As Ohio prepares to commemorate National School Choice Week later this month at 485 events across the state, many parents will begin evaluating the educational opportunities available for their children.
Believe it or not, seats in schools are already beginning to fill up for the 2015-16 school year. Waiting until the spring or the summer to begin researching schools for your children could restrict your options.
Parents can start by making a list of the attributes that they hope to find in an ideal school. Ask yourself: What’s most important to you and to the academic, social and emotional wellbeing of your child? Is it the academic performance of a school, school safety, the instructional methods, the qualifications of teachers, the school’s educational theme, a school’s shared values or other factors?
Start looking into the options available to you. In addition to the local public school, you may be eligible to send your child to a school outside of your ZIP code, or in a different school district. Look into nearby charter schools and magnet schools. Don’t leave private and faith-based schools off your list! You might be able to find scholarships to cover the costs of tuition.
To find the options available to you, look at information from the Ohio Department of Education. For a directory of most schools in your area, along with parent rankings and some performance metrics, parents can visit greatschools. org.
Start making appointments to visit the schools. Ask to sit in on classes, and make sure to ask as many questions as possible of teachers, the administration and support staff. Ask yourself: Is this a place where I’d want to send my child for most of his or her weekday waking hours?
Finally, make sure to talk with other parents — and to your own children. Ask parents how the school’s administrators treat parents, and whether they welcome or discourage parental involvement. Finally, ask your children about their perceptions of the schools that you’ve visited before you make your choice.
Andrew Campanella is president of National School Choice Week, which runs Jan. 25-31.
