April 1, 2009
Choosing a School: It’s All About the Fit
Mark Heller's Monthly Column
Category: Academy Headlines | Community News Headlines
Tags: Monthly Column
It was not too long ago that the only “school choice” available to families was either their local, districted public school or private options. Today, the possibilities are many for all families in the Tampa Bay area. What should you look for when choosing a school for your child? Regardless of whether you are looking for a public school (including magnet, charter, and special program schools), parochial school, or independent school, there are a number of factors that you should consider because they relate to all schools and all families’ school experience. Underlying Philosophy or Mission Once you enter the realm of choosing a school, you must examine the school’s mission or philosophy. Public schools are guided by state regulations, magnet and special-program schools have specific focus, parochial schools are guided in some measure by the religious institutions they are part of, and independent schools answer to their mission statements. Prospective parents need to ask the school to not only describe the philosophy that underlies the program, but also what impact that focus or philosophy has on the curriculum and each child’s school experience. For example, does being a technology magnet school mean that the students have less art and music or more science and math in their school day? Does having an atmosphere of religious values mean required religion classes, daily or weekly services, or other programmatic experiences? School admissions personnel should be able to speak very specifically about how the philosophy is brought to life in each child’s experience. The Administration or Leadership Your primary contact in the selection stage will be the school’s admissions department. Are they warm, friendly, and happily able to answer questions? Are they forthcoming when they don’t know the answer? Are they focused on customer service? Though the admissions personnel will give you a strong sense of the school’s culture, I advise you to go beyond simply the admissions personnel and try to meet and converse with other members of the school’s administration. Generally speaking, after your child starts school, your contact with the admissions department will wane and your contact with teachers, deans, division heads, and even the head of school will be your links to helping your child have a successful path through school. An essential fact about school (and life) is that the experience will most likely not be perfect or mistake-free. There will be issues and stressors that arise. Life happens. An excellent measure of a school’s strength lies in how it responds to the normal ebb and flow of life’s challenges. Parents should look for administrative openness and accessibility. Is it possible to meet the division head with little to no notice? Are the administrators good listeners? Are they creative, engaged problem-solvers? Are they good communicators both with parents and the students they lead? Knowing the administrators at your child’s school and being certain that they know your child are keys to a successful long-term growth experience in school. The relationship should begin in the admissions process. Teachers The single most important factor in a successful educational experience is the teacher-student relationship. Thus, who populates that relationship from the teacher side is paramount. What should you look for? Advanced degrees may give you some insight into who a teacher is, but, on their own, they do not correlate to how effective a teacher is. Similarly, the percentage of teachers with advanced degrees can give you a sense of a faculty’s subject-area expertise, but it does not tell you how good a school is. Qualifications are easily quantified, but they do not by themselves confer quality. Look for high quality teachers rather than “highly qualified” teachers. Traits like warmth, communication skills, excitement about content and about helping individuals along the paths of growth are key. A wise head of school once told me to look for teachers who answer the question “What do you teach?” not with responses like “math” or “history,” but with the phrase “I teach children.” Especially at the high school level, teachers and administrators who are able to provide appropriate personal guidance and mentoring help students to grow into mature, confident, self-directed young adults who will be ready to leave home and be successful in college and beyond. A Visit is Necessary You must visit the campus before you choose. Each school feels a bit different, and your sense of how it feels is exceptionally important. While on campus, look to see if students are busy, engaged, active, comfortable, and courteous. Are teachers and other adults interacting with students in positive ways? Does the school feel inviting? Can you imagine your child and your family in that setting? Will this be the school where your hopes for your child will be realized? Trust your own feelings and work to avoid giving too much heed to what others say. Each child and each family are unique, and you are the best judge of what’s right for your family and your child. Extra-Curricular Offerings Look for a range of opportunities in clubs and activities. But more than that, look to see what level of commitment each activity requires. Can your child play a sport and participate in the school play? Can she be in multiple sports, clubs, or performing groups? Know that while large schools may offer many more teams and clubs, small schools may be better suited to offering leadership experiences to a wide range of students. Highly personalized college counseling and placement services are a significant feature of excellent secondary school experiences. The admissions department ought to be very happy to share details and statistics with you. Intangibles Perhaps the most important attribute of a great school lies in how well it offers all of its students opportunities to develop confidence, social skills, a sense of self, and of each individual’s power and obligation to positively impact the world. This is very difficult to quantify statistically. It comes largely from frequent and meaningful contact between teachers, coaches, administrators, and their students. It comes from relationships. When successful adults look back in an attempt to understand what influenced them to become the person they are today, they invariably cite relationships with teachers and mentors who challenged them, cared, and took a special interest in them. Speaking with alumni or alumni parents is a great way to gauge whether the school you’re interested in has a history of offering those experiences as a matter of routine. It’s All About the Fit There is no such thing as the “best” school in the area. The Tampa Bay area is fortunate to have many, many fine, but different, public, parochial, and independent schools from which to choose. The best school for your child and your family is the one that provides the best fit — academically, athletically, artistically, socially, and financially. Though the style or particular cut may differ for each individual, the “best” fit is truly in the eye of the beholder.
