Q.) How to Review Grammer Schools

Does anyone have experience on reviewing the quality of schools?

My wife and I are trying to review the school quality in our town to
decide if we will move or stay here because of that. We have about a
year before one of our kids starts grammer school. There's so much
"stuff" out there on school records, comparisons, etc, but we want to
know how people really do it. People in town claim the schools are
good, the schools are OK, and the schools have declined. I can't go on
others opinions. I thought of starting by asking the school for a tour
and possibly meeting some teachers if that option is available.

Do you have a short checklist on how to proceed to go about this
decision process?

Billy wrote:
Does anyone have experience on reviewing the quality of schools?

My wife and I are trying to review the school quality in our town to
decide if we will move or stay here because of that. We have about a
year before one of our kids starts grammer school. There's so much
"stuff" out there on school records, comparisons, etc, but we want to
know how people really do it. People in town claim the schools are
good, the schools are OK, and the schools have declined. I can't go on
others opinions. I thought of starting by asking the school for a tour
and possibly meeting some teachers if that option is available.

Do you have a short checklist on how to proceed to go about this
decision process?

No checklist, but visiting the school and interviewing
the administration and maybe some teachers is a good way to
proceed. You'll get a good idea very quickly by doing that,
and there's no substitute for it. I few issues I'd ask about:

1) If the school's test scores and other indicators raise
any questions for you, bring them and ask the administration
to speak to them. There are often explanations for things
that are not readily apparent from just looking at scores.

2) Ask what programs/policies they have to meet kids at whatever
level they are and ensure that every child is learning and
performing to his or her ability.

3) Ask what their homework policy is.

4) Ask what their disciplinary policies are.

5) Ask what "specials" the students get, and how often (PE,
art, music, etc.).

6) It's often illuminating to ask what they're looking for
when hiring teachers.

7) Ask what they do if it somehow happens that a child and
teacher seem like a poor fit for one another.

Most schools will have plenty to tell you about the opportunities
available to your child and what they expect of their students
and staff. You'll almost always get a strong impression of
whether the school's priorities mesh with your own.

To some extent, though, it's always a gamble. The biggest
influence is the classroom teacher, and the best schools can
have bad teachers. You can't interview every possible teacher
your child will have. You have to have faith that the school
is being run by priorities and policies that mesh well with
your own. Of course, that only works well if your preferences
are well-informed and you're actually looking for the things
that will be beneficial for your child and his or her education ;-)
(I throw that caveat in just because some people have some
pretty odd ideas about what creates a good education,
which is partly why you get such mixed opinions when you
ask around the neighborhood.) And, of course, nothing is
perfect. There will always be some compromises you have to
make.

Best wishes,
Ericka

In article ,
Ericka Kammerer wrote:

Billy wrote:
Does anyone have experience on reviewing the quality of schools?

My wife and I are trying to review the school quality in our town to
decide if we will move or stay here because of that. We have about a
year before one of our kids starts grammer school. There's so much
"stuff" out there on school records, comparisons, etc, but we want to
know how people really do it. People in town claim the schools are
good, the schools are OK, and the schools have declined. I can't go on
others opinions. I thought of starting by asking the school for a tour
and possibly meeting some teachers if that option is available.

Do you have a short checklist on how to proceed to go about this
decision process?

No checklist, but visiting the school and interviewing
the administration and maybe some teachers is a good way to
proceed. You'll get a good idea very quickly by doing that,
and there's no substitute for it. I few issues I'd ask about:

1) If the school's test scores and other indicators raise
any questions for you, bring them and ask the administration
to speak to them. There are often explanations for things
that are not readily apparent from just looking at scores.

2) Ask what programs/policies they have to meet kids at whatever
level they are and ensure that every child is learning and
performing to his or her ability.

3) Ask what their homework policy is.

4) Ask what their disciplinary policies are.

5) Ask what "specials" the students get, and how often (PE,
art, music, etc.).

6) It's often illuminating to ask what they're looking for
when hiring teachers.

7) Ask what they do if it somehow happens that a child and
teacher seem like a poor fit for one another.

Most schools will have plenty to tell you about the opportunities
available to your child and what they expect of their students
and staff. You'll almost always get a strong impression of
whether the school's priorities mesh with your own.

To some extent, though, it's always a gamble. The biggest
influence is the classroom teacher, and the best schools can
have bad teachers. You can't interview every possible teacher
your child will have. You have to have faith that the school
is being run by priorities and policies that mesh well with
your own. Of course, that only works well if your preferences
are well-informed and you're actually looking for the things
that will be beneficial for your child and his or her education ;-)
(I throw that caveat in just because some people have some
pretty odd ideas about what creates a good education,
which is partly why you get such mixed opinions when you
ask around the neighborhood.) And, of course, nothing is
perfect. There will always be some compromises you have to
make.

Best wishes,
Ericka

Good list. The only thing I would add is that I also looked at the
socio-economic mix of the various schools in conjunction with looking at
their test scores. I did this because studies indicate that the BIGGEST
predictor of test scores is socio-economic class -- so a school full of
wealthy kids can be expected to have higher test scores than a school
full of poorer kids, but that doesn't necessarily indicate that the
teaching is better.
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

dragonlady wrote:

Good list. The only thing I would add is that I also looked at the
socio-economic mix of the various schools in conjunction with looking at
their test scores. I did this because studies indicate that the BIGGEST
predictor of test scores is socio-economic class -- so a school full of
wealthy kids can be expected to have higher test scores than a school
full of poorer kids, but that doesn't necessarily indicate that the
teaching is better.

Absolutely. If there is a significant proportion
of kids who come from lower SES families, the scores will
likely be lower. That doesn't mean a thing, though, for
how well *your* child will learn at that school. If the
teaching is good, those kids remain at a disadvantage, but
your child will not (probably regardless of your SES if
you're concerned enough to evaluate schools carefully).
Similarly, if the school has a gifted and talented center
such that they have a high proportion of gifted students,
their test scores are likely to be higher even if the
teaching is mediocre. That's why I suggest that you
give the school an opportunity to explain their test
scores (good, bad, or indifferent). Another thing that
can really affect test scores is a transient population.
If kids are arriving from out of state right before the
standardized tests and haven't been exposed to the
material, their lower test scores won't be reflective
of the quality of teaching at the particular school.
There are loads of reasons why test scores may not be
a very accurate reflection of the quality of the
school. It's always worth it to let the administration
explain the situation, and see if your BS detector goes
off. Our school has good test scores, a moderately
high proportion of lower SES families, a GT center,
*and* a transient population. Go figure what the
test scores ought to be, or how that should relate
to any particular student ;-)

Best wishes,
Ericka

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 09:49:27 -0500, Ericka Kammerer
wrote:

No checklist, but visiting the school and interviewing
the administration and maybe some teachers is a good way to
proceed. You'll get a good idea very quickly by doing that,
and there's no substitute for it. I few issues I'd ask about:

1) If the school's test scores and other indicators raise
any questions for you, bring them and ask the administration
to speak to them. There are often explanations for things
that are not readily apparent from just looking at scores.

2) Ask what programs/policies they have to meet kids at whatever
level they are and ensure that every child is learning and
performing to his or her ability.

3) Ask what their homework policy is.

4) Ask what their disciplinary policies are.

5) Ask what "specials" the students get, and how often (PE,
art, music, etc.).

6) It's often illuminating to ask what they're looking for
when hiring teachers.

7) Ask what they do if it somehow happens that a child and
teacher seem like a poor fit for one another.

8) Ask about school policy on parents visiting classrooms and
volunteering in the school

9) Ask if they have an anti-bullying policy in place and what it
is and how it works.


Most schools will have plenty to tell you about the opportunities
available to your child and what they expect of their students
and staff. You'll almost always get a strong impression of
whether the school's priorities mesh with your own.

To some extent, though, it's always a gamble. The biggest
influence is the classroom teacher, and the best schools can
have bad teachers. You can't interview every possible teacher
your child will have. You have to have faith that the school
is being run by priorities and policies that mesh well with
your own. Of course, that only works well if your preferences
are well-informed and you're actually looking for the things
that will be beneficial for your child and his or her education ;-)
(I throw that caveat in just because some people have some
pretty odd ideas about what creates a good education,
which is partly why you get such mixed opinions when you
ask around the neighborhood.) And, of course, nothing is
perfect. There will always be some compromises you have to
make.

Best wishes,
Ericka

Just adding to this - if it is possible visit both a kindergarten
classroom and an upper primary classroom. Note what the
environment is like.

Are the children actively involved in learning?
Is the atmosphere orderly (not quiet, but reasonably
orderly)?
How much of the day is teacher directed and how much
is student directed?
Do most of the children look happy or grim?



--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

Are you in the UK? If so, Ofsted reports are a good indicator. If
you're not, sorry!

My experience of grammar school for our daughter was that they were so
oversubscribed because of their outstanding record that they chose us,
not the other way round. It's been very hard work for her to date, but
well worth it.