Evaluating Public Schools

The right school for your child can make all the difference in his or her successful academic career. The good news is that there are many options in education beyond the public school down the street today. The bad news is that the abundance of options often leaves parents in a quandary over how to choose the best environment for their children. It is important to know what to look for in a school to ensure your child receives the best possible education for his specific needs. In some cases, that might indeed be the public school down the street, while other children may need a different environment to facilitate their learning process most effectively.

What are the Choices?

Many parents are unaware of the different choices they have in educating their children today. According to Education.com, some of the options available in K-12 education include:

Neighborhood Public Schools

• Charter Schools
• Magnet Schools
• Online Public Schools
• Private Schools
• Homeschools
• Alternative Schools

It is important to learn about the various types of schools available nearby, so you can make an informed choice for your children.

Factors to Consider when Selecting a School

Once you know which options are available to you, it is time to determine the best environment for your child, based on the 10 steps we have outlined here:

Finding a Good Fit

To find the best learning environment, a parent needs to set the following four criteria outlined at GreatSchools.org:

• What

Almost two years ago, the most expensive high school in the country was completed in Los Angeles – the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools – to the tune of $578 million. There was plenty of hoopla to accompany the grand opening, as well as critics deriding the district for spending huge portions of their budget on such posh facilities. While this school still holds the record for the most expensive high school ever built, others fall in close behind, with state-of-the-art facilities most high school students across the country will never see. Dubbed “Taj Mahal” schools, these institutions offer first-class amenities, along with their eye-popping price tags.

Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools

The newest and most expensive of the Taj Mahal schools sits on the site where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, where the Ambassador Hotel was once located. While much of the original structure has been considerably altered to accommodate a school of more than 4,000 students, certain features of the original site remain. A marble memorial has been erected to remind students of the historic significance of the location, and some of the school areas boast the original names of hotel rooms. For example, the auditorium that is built where the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub once stood, and it boasts the same name and a tropical feel reminiscent of the original structure.

The Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools was a project in the making for some time, as school officials wrangled with historic

A new report from the National School Board Association’s Center for Public Education found that high schools vary greatly in their ability to prepare students for life after high school. At the core of this study appears to be a very important term that requires a precise definition: rigorous curriculum. We’ll take a look at what a “rigorous curriculum” looks like and whether high schools across the country are rising to the task of offering this type of curriculum to their students.

Rigorous Curriculum Produces College and Career Readiness

According to the National School Board Association, a “rigorous curriculum” is required to produce “college and career-ready graduates,” but beyond that statement, the processes involved in reaching that goal become somewhat murky. How do schools know if the curriculum presented to students is “rigorous” enough to ensure success? The report does take the time to define “rigorous curriculum” accurately to make it easier to assess high schools and their ability to prepare students for the future.

First, the website offers a definition of rigorous curriculum that was provided by the National High School Alliance, which reads, “An educational experience that leads to a common outcome – that all students are well prepared for post-secondary education, career, and civic life.” The definition goes on to state that rigor is characterized by a “steadfast focus” on increasing achievement through high-level coursework and aligning high school requirements with expectations for both college and career paths.

Rigor and

While finals week may still be a long way off for most of the schools across the country, report cards are out for Education Week’s annual assessment of the nation’s schools state by state. For the fourth straight year, Maryland has claimed the top spot in the publication’s yearly ranking of school systems. However, with a top grade of B+, it is apparent that most of the country’s school districts still have a long way to go when it comes to providing the highest possible education to their students.

This video explains Education Week’s annual Quality Counts report card ranks state school systems based on everything from academics and funding to socioeconomic factors that can affect student success in school and later in life.

Quality Counts

Quality Counts is the name given to the most comprehensive assessment of the nation’s schools conducted by Education Week every year. According to Education Week’s website, the rigorous evaluation process provides an in-depth look at the state of public schools across the United States today. In light of the recent recession that resulted in big cuts in education spending for many states, as well as efforts by states to put the education pieces back in order during the slow economic recovery, this assessment becomes even more relevant in providing a snapshot of where the quality of education is heading.

“If the turbulence and waves

Chicago Public Schools have taken more than their share of beatings in recent months, with the latest blow coming in the form of school closures of underperforming schools. Parents have protested the decision by school officials and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, saying children previously attending closed schools will now have to travel further and through dangerous neighborhoods to get to class every day. In hopes of countering some of those fears, Mayor Emanuel has followed the announcement of school closures with an announcement of a new safety program designed to keep kids safe in the classroom and the community.

The Unveiling of the New CompStat Safety Program

Last week, Mayor Emanuel unveiled the new safety program, which is modeled after the CompStat program first used in New York in 1994. According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, the program is designed to hold law enforcement officers accountable and accurately analyze crime statistics in surrounding neighborhoods at weekly meetings. While this program was originally developed to enhance law enforcement throughout New York City, the model can also be easily customized to the school and community environment.

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy participated in the New York CompStat program for seven years while serving as head of the crime strategy for the NYPD. Now, he brings his experience to the Chicago program in hopes of uniting law enforcement, education officials, and religious leaders in weekly accountability and strategizing sessions to keep Chicago kids safer. Through