subject: Deciding Which Public Schools Best Fits Your Children [print this page] Deciding Which Public Schools Best Fits Your Children
Choosing a school that best fits your child is no easy task. There are a lot of questions that you, as a parent, probably have to ask. One of the first questions might be whether you want to send your child to a public, private,STUDY US or parochial school. If you have decided that a public school would be the best fit, you must then decide which one will suit your child best. There are a number of things that you should ask yourself before making a decision. Once you know what questions to ask, and what to look for, it is then a good idea to actually make physical visits to the public schools that you are considering for your child.
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If your child requires any sort of special education, this might be one of the first topics you consider in your search. If your child has special needs, it is important to know that federal law prohibits public schools to turn away a student based on learning or behavior disorders, or physical disability. From there, you will want to learn about the different classroom settings and teachers. If your child, for instance, suffers from autism, does the school you're considering offer a specific classroom setting for autistic children? If not, do any of the special education teachers have any sort of experience working with autistic children? You may also want to know more about teachers' credentials, training, and other certifications. It is also important to know that students with special needs have the right to an evaluation for disabilities, as well as an individualized education plan (IED.) These will help to ensure that your child is getting the best possible education,STUDY US and that his or her needs are specifically met.
Many parents find that classroom size is an important factor in deciding on a public school. Studies have shown that a smaller classroom setting can be more beneficial for learning, as it gives the teacher more of an opportunity to work one on one with students. This can be a tricky question, because classroom sizes in public schools tend to vary from year to year. You may be content in simply asking what the average classroom size was for the previous school year, or you may want to get an average of classroom size based on a few previous years. If your child is qualified for gifted and talented classes, or you feel your child may be qualified, you should also ask what the average class size is for such settings. Because testing is required to qualify for gifted and talented classes, the classroom sizes tend to be smaller.
Public schools often used standardized testing to evaluate a child's skills in certain areas. You may decide to ask the administration which tests are being used, as well as what the average results were. If the scores don't appear to be as high as they should, it is important to ask what is being done to ensure that scores will go up the following school year.
