Did you hire an edu consultant?

[Anonymous]

We used a consultant when our son, who had gone to public elementary school, applied to independent middle schools. She met with our son, looked at his transcript and SSAT scores, and told us that he had a good shot at almost any school. This was helpful in that we really had no clue whether he'd have a chance at the most competitive schools. Beyond that, however, her comments about the atmosphere at different schools, and their strengths and weaknesses were no more informative than the opinions of friends, neighbors and colleagues. In the end, nobody can tell you much about a school unless he/she has a child at the school. Beyond that, people are just repeating the same-old gossip and stereotypes. Finally, I would agree with PPs who've noted that a consultant might or might not "get" your kid. Our son is very outgoing and verbal, so he makes a good first impression on most adults. I know other children who are terrific kids with many talents to offer any school, but who are shy or quirky, so the initial impression they make is not as positive. My guess is that a consultant who meets with a kid like that only briefly will underestimate the child's chances of admissions success.

[Anonymous]

But, why did you need an educational consultant to tell you whether your child would be competitive at private school? Was there something about his grades or test scores that gave you reason for pause? Is he a top quartile performer in his public school or just an above average student?

[Anonymous]

We knew our son had very good grades, but we had no idea how he was ranked vis a vis other students at his school. As far as I know, public schools don't rank elementary school students, and, if they do so, they certainly don't provide parents with that information. Moreover, in the five years prior to the year we applied only one other child from our son's elementary school had enrolled at the independent school in which we were most interested. So, we really didn't have much of a baseline for predicting whether our son had a shot at being admitted to the school or whether we would just be wasting our time and getting his hopes up without good reason.

[Anonymous]

I guess you really did need their services to tell you to go ahead an apply and that he is competitive (This obviously would not have been predicted by his grades and SSAT scores). How much did that advice cost you?

[Anonymous]

Moreover, in the five years prior to the year we applied only one other child from our son's elementary school had enrolled at the independent school in which we were most interested. So, we really didn't have much of a baseline for predicting whether our son had a shot at being admitted to the school or whether we would just be wasting our time and getting his hopes up without good reason.

Is this because every candidate that applies is rejected or that most students and families at this school have no desire or financial where with all to attend private schools.

[Anonymous]

For the previous poster who recommended the consultant who specializes in special needs: could you please recommend her/him, and perhaps give a few more details. We're still trying to figure out what my son's needs are, but they are making him unhappy at school and the teachers aren't all that happy with the situation, either. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Re. PP 21:00 and 8:24 - teacher (and mom) here. You both really hit the nail on the head. As a teacher I try to judge my students based on tangible evidence in class, but we're all only human. The same way we, as adults, can misjudge people based on limited interactions, children can be misjudged. If a kid is having a bad day/rough week/developmental issue/social issue/problem at home/chemical imbalance/sleep disorder/... frequently different people see different sides of a kid. Without begin able to see the whole picture by being there 24/7 AND inside the kid's head, you try your best to figure it out but you're not always right.

On the topic of this thread, though, I think it's a racket - a lucrative one for the consultants, but a racket. Nothing you can't find out by doing some research on your own. And even if an ed consultant told me that my child wouldn't get into a school I though was a perfect fit, I would still go for it.

[Anonymous]

Suzie Keith Blatner at ITS in Kensington is the primo special needs ed consultant in the area, but it can get difficult to get in to see her. I've heard of one or two others but I can't remember their names.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the flip side, the ed con said that my son wouldn't do well on the WPPSI (after spending an hour with him) and that we should stay away from certain schools bcse we didn't have a chance and then he got 99.9 across the board (and this is not a DCUM exaggeration, just saying to make the point). When we called them back they were very odd and even more unhelpful. Maybe they didn't like us, maybe they didn't like him, but in the hour evaluation they had a totally different response to him then any one else who has had contact with him (teachers, coaches, friends, etc.). We were put off.

That is another example of a waste of time consultation by a professional charging some $150 and hour here in good old DC who just acts like they have the scoop.

Also, it says something about the worthless WPPSI.

DCUM might put these "consultants" out of business.

[Anonymous]

As an Ed Consult, I’ve been reading this post with great interest. My goal is to best serve the student, the family and the schools so it’s helpful to hear how we can improve as professionals. I’d like to add a few thoughts to the posting. BTW, I’m not (or don’t think I am) any of the consultants who have been referenced on this posting.

I often visit and post on DCUM to try to give advice, point families in the right direction and give information. I feel that the more correct information that parents have, the better off we all are since education is supposed to be about the children. Since so many of the posts are filled with irrelevant and often mean/unnecessary comments, it can be really frustrating to sort through all the interference to get questions answered.

If you’ve read posts on this forum about Fly on the Wall, The Heights, SPD Child Loses It, Family Compass, Worried About Class Sizes, WPPSI 99, Red Shirting or a variety of other subjects, you’ve read comments from me. These are the ways that consultants can help parents when struggling with either their current school, looking for therapists or applying to new schools. Every time I see a posting about small, little known or new schools, I try to give a few names so that parents can explore all the different options for their children.

My only concern (which I’m sure will get some feedback) is that sometimes parents try to completely control or manipulate the school admission process and the consultant . You wouldn’t do this with a tax attorney, a mechanic or a manicurist so IF you have a consultant whom you trust and you feel they understand your child, please let them follow the best practices that they have been trained in by IECA. If you don’t like how they’re working with you, let them know and give them a chance to improve their service.

As always, I hope this helps put a different perspective on hiring an educational consultant.

Go New Orleans!!

[Anonymous]

OK, I've never used an educational consultant but I was really taken aback by your comment about parents "manipulating" the process. Its their process! You work for them! As many of these posts reflect, parents who hire consultants need to also exercise independent judgment.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure I get exactly what a consultant is supposed to do. Are they supposed to guide you through the process? Help you prepare your application packets? Do they have some sort of influence with the carious schools? What exactly are you paying for?

(As a disclaimer, my kids go to public, so I know I'm not exactly welcome by some on this board anyway, but I am legitimately curious.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure I get exactly what a consultant is supposed to do. Are they supposed to guide you through the process? Help you prepare your application packets? Do they have some sort of influence with the carious schools? What exactly are you paying for?

(As a disclaimer, my kids go to public, so I know I'm not exactly welcome by some on this board anyway, but I am legitimately curious.)

Just curious, why do you get on this forum? There are a few of you out there that like to visit.
BTW, you are welcome on this forum.

[Anonymous]

To the ED Consultant - Thanks for appearing on this forum. I did read a number of terrific comments on "fly on the wall" forum from a couple of posters and imagine that one of them must be you.

I have a question for you - I understand that one of the major inputs that an educational consultant can provide is to match the student with particular schools that best fit the student. On the other hand, I imagine that most people who come to an ed consultant are also saying "how can you help us get into the "top 3" or the "fab 4" or whatever". How does it work in these cases? Do you gently nudge people away from their dream school or do you add your list of "ideal" schools to their list?

[Anonymous]

Another Q for the Ed consultant: Perhaps you can help us resolve once and for all whether super high WPPSI s actually matter.

Also, what fraction of applications at the top schools do actually have WPPSI 99 (an issue that has pre occupied many on these forums for a while now).

Thanks in advance.