Question:

We’ve just moved to a new city where we’ve enrolled our fourth- and seventh-graders in the local school. We all miss our old school, where we felt known and respected. Can you give our family ideas for getting off to a good start here and find out if the new schools will do a good job?

Answer:

In the old days, our only job was to get our kids to school, clean and on time. That’s changing now that parents are, rightly, taking more of a  “partnership” approach to their kids’ education. I encourage you to begin parent teacher communication with the following kinds of questions.

  1. What skills and knowledge will my child be expected to master this year? Can I see your standards for subjects like math, science, history and English? What kinds of work will they do to help them meet those standards? 
  2. How will my child be evaluated? How will you know if my child is learning and ready for the next grade? What kinds of state or national school standardized tests do they take? How will you use the results and explain them to me? 
  3. What can I do to stay more involved? What can I do at home to support what is happening in the classroom? How can I learn about my students' homework assignments? 
  4. How do you meet each child at their level? What if my child is a slow learner and falls behind, or is a fast learner and is bored? Are summer school, tutoring or other programs available for students who need more help to improve grades? 
  5. How are students prepared for learning after high school? What outside activities do you offer to relate learning to the real world? Do you offer access to career exploration opportunities? Does your school offer individual education plans?

Not all schools will welcome your questions about quality. But since society will hold you responsible for how your kids turn out, don’t give up until you get some clear answers.


 

Adapted from “Strengthening Your Child’s Academic Future” by the Education Excellence Partnership, Partnership for Family Involvement in Education and the U.S. Department of Education.