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Questions to ask during school tours/Open Houses
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Anonymous
| I remember someone publishing a link or a list of good questions to ask at school info sessions and tours. Now that I need it, I can't find it. I have a list of some questions but would appreciate if someone has other important questions. |
Anonymous
I would suggest you NOT ask/comment on how your DC is already reading and are they going to be bored in this PreK/K class with pictures of the alphabet. This question raises a red flag and can be a negative. |
Anonymous
| Okay. I will keep that in mind. I was looking for a list of questions about the school, classes, teachers, admin, tuition/FA, after-school program, etc. |
Anonymous
| In this electronic age, schools will expect that you've done your homework and visited their websites. Some schools have very extensive sites that include all sorts of stats as well as curriculum, etc. If they don't have that info, you should call them and have them send out a packet. |
Anonymous
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here is the link to when this question was asked 2 months ago.
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/59704.page |
Anonymous
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Ask this verbatim:
"If I think my child if gifted, how will your school accomodate her needs so she will never experience one moment of boredom?" At every tour, a parent would ask this. Keep the tradition going. In all seriousness, the numbers and stats will be readily available. I would look around at the kids (if they are in session when you go), look at the walls, "see" your kid there. You can usually feel it or not. WIS is a GREAT school but walked out and threw the app right in the trash. Wasn't feeling it, thought I would love it... |
Anonymous
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I liked John Huber's post in this thread.
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/37318.page |
Anonymous
Interesting. We had the same reaction. Would love to hear more about your thoughts on this. |
Anonymous
| I found it most helpful to just listen at the tours/open houses. No question is so burning that it needs to be asked right away. You can ask the questions about accommodations for students (either direction) once admitted - never a good idea to raise it, esp. re "giftedness" before you're admitted, no matter how true it may be and sincere you may be. |
Anonymous
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John Huber's post (noted earlier) is good, but it does refer to what a school's culture is, and how you might ferret it out, not questions to ask.
To go a slightly different direction, in my experience, school cultures are EXTREMELY different. And the culture the school admin touts can be very different from the actual culture that pervades - driven largely by parents. When these clash, it is not pretty. |
Anonymous
Agree. Don't ask "when is the application due", "do we need teacher recs", "how do we apply for FA", etc. That's all covered in the basic FAQs. Really you should ask the questions that are of interest to you. What are you looking for in a school, what do you really care about, etc. Maybe ask for elaboration on a specific aspect of the school that interests you or your child. |
Anonymous
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Lots of good suggestions here. The parent interview is the time to ask questions, but not ones covered in the FAQs section of the school's website. If you are looking at K and your child is reading, don't ask "will my kid be bored?," but, if you are concerned, "what strategies do the teachers use to handle a range of learners?" (For the record, few kids reading in K have actually mastered the fundamentals of reading, but a lot of parents on these tours seem unaware of that fact.)
While many families feel under pressure to make a good impression, it helps to remember that you are also looking for a good fit for the DC and family. So, as per the suggestions in the Huber post, pay attention to clues that are important to you on the visit - they may tell you far more than you will learn through a couple of questions. |
Anonymous
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Personally, what I want to know about is how long the teachers stay and how decisions about curriculum are made. Schools in which teachers are happy and have a fair amount of control over what they teach (and how) are better able to attract and retain great teachers. And, IME/O, teachers make or break the school.
That said, I didn't ask questions at open houses so much as pay attention to how each school tried to sell itself because I thought that the different choices different schools made were significant and reflective of how the school was run. Some schools put their teachers on display; others didn't. Some talked about curricular changes; others didn't. I disagree with other posters re the need to avoid asking questions that are (or might have been) answered on the web or in brochures at open houses. It's not a test -- it's an informational session and if it's a FAQ, it'll be a quick and easy one to answer. |
Anonymous
I agree with everything but the last point. There are lots of folks in the room at these open houses/info sessions. I don't really want someone sucking up oxygen on a question answered on the website. |
Anonymous
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Ask how the school’s Board of Trustee members are selected - is it a self-appointing board or an elected board? Ask if there are term limits to the trustees’ terms. Ask if the policies specify a minimum number of trustees. Try to determine if the BOT think their role is a popularity contest or if they are trying to run the school. A bad board can close a school. |