Questions to Ask Prospective Schools

Try Great Schools website for lots of helpful information on what schools should have/should provide. I'm military and actually picked where we lived in Houston Texas by using the school ratings this website provided me. And it was right on the money for its ratings. Unfortunately, in Georgia the DoDEA/DDESS schools aren't shown, but we didn't have a choice where to live here anyway. :)

Look under "school choice tips" for the information you are looking for.

Hope this helps you!
Cathy

http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/3579?cpn=...

- School rating (test scores, student teacher ratios)
- Curriculum (reading, computers, etc.)
- Extra curricular activities offered (sports, gym)
- Discipline (time out, stand in corner, lose priviledges)
- Out of pocket costs: fundraisers, school supplies, "treasure box treats", etc.

Since you say you're "interviewing" schools, I am going to assume that you're looking exclusively into private schools. Aside from the usual questions about testing, school policies about absences, etc., I'd ask about what is expected of parents above and beyond paying tuition. Is there a Booster Club? Are parents expected to volunteer heavily in the school? What are the fund raising activities the school does each year?

Hey J.,
We moved here from Charlotte, we have been here little over a year. Just before the move my husband, my son and I took a tour or walkthrough of the schools. My son is 8 years old, I also have a 20 year old daughter. Anyway here are some of the questions we asked-

-number of students per teacher
-do you have a teachers helper
-lists of activities
-how many students in the entire school attending now
also ask for last years
-are there extra activities ( for example after school programs)
-when or where is the nurse, do you have one, where is she now
-percentage or numbers of parents involvement or volunteers with the school
-and of course keep your eyes, ears and all your senses open if you see a red or yellow flag in your mind, don't ignore.
oh- and check out the classroom
-do they have a website

And now a year later we are thinking homeschool is best for our son. We miss Charlotte schools.
Well I hope this helps,
was it too much?
I'm a new member to mamasource, and I will be asking and seeking advice.
m

I didn't know you could interview for schools. I've always known it to be mapped out as to where you lived.

But I'd guess you'd want to ask things like homework policy, visitation, rules on dress code, nap time, disapline etc. But honestly everything but dress code varies by teacher.

Several years ago, when my oldest son was in pre-school, I taught at his pre-school. Some of the questions I would ask, as a former teacher are:

What is the teacher student ratio?

Can you view a sample of the potential teacher's lesson plans?

Ask to observe a class, not just a cursory tour, but actually sit in the room & notice how the children respond to the teacher. Classroom management is crucial, as is the rapport with the students.

I have four sons & I have noticed that my guys learn much more quickly (and willingly) if there is some action or movement in the classroom. ;o)

Also, I would ask about PE & recess, as well as music, and art as these programs often get cut first due to lack of funding.

Good luck with your search!

L.

If your son is going to public school, you can always pull up the schools report card online and find out things about the school that way. Some other things you may ask are:
1. What is the schedule like?
2. What do you do for discipline?
3. How do you try to meet the needs of all children in the class?
4.What type of curriculum do you use?
5. What kind of behavioral system do you use?
6. How much homework will my child have?

Not sure what state or county you are in but every state I've lived in in the last 25 years, the schools are prechosen due to the 'district' or 'grid' you are in. To interview the school, most would wonder why.
While asking about policies and homework and such are good ideas, most all of that informtion can be found in the school policy book which will be issued to all children. The county that I live in now- Houston, GA- all the schools have pretty much the same book-very few things are change per the school itself but the BOE approves it all.
What you are talking about sounds like what many folks around here do for pre-K, not for regular school unless it's a private (tuition paid) school.
Good luck!

If you're in the Marietta area I can give you specific referrals and info. about preschools here, how they're different, what their programs are like, etc. I worked in a few and my children have attended a couple, so I kind of have an inside scoop if you're in this area.
LaLa

Hi J.,
I was under the impression that now a days Kindergarden is incorporated into regular Elementary School. At least that was how it was for my daughter. If that is the case your child will need to go within your elementary school district. If not and the setting is like a daycare type situation, i actually had an interview tool i used when interviewing schools. 1. How many years in business 2. Are the employees CPR trained 3. What security measures are provided --- front desk security--- electronic sign in--- cameras in building 4. Hours of operation 5. Enrichment currriculum provided ---ask to see the curriculum 6. Teacher/child ratio 7. Cost 8. What are the months of operation 9. do they have online service access 10. Meals/snacks provided. 11. What is the level of education of the teachers/providers. Like I mentioned if it is part of the elementary school system you don't have to go thru so much detail. Just go to this Web site Greatschools.net and plug in the zip code of the school and you'll get all the info you need. Hope this helps. I know this is a stressful time. It is really hard to select the " right " school. Let me know if you have any more questions. We live in the Gwinnett county school district and my daughter is in an excellent elementary school. A matter of fact their school Trip Elementary just opened in August 2007 and their 2nd grade class scored higher than any other school in the county on the Benchmark tests for Language arts and Math. We moved here from Texas and I selected our home based on the school district this area has. :)

Unless you are looking at private or charter schools, your son will go to which ever school is assigned to your living area (district).

S.