Answers to Common Questions About Schools

School Basics | Choosing a School | Eligibility
Registering | Additional Information

CHOOSING A SCHOOL

How do I decide whether I would prefer a public, parochial, or independent school?

A number of considerations can affect a parent's choice of schools. Some of the advantages of public schools for some families, besides the advantage of their cost, include their convenience, as they tend to be near home; the sense of community generated by a school where all the students are from one town or neighborhood; and greater diversity of socioeconomic status among the students, and sometimes, not always, greater diversity of race and ethnicity.

For international families, more about the culture and values that tend to be a part of the American public school system can be found in a booklet entitled "Understanding American Schools " (The Interchange Institute, 2005), which is available by contacting the Center for Work, Family & Personal Life.

Some of the advantages of parochial schools include their attention to issues of values and religion, an educational philosophy that is consistent with the traditions associated with that religion, and a tuition price that tends to be more modest than that of independent schools.

Some of the advantages of independent schools include a greater variety of educational philosophies, options for specialized education in areas such as giftedness and foreign languages, smaller class sizes than public schools, and sometimes more attention to individual students and parents' concerns.

Once I have decided whether to use public or private schools, how do I decide which particular school my child should attend?

For public schools, most cities and towns in the area assign your child to a school near where you live, based on school districts within the town. You can find out what school your child will attend by contacting the office of the Superintendent of Schools for that town (see list of web sites) with the address where you will be living.

For the cities of Cambridge and Boston, a system of "school choice" allows parents to express some preferences for which public school their child attends. The process for doing so is complex, and the characteristics and quality of the schools vary significantly. Data about the individual schools is available on the web. To learn about Boston schools, go to http://www.boston.k12.ma.us , and to find out more about Cambridge schools, visit http://www.cpsd.us/index.cfm or www.nancywalser.org/preschools.htm. We encourage you to contact the Center for Work, Family & Personal Life for further assistance before making your selections.

For private schools, a list is available from the Association of Independent Schools in New England, whose brochure can be requested from the Center, and whose web site is http://www.aisne.org .

For parochial schools, go to www.abcso.org for Catholic schools, www.cjp.org/ir_listing.html?id=3720 for Jewish schools, and www.acsi.org for non-Catholic Christian schools.

In all cases, we encourage parents to gather initial information from our materials, from the Center's list of school-related web sites, from others at MIT who have children in school, and, most particularly, from visiting individual schools yourself. Parents are welcome to visit public schools as well as private schools, to talk with school staff, and to spend time observing in classrooms. You can arrange to visit a school by contacting the principal's office for public schools and the admissions office for private schools.

How can I find out what the best schools are?

No listings are available that rank the public or private schools. However, for public schools, statistical data is available that allows parents to compare and contrast the school systems in different towns at http://profiles.doe.mass.edu.

If I want a good quality school for my child, does it matter where I live?
If you are planning to send your child to public school, it makes a great deal of difference where you live, because each city and town allows only residents of that town to attend its public schools. Since each city and town governs its own school system, the quality of public schools varies widely from town to town. School systems differ, for example, in the age at which a child can begin school (see the Eligibility section); class sizes; the percentage of students who go on to colleges and universities; age and condition of facilities; after-school programs; availability of arts and sports activities; educational priorities; arrangement of grades; diversity with respect to race, ethnicity, and class; performance of students on standardized tests; and many other factors. Some of this information is available on the web at: http://profiles.doe.mass.edu.

Families often make decisions about where to live based on information about the schools. Although it is very hard to generalize, the Center can share some general, informal information about school systems by scheduling either an in-person or telephone appointment.

If you are planning to send your child to private or parochial school, your choice of where to live will not affect your options. However, private and parochial schools generally do not provide transportation for students from home, so you may want to choose a community that will not require a difficult commute from home to school.

What is the expectation for parental involvement?

All schools expect parents/guardians to take an active role in monitoring their children's progress and involvement. Schools frequently send materials home with the child for parents to review, including health information or permission slips for particular activities. Parent-teacher conferences are also offered regularly throughout the school year. In addition, schools encourage parents to participate in their local school government, which works with faculty and administrators to supervise curriculum, plan activities, and review budgets. The Massachusetts Department of Education believes active parent involvement increases a child's likelihood of having a more productive and fulfilling educational experience.

Questions/issues to consider when visiting a school:

Was the meeting with the faculty or staff person easy or difficult to arrange? The answer might reflect how eager the school is to meet your needs.
Is the school interested in your child's academic/development background, or will they place your child simply by his or her age?
What is the philosophy (belief) of the program? Is it in writing? Do staff members easily articulate it?
Is their philosophy (belief) visible throughout the school? If respect for others is a belief, how does that appear in the school?
How are subjects taught? Math? Science? Reading? Social studies? Music? Art? Is there a curriculum to look at? Is it described on your tour?
How do teachers manage their classrooms? Is the teacher engaging? Does the teacher have good control of the class? Are students listening to him/her?
Can you tell what topics they are studying? Are there displays of students' work?
Do teachers seem to be interacting with students, supporting group work, and encouraging a creative process, or are they addressing the class as a whole group? Is there a variety of learning activities, or are the students only working within one format?
Do teachers have assistants?
Are class sizes small enough for individual or small group attention? Are the rooms large enough to prevent crowding? Is there a sense of community in the room?
How flexible is the teacher's curriculum? Can it be adjusted to meet your child's needs?
What kind of programs exist for children who need extra assistance or extra challenges?
How often is the teacher in contact with parents? How easy or difficult is it to schedule time to talk with teachers?
How does the school support families for whom English is a second language? What kind of multilingual resources are available in the school for children and families?
If your child does not speak English, are there teachers/staff who speak your child's language?
How diverse is the student population? Will your child feel isolated?
Does the school feel welcoming? Have you been greeted warmly? Do staff members seem welcoming? Do students seem comfortable and engaged? Does the school act as if your presence is important?
Is the school building in good shape? If not, what might that say about the school system's attitude toward school funding, including teacher and support staff salaries?
Do the school's location and hours fit your family's needs? Take a dry run if you are driving or walking your child to school. Find out what time a school bus, if provided, would pick your child up in the morning and drop off him or her in the afternoon.
Is this a school you can visualize your child in? Can you picture your child sitting in a classroom, making friends, or playing in the playground here? Is this a school that will work with you as a family?

Questions adapted from:

"Education in the U.S." by Copeland, Anne P., PhD. The Interchange Institute, 2001.

"A Good Primary School for Your Child," by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1997.

The Cambridge Public School's web site www.cpsd.us/FRC/Choosing_school.cfm.