Reply to What constitutes a 'bad school'?

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Reply to "What constitutes a 'bad school'?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]On this board and in general, when people say a school is "bad" they mean that the student population is "bad" as in low pass rate on standardized tests.  That typically corresponds strongly with the FARMS (free and reduced meals) rate (which is a povery indicator), and to a lesser extent -- the percent of minority kids.

Around here, a school that has an average pass rate is typically considered "bad" b/c there is probably a wealthier school not too far down the road that has tippy top pass rates.  In the rest of the US, an average pass rate is not necessarily the death nell that it is here.

I always encourage people to look at the details on the test scores.  Is the school ranked in the middle of the state for pass rates (i.e. "average") b/c it has a mixture of high performers and low performers -- which therefore looks like it's "average"?  Are there subgroups within a school. that are performing well?  That would lead you to infer that kids without impediments (language learners, poverty, limited resources) are able to learn based on the teaching at that school.

The things you don't want to compromise on are (1) safety, ([b]2) teacher having control of the classroom/behavior, (3) teachers being prepared and ready to teach, (4) adminstration that is respected by the teachers, and (5) a social culture that is a good influence on your child (i.e. kids you want your kids to have as friends).  [/b]Sometimes those things aren't found in the "bad" schools b/c high poverty schools may be overwhelmed with just getting the kids fed.  It's not that people who avoid high-poverty schools are bigotted... but you have to feel comfortable that the teachers will have time to deal with your kids and not just spend their time dealing with behavior problems.  On the flip side, some high poverty schools (Title I schools) can be great b/c they have much smaller class sizes (extra funding).  Only those who know the school from the inside can tell you if a particular Title I school makes an effort to stimulate the top kids or just spends all their time bringing lower performing kids up to speed.

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And how do you go about finding this information?

Not trying to be snarky, but my 'precious snowflake' is still in preschool and I have no experience dealing with the public school system as a parent. How do I find out whether administration at our public elementary is 'respected by the teachers' and whether teachers have 'control of the classroom'? It's not that they let you audit K classes before enrolling your child.
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