Tag: school choice

Education and access to knowledge hold a sacred place for Black Americans. From the time when it was inaccessible to us, the risks that we took to acquire it, and the opportunities that have arisen for us from its acquisition, we have always valued learning and education.

Our demographic – the Black members of generations X and Y – have become the caretakers of that tradition. Now in our prime parenting years, we are faced with difficult choices as we consider the scholastic portion of our children’s education.

This series of articles chronicles five aspects to consider as you choose the right school for your child. There is no one strategy that will help you to find that “best fit”, but these basic guidelines will be beneficial to you on your search.

5. Talk to other parents/guardians about the prospective schools.

Some schools will provide you with contact information for other families who have children in the school. If you have children of color, the school may even direct you toward other families with children of color so that you may ask them about their experiences. You may have a visceral reaction to it but trust me; it really is a good sign that they are interested in getting your child into the school, as well as welcoming you as a family into theirs.

Education and access to knowledge hold a sacred place for Black Americans. From the time when it was inaccessible to us, the risks that we took to acquire it, and the opportunities that have arisen for us from its acquisition, we have always valued learning and education.

Our demographic – the Black members of generations X and Y – have become the caretakers of that tradition. Now in our prime parenting years, we are faced with difficult choices as we consider the scholastic portion of our children’s education.

This series of articles chronicles five aspects to consider as you choose the right school for your child. There is no one strategy that will help you to find that “best fit”, but these basic guidelines will be beneficial to you on your search.

3. The qualitative data is infinitely more important than the quantitative data.

With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), schools have understandably begun to present their standardized test scores as proof of their ability to educate children (see my rant about NCLB here). In independent schools, they may present College Board scores in lieu of state-mandated ones. In either case, remember the phrase “quality of education”: it is your reminder that how well a school educates its students is a qualitative matter, and not solely a quantitative one.

Education and access to knowledge hold a sacred place for Black Americans. From the time when it was inaccessible to us, the risks that we took to acquire it, and the opportunities that have arisen for us from its acquisition, we have always valued learning and education.

Our demographic – the Black members of generations X and Y – have become the caretakers of that tradition. Now in our prime parenting years, we are faced with difficult choices as we consider the scholastic portion of our children’s education.

This series of articles chronicles five aspects to consider as you choose the right school for your child. There is no one strategy that will help you to find that “best fit”, but these basic guidelines will be beneficial to you on your search.

1.Choosing the right school is a match to be made, not a prize to be won.

The above quote was a mantra repeated by the Director of College Counseling for a school in Minneapolis at which I taught, but it applies to any school choice.   There are so many different types of schools: public, independent (private), parochial, Montessori, exceptional student education (a general term which includes gifted & talented as well as learning-disabled students), arts-based, sports academies… the list can daunting.