For parents the decision making process regarding where to send their child to school is difficult and confusing. Here at Private Prep we recognize this concern and have reached out to our good friends at School Choice International for their professional thoughts on the matter. The following is an article written by Liz Perelstein, President of School Choice International.
When looking for a new school for their child, parents often rely on friends, colleagues and the internet. Because a child’s education is such an emotional issue for a family, numbers or statistics – or anything measurable – becomes a proxy for quality. However, when schools are concerned, numbers can be hard to come by or meaningless when they are available. In most states within the United States, only public schools may be ranked, rendering comparisons between schools in different states, or between public and private schools, challenging. In a majority of locations private, fee-paying, schools simply do not allow themselves to be evaluated. And because they are not required to administer the same standardized tests as public schools are, there is little basis for comparison. So families seeking the reassurance of statistics inevitably will be stymied and will need to turn to different ways of evaluating which school is right for their children.
But rankings aside, anyone who understands children or child development is aware that not every child thrives in the same academic environment. Despite this obvious point, well intentioned but impressionable parents use every tool in their arsenal to “get their children in” to the schools that someone has identified as “top” or “best.” The sad result has been described to me in countless conversations with private school admissions officers and psychologists. “Getting in” isn’t enough. Children pushed beyond their capacity – either intellectually or emotionally, are most likely to be the ones who fail, get counseled out, or who inevitably suffer from low motivation or self-esteem. Often children forced into a school outside their comfort zone are then subjected to daily tutoring to keep up – rather than using the hours after school to play with friends, participate in sports, or learn music or ballet. And most commonly, even this is not sufficient to close the gap.
The debate around rankings centers on the tension between accountability, which most consumers of education agree is worthwhile, versus the ability of statistics to accurately capture what a school is about – particularly as it is a “people” business. When numbers refer to class size or teacher/student ratio, there is little doubt that small classes, individualized attention and ready access to faculty provide students with unparalleled opportunities. But in some instances rankings or perceived status rely on a school’s university admissions record – a criterion which is imperfect, at best. Are university admissions determined by high test scores or rigorous curriculum? Are they a function of which schools the kids attend or how they perform? Or are students admitted based on family connections, monetary donations or other measures of which a new parent seeking a school for his/her child may not be aware?”
Unfortunately, parents and students take lists of “top” schools very literally; they reinforce the natural insecurity in human nature and encourage parents to focus exclusively on the name brand. As there are few other mechanisms are available to determine quality, superficial factors take on unreasonable weight. Do facilities matter? Do children need – or even benefit from – country club like campuses? Should parents be looking at access to facilities rather than grounds and equipment per se? Who gets to play on the 15 tennis courts or the eight lane competition swimming pool or the golf course? Will their child have that opportunity? Do these schools use their lavish facilities to teach sportsmanship or to win? Is the risk-taking behavior and self-confidence encouraged by favorable teacher/student ratios undercut by the exclusivity and competitive spirit that characterize some of these schools?
Parents need to ask the right questions to assess whether a particular school is right for their children. And the right list of questions depends on the child, his or her background as well as personal qualities – not on factors intrinsic to the school alone. For families considering a change of schools it may be desirable to get objective assistance to help make a school selection for their child that is right for today, as well as for tomorrow.
