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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Honest question: what's the point of "checking out schools" at EdFest? Does it give you a straight data-driven perspective on success, lottery stats, and so on that you can't get anywhere else? no, all those reports are available online. (Great, so they might give you a list of school clubs and course offerings or whatever. You can get that online too.)

ok, so does it give you a sense of it's like to physically attend the school, what the vibe is, what the surrounding neighborhood is like, how the commute would feel? no, for that you'd have to make an individual visit to the actual campus.

so does it give you a real-world, unvarnished take on the lived experience of students and parents? no, for that you'd need...someone, anyone who isn't drawing a paycheck from the school or sitting at a booth sponsored by the school.

I made plans to attend this one or two years, didn't go - and realized I now can't see the point. Can someone explain it to me? [/quote]

I think as you narrow down your search then school visits/Open Houses are helpful, but if you are looking at putting 10+ schools on a lottery list, for many parents that is not feasible. I am a bit biased bc as a parent I have volunteered to stand at my kids' ES and MS tables on various years, and I think it is a unique time to be able to ask questions to school leaders who are normally swamped/busy. Sure, you will get their talking points, but that will be what you hear at Open Houses too. Also, if there are parents there they can shed information about the non-school issues/questions like commute, traffic, neighborhood vibe, school community, types of activities and clubs. Sure, the parents who volunteer are going to in general be fans of the school, but they will share different perspectives than the admin/teachers. 
The more I learn about the insane number of hats school admin wear and things they have to juggle every day, I think getting to talk to/ask questions to these folks at EdFest is reason enough to go.[/quote]

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