Does your child attend an excellent school?

Despite what many parents may think, a child’s education is the primary responsibility of his/her parents. Parents can and do enlist the help of teachers, but too often, parents assume that their child’s school is doing a good job. Parents must be at the front of educational reform; both advocating for their children and supporting teachers in the process. However, this is much easier said than done. Since our education system lacks nationalized standards, how are parents to know whether or not their child’s school is really doing a good job?

School Atmosphere

Your child’s school makes an impression on everyone who enters, including your child. Is it in disrepair, dirty or visibly lacking in some other way? Or does it invite you in, and seem to set a tone to prepare children for learning?

The best schools set their atmosphere in such a way that make children want to learn. This includes not only displays of excellent student work, and interesting bulletin boards but also the cleanliness of the facilities and the professionalism of the staff.

An excellent school atmosphere should make your child proud to attend that particular school.

Parental Involvement

You, as a parent, not only have the right but the responsibility to know what your child is learning. Parental involvement should be encouraged as much as possible. It is a clear warning if it is difficult in any way to schedule a visit with your child’s teacher or with the principal.

Also, parents should be encouraged to participate in the classroom. Excellent schools will make every effort to communicate in what ways you as a parent can be helpful and involved. If for some reason, your child’s teacher has not asked you to take part in the classroom, volunteer some time. Maybe you can make cupcakes for a holiday party, offer to work on bulletin boards, grade papers or even come to read aloud to the class.

It is not appropriate to make a “surprise visit” unless you have been invited to do so. You should expect to make an appointment both to visit your child’s classroom or to speak with the principal. Your child’s teacher should be generally available for quick questions daily, however a conference will also require an appointment. If a school is not ready or not willing to accommodate your request within a reasonable time frame, this is a warning sign that things don’t run smoothly.

Standards

Your child’s principal and teacher should be able to tell you what your child is learning and what they will be learning in the future. Excellent schools, and really, excellent principals should be able to offer you a copy of the objectives for any given grade level.

Furthermore, your child’s teacher should be able to tell you how your child is meeting those objectives. Learning objectives should, for the most part, make sense and be reasonable for your child to attain.

Beware of schools that seem to have impossible-to-meet objectives. It could mean that their objectives are out of date, or that your child is not a good fit for the school. More importantly, beware of schools that do not have their objectives written down. Not only are the objectives likely to change from year to year but a lack of objectives means that the school has no goal for your child and no accountability for your child’s teacher.

A Literature-Rich Environment

An excellent school will provide students with ample opportunity to be exposed to literature. Every classroom, at least until 8th grade, should have a time of silent reading where students may choose their books and a time of reading out loud where the teacher reads something to the students that is slightly above the grade level reading ability. This is in addition to regular language arts which deals with reading fluency and comprehension as well as writing and grammar.

Literature-rich classrooms also have libraries. Good classroom libraries will have books geared to that particular grade level and are organized in such a way that the student can easily find a book.

An excellent school will encourage a study of literature across the curriculum, integrating all disciplines into the course of study. Avoid a school that does not actively seek to encourage a love of reading. (It is worthy to note here that if you are not sure if your child’s school actively encourages a love of reading, they don’t.)

Homework vs. Busy work

Pay attention to what type of homework your child is getting. It speaks volumes about what is happening in class.

Good homework is age-appropriate both in activity and in length. There has been a recent trend in some school districts that more homework is better. Unfortunately, research does not really support this conclusion and so rather, more homework is just frustrating.

However, quality homework can enhance your child’s learning and encourage thinking skills. Quality homework should mostly consist of open ended activities that encourage thinking skills rather than worksheets. This would include writing assignments, projects (particularly those that require your child to synthesize information, form a particular conclusion, etc.)

Another marker of good homework is that your child can generally explain what he/she is supposed to do. Many times teachers assign homework simply because it didn’t get done in the classroom. This is not usually a good reason to give homework. Homework should be given as a conclusion to something that has already been learned.

Excellent schools will have a homework policy clearly defined.

Happy Teachers = Happy Students

Have your child’s teachers seemed genuinely happy to have your child in class? Excellent teachers love what they do, even when it is challenging. However, sometimes the burden of the administration can make even the most dedicated teacher unhappy. If you notice that there is significant turn-over from year to year in teaching staff of if you hear that teachers frequently complain about the administration, it is very likely a sign that the administration is poor. Teachers who like their administration, are teachers who feel supported and are given opportunities for professional growth.

An excellent school is a good place to work and generally will be able to keep its good teaching staff by keeping them happy.

A Final Thought: Being a Good Parent

It is important as a parent to be involved and to look at your child’s school critically. However, being critical should not be confused with being difficult or condescending. If you see something wrong in your child’s classroom or school, it is helpful to address it in a way that communicates that you are willing to help as much as possible.

There are a lot of fantastic teachers and great schools. However, all schools have some weaknesses to address. The more supportive you can be of your child’s teachers and school, the better education your child will receive.