A good education is the foundation for any child’s future, and this means that parents will always have an invested interest in sending their sons and daughters to the best schools in their area. When a child becomes old enough for kindergarten, or if a family moves to a new neighborhood or city, finding the best schools will be at the forefront of the parents’ minds, and they will have a number of factors to weight when it comes to finding the best schools for their kids. Price, location, amenities and groups, quality of staff, and more will have to be considered, and of course the child’s own input will be important as well. The child should be feel welcome at a new school and be able to get their course work done without too much trouble. The best preschools may be a topic of interest for the parents of young children, and the benefits of prep schools are something the parents of older kids might consider as well. How can the best schools be found?
Public or Private?
One major divide in schooling today is whether to send a child to public schools or a private school, and while costly, a private education can give the child or teenager extra preparation for their adult life and give them some advantages. About 25% of all American schools are private, in fact, and most cities are bound to have a few within convenient reach of a household. What are these advantages? Statistics show that the students at prep schools will often be better prepared for college and adult life. For one thing, 21% of teachers are public schools say that student apathy is a problem, while only about 4% of private school teachers report this issue among their students. Similarly, around 24% of public school teachers report that a lack of parental involvement is an issue among their students, while only 3% of private school teachers report this being a problem among their students. Finally, there is often a difference in quality of counseling services offered. At private schools, counselors spend 55% of their time on college prep for their students, while public school counselors spend about 22% of their time on this activity. Even SAT scores may differ; while the national average SAT score is 1060 (counting both public and private schools), the average SAT score among just private schools is much higher, at 1235. If parents can find a private school for their child and they can afford the fees, the child may reap many benefits.
Other Factors for School
Whether public or private, the best schools will satisfy a number of criteria that the parents and child alike will be concerned about. Often, a smaller ratio of students to teachers is better, since this means that students can pay more attention to each student, and a staff of more experienced teachers will be preferred to a staff consisting of many first-year teachers. What is more, the best schools for a child will have the programs and group activities a child is a part of or would be interested in joining, anything from a marching band to sports teams like soccer and football to a debate team or even a model UN. This can make a child much happier and more engaged at school, and that child can make new friends, enhance or learn skills, and have a better sense of belonging if he or she is engaged in these activities.
Parents should also take note of how well funded and supplied a school is. The best schools will have all the supplies needed for all the sports teams and other programs such as the marching band or an art program, and these schools will have up to date textbooks that are in good condition, and modern schools may also have computer tablets and electronic wall projectors as extra tools for the teachers to use. Finally, the child’s own input is critical. If he or she is happy, socially accepted, and has no issues with the course work, a good school has been found. Students that are stressed, bullied, or having trouble with coursework may have to be moved to a new school.
