I've also put together a list of the top questions parents don't ask! Here are some questions that can be very important, yet not everyone thinks of them when choosing a private school. As you read these questions, there may be some you would like to add to your list of questions to ask the schools.
1. Does your school teach only academics, or a well-rounded curriculum including the arts, physical education and foreign languages? These days, mainstream education is moving more towards teaching basic academics. Art, music, drama, physical movement, and languages are now considered "frills". However, there are some schools that integrate the arts and physical education with a full academic curriculum. There are even schools that introduce foreign languages, starting in first grade! For us, academics are very important, and so is a well-rounded education.
2. How well are your graduates prepared for college and for "real life"? Do you instill in your graduates a life-long love of learning? The main purpose of school is to give our children the foundation they need for a happy, successful, fulfilling life. To find out whether a school is producing good results, the achievements and life skills held by the school's graduates will tell you more than first grade test scores.
3. In retrospect, how do your school's graduates rate the school? Years later, after students have had some time to experience the effects of their education, do they appreciate it and would they recommend it to others? How many would send their own children to the school they attended?
4. How does this school approach discipline, and what conduct do they accept from students? Ideally, a school will have policies that clarify the conduct they allow, as well as what they do not allow. Hopefully, discipline will be administered with kindness as well as firmness. The school's disciplinary policy will have a significant effect on your child's school experience. Too strict, and it can stifle a child's normal exploration. Too lax, and it can allow chaos to reign in the classroom or on the playground.
5. How do you assess how well students are learning? This is an important aspect of education. Does the school focus on testing, or on other types of observation? Does the school only evaluate academic skills such as reading and math, or does it also take into account abilities such as social and artistic skills? You may also be interested in the ways in which the school communicates these assessments with parents.
6. How does this school's approach fit with the developmental stages of childhood? Developmental psychologists have learned a great deal about how children's learning capacities develop in stages. We also read about educators who really push early reading and math skills at younger and younger ages. But does this assumption of "earlier is always better" fit with optimal child development? Or are children better served with an early childhood of imaginative play, making friends, and physical activity? We have opted for the latter, and for delaying academic instruction until there is greater developmental readiness. It is surprising to many that there is growing evidence to support an emphasis on play and imagination for young children. Learning to read at a slightly later age is also associated with greater reading enjoyment in high school. This is too complex a subject to cover fully in this brief article, but I highly recommend exploring it further.
7. Does your private school have a particular approach to spiritual subjects? Many parents have strong beliefs about spiritual or religious subjects. To play it safe, many schools simply avoid the subject altogether. Some schools teach a specific spiritual belief system, and others communicate a general spirituality that can support a broad range of individual beliefs.
8. What does this school expect from parents? The parents of the other children in class will have a strong influence on your child's school experience. For your child to learn the best, it could be to your advantage if your school has some guidelines for parenting in ways that are most conducive to children's behavior and attitudes in school.
Take television watching, as an example. Time spent in front of the television is linked with poor attitudes toward school, learning and attention difficulties, and underachievement. And children who have behavioral and learning difficulties make it difficult for other kids in the class to learn, too. So if you are supporting your child's learning by limiting TV watching, you will benefit from a school that encourages or requires all parents to do so.
9. What about social and emotional development? The happiest people can form meaningful relationships and communicate well with others. School can be a great place to learn positive social skills and also to develop emotional intelligence. You may want to know how a school supports these important life skills.
10. What kinds of play do young children engage in at your private school? Research shows the benefits of physically active play and imaginative activities for young children. Yet in many schools, the space for these important childhood activities is limited. Often, in their place are computer labs, flash cards and reading lessons in preschool and kindergarten.
11. Does your school go beyond rote learning and memorization to actually developing cognitive abilities? There's nothing wrong with memorizing facts. It's actually useful and necessary. The problem comes when that's all students are taught. The best people in any field can apply their creativity and reasoning to advance our knowledge in that field.
12. How else is your school unique? No matter how many specific questions you ask, there may be something unique about the school that you didn't think to ask about. So a general question can give a private school spokesperson an opportunity to let you know what's special about their school.
Once you get past the basics, these in-depth questions can yield information to help you make a more informed decision. I can only hope that you are as thrilled with the private school you choose as we are with ours! - 31376
1. Does your school teach only academics, or a well-rounded curriculum including the arts, physical education and foreign languages? These days, mainstream education is moving more towards teaching basic academics. Art, music, drama, physical movement, and languages are now considered "frills". However, there are some schools that integrate the arts and physical education with a full academic curriculum. There are even schools that introduce foreign languages, starting in first grade! For us, academics are very important, and so is a well-rounded education.
2. How well are your graduates prepared for college and for "real life"? Do you instill in your graduates a life-long love of learning? The main purpose of school is to give our children the foundation they need for a happy, successful, fulfilling life. To find out whether a school is producing good results, the achievements and life skills held by the school's graduates will tell you more than first grade test scores.
3. In retrospect, how do your school's graduates rate the school? Years later, after students have had some time to experience the effects of their education, do they appreciate it and would they recommend it to others? How many would send their own children to the school they attended?
4. How does this school approach discipline, and what conduct do they accept from students? Ideally, a school will have policies that clarify the conduct they allow, as well as what they do not allow. Hopefully, discipline will be administered with kindness as well as firmness. The school's disciplinary policy will have a significant effect on your child's school experience. Too strict, and it can stifle a child's normal exploration. Too lax, and it can allow chaos to reign in the classroom or on the playground.
5. How do you assess how well students are learning? This is an important aspect of education. Does the school focus on testing, or on other types of observation? Does the school only evaluate academic skills such as reading and math, or does it also take into account abilities such as social and artistic skills? You may also be interested in the ways in which the school communicates these assessments with parents.
6. How does this school's approach fit with the developmental stages of childhood? Developmental psychologists have learned a great deal about how children's learning capacities develop in stages. We also read about educators who really push early reading and math skills at younger and younger ages. But does this assumption of "earlier is always better" fit with optimal child development? Or are children better served with an early childhood of imaginative play, making friends, and physical activity? We have opted for the latter, and for delaying academic instruction until there is greater developmental readiness. It is surprising to many that there is growing evidence to support an emphasis on play and imagination for young children. Learning to read at a slightly later age is also associated with greater reading enjoyment in high school. This is too complex a subject to cover fully in this brief article, but I highly recommend exploring it further.
7. Does your private school have a particular approach to spiritual subjects? Many parents have strong beliefs about spiritual or religious subjects. To play it safe, many schools simply avoid the subject altogether. Some schools teach a specific spiritual belief system, and others communicate a general spirituality that can support a broad range of individual beliefs.
8. What does this school expect from parents? The parents of the other children in class will have a strong influence on your child's school experience. For your child to learn the best, it could be to your advantage if your school has some guidelines for parenting in ways that are most conducive to children's behavior and attitudes in school.
Take television watching, as an example. Time spent in front of the television is linked with poor attitudes toward school, learning and attention difficulties, and underachievement. And children who have behavioral and learning difficulties make it difficult for other kids in the class to learn, too. So if you are supporting your child's learning by limiting TV watching, you will benefit from a school that encourages or requires all parents to do so.
9. What about social and emotional development? The happiest people can form meaningful relationships and communicate well with others. School can be a great place to learn positive social skills and also to develop emotional intelligence. You may want to know how a school supports these important life skills.
10. What kinds of play do young children engage in at your private school? Research shows the benefits of physically active play and imaginative activities for young children. Yet in many schools, the space for these important childhood activities is limited. Often, in their place are computer labs, flash cards and reading lessons in preschool and kindergarten.
11. Does your school go beyond rote learning and memorization to actually developing cognitive abilities? There's nothing wrong with memorizing facts. It's actually useful and necessary. The problem comes when that's all students are taught. The best people in any field can apply their creativity and reasoning to advance our knowledge in that field.
12. How else is your school unique? No matter how many specific questions you ask, there may be something unique about the school that you didn't think to ask about. So a general question can give a private school spokesperson an opportunity to let you know what's special about their school.
Once you get past the basics, these in-depth questions can yield information to help you make a more informed decision. I can only hope that you are as thrilled with the private school you choose as we are with ours! - 31376
About the Author:
Make sure your list of questions is complete! Here are 10 more questions parents often ask the private schools. Go to www.PrivateSchoolsBoulder.com to find out which private school the author chose in Boulder, CO.
