Choosing Schools

We parents who send our children to private school have a lot in common. Most of us want our children to think critically, analyze information, and read widely. For example, Nancy and I wanted to stretch our girls academically. That's why we sent them off to private school. Those poor kids never stood a chance because my late wife read to her daughters almost from birth. She was a voracious reader. She read real books made out of paper, not books on an iPad or Kindle. She had an honors degree in French language and literature and Spanish language and literature. She attended private schools in New York City. Academic excellence was simply a given from her point of view. I was passionate about music and made a career in church music as an organist and choir director. I mention these facts about us because I know you have your upbringing and educational experiences that have shaped you. Those will shape how you plan your child's schooling at every level.

Many of us also have public schools that are considered very good or excellent. In our case, we were fortunate to have excellent public schools. But we didn't like the large class sizes and the limited curriculum that they offered. So those were among the reasons we started looking for other options for our girls' elementary and high school educations.

Here are seven cases that look at some of the reasons parents choose a private school education for

You have been thinking about private school for your child for some time now. Finally, you have decided to proceed. Naturally, you will have many questions about how to organize your school search process. Here are some answers to your questions about when to tackle the various steps in the school search process. I hope this will help you plan and execute the process efficiently and with a minimum of angst. If you want more detail on any aspect of the search process, start with How To Search For Schools.

When do you send your child to private school?

At what age to send your child to private school depends on several things. The first thing which you need to consider is the quality of the education available in your local public schools. No matter what grade you are thinking about, start with that consideration first. This step requires you to do some serious research and due diligence. Don't skip this research.

Begin with the school's reputation. You may have heard good things about a particular public school in your area. That's a start, but take time to look carefully at the school profiles on sites such as Great Schools. Videos posted on YouTube by private schools will give you a useful point of comparison.

Here is an overview of teaching Spanish at The Rectory School.

Then, the next

We busy parents use to-do lists to keep ourselves organized. Honestly, I sometimes wonder how we could keep going without to-do lists. If you are thinking about private school for your child, some of these items might just be on your to-do list too.

Identify 8-10 schools we like.

This is one of the fun parts of choosing a private school. Why? Because most private schools offer video tours both on their websites and on their YouTube channels. While both websites and videos are obviously edited carefully to make the best possible impression on you, they are terrific for giving you an overview of programs and the school community.

Watch as many videos as you can. Review the academic and sports programs in detail.

By casting the net widely in the early stages of choosing a school, you can easily eliminate schools from consideration because they lack something you feel is essential for your child's education.

This video offers a look at the Forsyth School in St. Louis, Missouri.

Visit 3-5 schools this summer and early fall.

Summer and early fall are really the best times to visit schools. Summer has its advantages and disadvantages. The major advantage is that school is not in session. That means you can expect to spend some time with the admissions staff who will have more time to allocate to you than, say, in November or December. Application deadlines

The Best School $75 Million Can Buy caught my eye. A new private school is always exciting news for this veteran observer of the private school scene both here at home and abroad. But the opening of a new private for-profit school in an under-served market such as New York City? Wow! That takes guts, tons of money and superb planning and execution of that plan. And you know what? Based on what I read, it's going to be a school funded by experienced business people and run by seasoned education professionals. That's what any private school in the 21st-century needs in order to be successful, solid funding and skilled management.

Now, to that interesting question. "Should you consider sending your child to a new school?" I am not being evasive, but my answer is a simple "It depends". It depends on several things. Let's look at some of the factors which will help you decide.

Does the new school meet your educational requirements?

Does the school offer what you require for your child's education? New York City has a strong demand for places in private schools and a very low inventory of available places. Several Roman Catholic elementary and high schools have been forced to close in recent years. Demand for places is also driven by a robust mix of high-income families with school-age children and demanding parents who want the

The scenario which we are going to discuss is not as uncommon as you might think. After all, you have spent a considerable amount of time researching and visiting schools in a serious effort to find the school with the best fit. But a few months after school has begun you realize that something isn't right. Your child is miserable. Well, that's just one of the several reasons why you might want to change schools. Let's look at some other reasons.

1. Your child has been expelled.

Ouch! We will discuss this unfortunate reason for finding a new school first. This reason for changing schools is rather like being fired. It is enormously dispiriting and in many ways a life-changing experience just like losing your job is. Continuing that analogy, finding a new school for a child who has been expelled is almost as difficult as finding a new job is. The following video describes what happens when your child is expelled from public school. Private school expulsions are covered by the contract which you and the school signed. The net result is the same and is a very serious situation.

You can expect to have lots of questions asked. So, have your answers well thought out. Do not equivocate. Try not to put too positive a spin on the situation. An admissions staffer will see right through that. Answer the questions truthfully. The school will want to know if your child has learned his lesson. Do not speak