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Originally posted by credit this
I think good schools can make a huge difference to any kid, and I am shocked to hear several opinions to the contrary from a group of highly-educated professionals. How can anyone who has seen the difference between a good and a bad school setting think that it makes no difference? In my view, moreover, good schools matter even *more* to the kids at the margins (super-smart/learning-disabled), because the best schools are the same ones that have resources to devote to those kids' special needs, and that have teachers who are skilled at differentiating instruction across whatever classroom spectrum they are presented with.
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I've joined the discussion late, but I'm with CT. Your kindergartener who can read and do math will, in fact, do just fine academically in any school. The real question in my mind is where that kind of child will learn the attitude about learning that will help them succeed whenever they get to the level that is actually a challenge for them- whether that be middle school, high school, or graduate school. If the child is in an elementary school where (i) the teachers are equipped to deal with challenging kids at different levels; and (ii) the families involved in that school value education and reward intellectual achievement, they are most likely to develop the tools that they need.
The turtles were both reading at 4, and the youngest (in kindergarten) is already doing simple multiplication in his head. None of this has anything to do with the school, but my comfort level that they will be given the opportunity to push themselves, and will not develop the attitude that they don't ever need to try, has everything to do with the school.
That doesn't mean it has to be private school. Mine are in a very good public school system, and unless they start losing interest, I have no intention of sending them to private school, at least until high school. I already know they are smart- what they also need is to learn how to get along in the world, which doesn't only contain private school kids.
Practical advice: I wouldn't be wedded to test results, though I would not send my children to a school that continually came up short. Also don't be blinded by class size. An experienced (and good) teacher can do more with 25-30 kids than a lousy teacher can do with 10. Look to how the parents interact with the teachers and the school, and look for elementary classrooms that are structured in such a way to allow different learning at different paces. You can tell a great deal by walking into a classroom and looking around, even if there are no students present. In my opinion, all elementary school classes should avoid the lined-up desk routine, and should have a part of every day in which students do roughly the same thing (i.e., reading or writing), but independently, so that a child who doesn't need to practice phonics could be looking things up in an encyclopedia (you can see daily schedules usually on a board for the kids to read). Last but not least, look critically at the in-class library- is there one, are there books of different levels, are there reference books, and are there areas that are clearly designed for sitting and reading.
Just my two cents- apologies for the long silence, and equally long post.
Yertle
