It’s a new year, meaning many parents are thinking about where to enroll their kids for school in the fall. Whether you’re sticking with a traditional public school, leaning toward a charter, or exploring a private option, here are the nine questions every parent should ask to find the best fit for their child.
- Can I see the curriculum?
While state standards are the minimum requirement, what fills the school day is the curriculum. If a school doesn’t know what it’s teaching or why, how each year builds upon the last, or how each subject interacts with another, that’s a red flag. Likewise, schools with constantly changing curricula have no idea what their purpose is and should be avoided. Schools need a consistent curriculum that builds vertically within a subject while being integrated horizontally with other subjects.
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- What is the content of the curriculum?
A good curriculum doesn’t necessarily mean good content. Does the school respect its students by teaching them the absolute best books that have been passed down over generations? Or is it addicted to current events and politicized texts? For example, does the school display curiosity about our past and the big questions it raises? Or is the curriculum cynical and dismissive about our history? Do students study great art and music? Do they engage in real exercise and physical training in PE? If the school can’t say exactly what students will learn, you should walk out the door.
- Who are the teachers, and why were they hired?
This question helps reveal what qualities the school values and why the teachers are there in the first place. Teachers need both a deep knowledge of the curriculum and the ability to speak kindly, knowledgeably, and effectively to the students. They should be people interested in learning, interesting to talk to, and eager to work with you as the parent.
- Who is in charge?
You can tell a lot about any organization by who is at the top. Is the principal or head of school an example of the kind of learning and deep education you want to see in both the teachers and students? The head of the school will be an example to your child, whether you want them to be or not. So, ask yourself: “Do I want my child to grow up to be like this person?”
- What are the other students like?
Every school has a culture. Walk the halls for yourself and see: Is it a place of calm productivity? Are the students dressed appropriately? Or is it like you’ve walked into a 1980s mall where everyone cares more about seeing and being seen than about learning? Observe how the students treat each other, what they talk about, and how they treat the adults around them. Even more importantly, see if the students are talking to each other at all, or if they are ensnared by their devices. Which leads to the next question…
- Is this a phone-free school?
The data are in, and they are damning: Smartphones and social media destroy the lives of young people, reduce attention spans, increase anxiety, decrease happiness, and open doorways to pornography, predators, and an infinite number of other evils. A phone-free school is a prerequisite for a quality education and a happy student body.
- Are the extracurriculars truly extra?
Some schools were created to train young hearts and minds. Others are football teams, robotics clubs, dance squads, and theatre troops that happen to have classrooms. Even a child training to be a ballerina at Juilliard should have the opportunity to read Shakespeare, learn algebra, and study the foundational beauty of biology. Extracurriculars are good, but they should be just that: additions to the curriculum and not replacements for it.
- What do you want from parents?
If a school thinks “parental involvement” means inviting mom and dad to a parent-teacher conference twice a year, that’s not enough. Schools should be a partnership with parents — who are the primary educators of their children — working to support and shape their kids into happy, thriving, and educated adults.
- What kind of person should my child become?
Ask the principal, administrators, teachers, and coaches this question. They should have a short, definite answer, not something vague like, “We want your child to follow his dreams” or, “Your child should be able to become whoever she wants to be.” Schools and educators shape children, and they should be able to explain how the curriculum, the school’s culture, and the teachers will help your student become a happy and thriving adult.
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It doesn’t matter if it’s classical, religious, big, small, public, or private. Every school should be able to answer these questions, and the best schools will be happy you asked.
Kathleen O’Toole is the Associate Vice President for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College and a high school teacher at Hillsdale Academy.