Tips for Parents

• Consider your child and your family

• Consider the location of the school

• Gather information about schools

• Visit and observe schools

• How are the teachers?

• Check the school district's report card for public schools

• Know your rights under the "No Child Left Behind Act"

• What is the school’s behavior policy?

• How safe is the school?

• What are the school’s special offerings?

Consider your child and your family

Start your search for the best school by thinking about what you want a school to do for your child. Perhaps your child has special language or education needs.  After all, you know your son or daughter better than anyone else does.  Keep these questions in mind:

• Is your child logical or mathematical? Is your child musical or artistic?
• What is your child's learning style?
• Does your child need a more structured (or less structured) environment?
• Does your child need more challenging work?
• Does your child like to learn alone or in groups?
• Does your child need an English language acquisition program?
• Does your child need more individual attention?
• Does your child generally need extra help or more time to complete an assignment?
• Does your child need an environment that fosters creativity?
• Does your child like to learn through physical activity?

Consider the location of the school

When you are thinking about where to send you child to school, consider the following questions about location:

• Do you want your child to go to a school within walking distance of your home?
• Can your child's talents be nurtured outside your neighborhood?
• How far are you willing to have your child bused?
• How far are you willing to drive your child to school?
• Does your child want to be in a school with his or her friends?
• Do you want your child to go to a school near your after-school care? Near where you work?
• Near a close relative?
• Does your child have any special transportation needs that must be considered in choosing a school?

Gather information about schools

When investigating schools, you should make phone calls, collect written material from different schools and look for reports in your local paper to get the information you need. Check public school report cards and go to parent fairs and school open houses.

You can find reliable school information online on sites such as GreatSchools and SchoolMatters, or find more resources by contacting the U.S. Department of Education. The hard work will be worth your while if you find a school that brings out the best in your child.

Along with the schools' curricula and philosophy, you will want to know about school policies and services. You may also wish to consider the after-school programs a school offers; for example, sports, clubs, tutoring, or academic enrichment. Some schools have after-school activities funded by the U.S. Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. These centers provide educational activities outside of the regular school hours—before and after school or during summer vacation—that complement the school’s standard curriculum. You may also want to ask if the school has supplemental educational services, including free tutoring.

Ask about the curriculum:

1. Does the school have a strong program of core academic subjects such as English, history, mathematics, science, arts, and foreign languages?
2. What courses does the school offer in addition to the core subjects?
3. What evidence is there that the school is effectively teaching students to read?
4. Does the school have a special focus or theme for the curriculum? 
5. Does the school offer challenging courses such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and high school honors courses? 
6. Does the school provide enrichment opportunities for all students? For gifted students? 
7. Does the school have extracurricular activities that support what is taught? 
8. Is there an effective English language acquisition program for children who need it? 
9. If your child has special learning needs, does the school have a curriculum and the necessary supports to appropriately accommodate those needs?

Visit and observe schools

Contact the schools you are interested in and make an appointment for a visit. If possible, tour the schools during regular school hours and visit a few classes. Avoid visiting schools during the first or last week of a term in order to get a realistic sense of how the school operates.

Schedule an appointment with the school principal. If possible, attend an open house, parent-teacher meeting, or other school function that would also provide valuable information about the attitudes of staff, students, and parents.

Listen closely to what teachers say about the school. The teachers will be the adults closest to your child, and you will want to know if they are well prepared, dedicated, and happy in their work.

How are the teachers?

• How do teachers grade student work?
• Do teachers have high expectations for all students to achieve to high academic standards?
• How do teachers inform students of their expectations?
• Do teachers share the course content and objectives with parents?
• When and how frequently are teachers available for parent conferences?
• Do teachers assign homework? Is it rigorous? Frequent? Sufficient?
• Are the teachers highly qualified to teach in their subject areas (do they know the subjects they are teaching)?
• Do teachers have the skills and knowledge to address students with special learning needs?
• Are specialized staffs available to address the special learning needs of a child (e.g., speech therapist, psychologist or aides)?
• Do the teachers know the individual students in their classes?
• Are teachers willing to provide extra help to students?
• What is the school's policy regarding teacher response to parent inquiries?
• Do teachers have Web sites with class notes and other information for students and parents?  

Check the school district's report card for public schools

The No Child Left Behind Act requires school districts that receive federal funds to provide a report card on how its schools and the school district are doing. For individual schools, the report card will include whether the school has been identified for school improvement and how its students performed on state tests compared to other students in the school district and the state.

For the district, the report includes the combined test scores of the students at all the district's schools. Public school report cards should include:

• Students' scores on state tests, broken out by student subgroups;
• How many students performed at the "basic," "proficient," and "advanced" levels on the tests;
• Graduation rates;
• Numbers and names of schools that need to improve in the district;
• Qualifications of teachers; and
• Percentage of students who were not tested.

Know your rights under the No Child Left Behind Act

Parents of children in public schools designated as "in need of improvement" can choose to transfer their child to another public school or supplemental educational services such as tutoring. Even if the child is enrolled in a school that is not in need of improvement, under this act, the school must accomodate your child's special needs if the school receives federal "Title 1" funds.

If your child's public school receives federal Title I funds, it must let you know how well the students in the school are learning. The school district must contact you if the school does not meet the academic standards set by the state for two consecutive years. You can find out how well your school is doing by looking at the school's report card.

If your child's school has been identified by the state as “in need of improvement,” the school district must give you the choice of keeping your child in that school or sending him or her to another public school.

If your child attends a school that has needed improvement for more than a year, your school district must give you a list of organizations and institutions that provide tutoring or extra help outside of the regular school day. This extra help is called "supplemental educational services."

If your child is eligible for this help, and your income is low, the school district must pay for these extra services. Such services may include before school and after school tutoring in reading, other language arts, or math.

If you have not heard from your public school about whether the school is "in need of improvement" and whether your child qualifies to receive supplemental educational services, contact the school or the school district and ask for the person/s in charge of choice and supplemental services programs.

If you have difficulty finding these lists, contact the U.S. Department of Education for more information.

What is the school’s behavior policy?

• What does the school do to help develop character and citizenship?
• What is the discipline policy?
• How does the school handle students who misbehave?
• Are teachers fair in their responses to students?
• Does the school have a program and supports to prevent and address behavior problems?
• Are students allowed to leave school by themselves?
• What measures has the school taken to ensure safety?
• What security measures are in place?
• What is the policy on school absences?
• How does the school encourage daily attendance?
• Do school personnel call parents when students are absent?
• Does the school have a drug and alcohol abuse prevention program
• Does the school have a dress code? Do students wear uniforms?

How safe is the school?

Safety is should be of utmost importance for parents when deciding on a school for your child.  Consider the following things when researching schools:

• How does the school prevent and handle problems with drugs, alcohol, and tobacco?
• How does the school prevent and handle violence, bullying, harassment, and other forms of abusive behavior?
• What measures does the school take to ensure safety? What security measures are in place?
• What is the school's relationship with the local police?
• Is there a police officer on duty during school hours and for extracurricular activities?
• What information is available on serious crime in the school?
• What information is available on students bringing weapons to school?
• Does the school have an emergency plan for local and national emergencies?
• What does the school do to ensure that parents and all school administrators know the emergency plan?
• How does the school notify parents about emergency closings? How does the school communicate with parents in other languages?  

What are the school’s special offerings?

• Are publications for parents available in other languages?
• What extracurricular activities does the school offer after school or on weekends?
• Do all students have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities?
• What interscholastic activities are available to students?
• What intramural activities are available to students?
• What activities receive the most attention and resources?
• Are there school and student publications?
• Does the school sponsor field trips?
• Are they available to all students?

Other Resources from the U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) provides information regarding the choices available to parents seeking the best educational opportunities for their children.

Visit the OII website

You can reach the OII at (202) 205-4500; or contact the department by mail at: