Checklist for Evaluating Schools: What To Look For On Your School Visit

Before you make any decision, you must visit the school. Schools have tours that you can take, some better than others. You won't get to see much teaching in action, but it gives you a chance to ask questions (see the checklist below). There are other ways to visit the school: (a) open houses; (b) volunteer; (c) take your own unguided tour.

Rank possible choices before you visit — it will help you maintain a schedule and decide how many you really want to see. Even if you know you will be unwilling to send your child to the assigned neighborhood school, it's wise to visit it, if only to gather information for comparison.

Since schools do not accept unscheduled visitors, you should make an appointment to tour a school. Don't be afraid to ask questions. As an assertive and caring parent, you can do quality detective work without seeming nosy or overbearing. Teachers, secretaries and students are often valuable sources of unseen but important information. Though you may not consider yourself an expert on curriculum or teaching methods, observing a few active classrooms will provide clues about the school's potential match with your child.

The questions below are prompts to encourage ideas, rather than exhaustive lists of every possible detail. The checklists are grouped into five categories: academics; teachers, principals, and staff; student life; parent life; and logistical concerns. All five are important aspects of a school, although one may be more essential to you than another.

ACADEMICS

How are students expected to learn and demonstrate their progress?

• Do students work independently or in groups? Are desks and tables thoughtfully organized?
• How and when are resources such as the library and computer lab used? Are relatively new computers available? In classrooms?
• How do students demonstrate what they learn - by taking tests, writing essays, making oral presentations, building three-dimensional projects, helping other students?
• How are grades calculated?
• How is class time spent? What is the balance between written work, whole-class discussion, reading, and working on various projects?
• How are ideas presented - by textbooks, by examples and demonstration, by lectures, or by visiting experts?
• What are the daily or weekly homework expectations and how are parents expected to be involved? Do parents sign contracts and what are the commitments required?

Is the work level appropriate?

• How many of the students seem in over their heads? How and when do they get extra help?
• How are students with greater abilities challenged in the classroom? Do they attend special classes or extracurricular enrichment programs such as Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programs?
• How well are students prepared for the AP and SAT tests? How many take them? What college guidance is offered?
• What exposure to the work world is provided? Do students receive help finding summer jobs or placement following graduation??
• Is the content of the class important and interesting? Does it seem appropriate for your child?
• Do you wish that you had been taught this way?

How is the curriculum planned?

• Are curriculum materials up-to-date? Are teachers active in designing and implementing new materials?
• Are parents included in curriculum planning?
• How is this school using its teacher training time? Are teachers taking classes to improve?

Are the communities resources well used?

• Does the school have artists in residence? What about other outside experts on subjects being taught in class?
• What are the field trips or other opportunities to learn off-campus and how do they complement the curriculum?
• How do students benefit from the school's relationships with outside organizations?
• What role does community service play in the curriculum?

Is the environment supportive of academic work?

• Is student work prominently displayed around the school and in classrooms, creating an informal reward for student achievement? Do displays show the full range of academic work or are they limited to "pretty" projects?
• Is useful information related to the subject at hand available on the walls and elsewhere in the classroom?
  

TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS, AND STAFF

The staff at the school are the most critical element in the quality of a child's education. You will need to work in a team with these adults if your child is to succeed in school.

• Do you respect and trust the people you encounter at the school? Do they treat you and your child with respect?
• Does the school have a specifically sound vision or mission statement?
• How long has the principal been at the school? How many other principals have been assigned to the school recently?
• What is the principal's management style with teachers? With students? With parents?
• How do the teachers interact physically with students?
• How many adults, including aides, parents or volunteers, help teach in the classrooms? What preparation have they had?
• How do the teachers draw on their own individual interests or specialties to benefit the school? Do they work together?
• How much experience do teachers have? How many are new to the school this year? Is there much turnover of staff? What awards have teachers won?
• Are secretaries and other support staff at the school treated with respect? Do they contribute to the mission of the school?
  

STUDENT LIFE

This section offers some ideas for evaluating how your child will respond to the school. Children vary in their needs for structure, independence, quiet, friendship, activities, and help in adjusting to a new school.

• What are expectations of student behavior? How do students learn about disciplinary policy?
• Do students feel safe getting to and from school? At lunch and during breaks? Participating in after-school programs?
• Are the bathrooms accessible, working, and clean?
• What are students doing during lunch breaks or recess? Is sports equipment available? Are adults supervising the yard appropriately?
• Are quieter places available - courtyards, gardens, protected play areas for reading or small group interaction?
• How do students' demographic backgrounds affect the dynamics of the student culture?
• Do students seem friendly and open? Are they encouraged to interact with adults? Would a new student feel welcome here?
• Do the extracurricular activities match your child's interests? Are they accessible to your family?
• Are students formally recognized in front of their peers for varied accomplishments, not only academic and athletic?
  

PARENT LIFE

In the rush to get into a school everyone says is good, many people overlook that they are joining a new community. Think ahead - you will be spending a lot of time with these parents, and your child will develop close relationships with these children.

• Are these parents going to be good role models for your child? Are their ideas about education similar to yours?
• What are the expectations of the family? When are parent conferences and back-to-school nights?
• What are the volunteer opportunities? How much fundraising goes on, and what does it support?
• How are parents organized and how active is the group? Are new families welcomed to the school?
  

LOGISTICAL CONCERNS

Location and services such as after-school care can make a huge difference in your satisfaction over time. If you can't easily get to the school, you won't go there. If you don't go, you can't be much involved, and it becomes hard to keep abreast of what is new and changing. That type of disconnection may lead to dissatisfaction.

• What time does school start and end? How will your child get safely to school? Walking? School buses? City transit?
• Are uniforms required? What is the school's dress code?
• Is there accessible before- and after-school care on the premises? What does it cost?
• Do certificated staff supervise athletics or other after-school activities? How sound are these programs?
• How are medical needs handled? Under what circumstances are children sent home during the day? How is this handled?
  

ANSWERS FOR YOUR QUESTIONS

Once you have developed your list of questions, take the school tour and read any printed materials you have about the school. If you're still searching for answers, you may want to schedule a personal meeting with the principal or vice principal. In-depth questions about academic programs may be referred to individual teachers or department heads.

Often the principal is able to locate someone to answer questions. If a question requires the attention of a teacher who is in class, you may be asked to call after school.

Ask around for names of parents who might be willing to talk with you as well. It is in the school's interest, as well as yours, to ensure a good fit -- before your child enrolls.

Doing Your Homework: What You Can Read To Prepare For Your School Visit

INDEPENDENT GUIDEBOOKS

Independent and more thorough research materials, such as the Choosing a Public School guides from School Wise Press™, will provide you with a variety of detailed information including test scores, teacher and principal experience, and college prep data. These books also rank schools by various categories, so that you can see which schools have the best students-to-teacher ratios, or which schools report the best test scores for math.

SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT CARDS

Every public school in California by law must produce an annual School Accountability Report Card (SARC), generally a simple description of the more positive aspects of the school, combined with statistics describing the student body, the teaching staff, and student test scores. Some districts place a high priority in producing detailed and meaningful SARCs, while others fill in a basic district template which make all the schools in a district seem the same. You should be able to get one at the school, but an easier and more reliable source will be the district office. You'll be able to look through SARCs for all the schools in the district at the office, although they probably won't give you an entire set if the district is a large one. Some schools and school districts supplement SARCs with brochures, district profiles, and internet home pages.

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Their website (www.goldmine.cde.ca.gov) has much to offer. The California High School Performance in particular provides quite a bit of information about schools, such as dropout rates and SAT scores. Some of the information is specific to school districts. Other data is specific down to the school level itself. They also offer a link with Ed Data, a source of general statistics about California schools from Ed Source.

COUNTY OFFICES OF EDUCATION

County offices are coordinating centers for information about the districts in their county. Very often the county offices receive very little funding and therefore don't have much in the way of resources that you couldn't get at the district offices. But others are a driving force in the education field and produce a large amount of information about the schools in the county. Santa Clara County Office of Education, for example, produced a large volume called "Vital Signs." While it wasn't intended for the general public, anyone can go to the office and examine it. It is also available for purchase.

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