If you had a choice....

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Choosing the Right School for Your Child

What would you do if you had a choice between a great public school and an awesome Montesorri Charter school? which would you choose? This is my dilemma???!!!!

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Ironically, since posting my reply back in June, I've had to make a similar decision for my sons as we've just relocated from England to California in August. I have two sons in high school, a freshman and a senior (plus another who just graduated and entering university). We initially enrolled both boys in a private, Catholic high school nearby but within two days knew that although the school was perfect for my Freshman it was a poor choice for my Senior (we didn't have time to research since the relocation occurred just days before the school year began). We immediately pulled out the Senior and put him in the local public high school which is a perfect match for both his academic needs and his personality. The public high school has an IB programme and several AP courses whereas the private school because it is smaller, offered AP classes but had to drop several due to lack of students enrolling. My son needed the advanced classes particularly since the UK schools are 2 years ahead of US schools. So, to confirm my previous post, it is important to choose the right school for your child based on the child. It may be that the right school for one child may not be the best choice for his/her sibling. Take time (if you have it) to research and choose wisely. Both schools may be great on paper, but one will be 'best' for your particular child.

hi! - that is difficult. but according to my oldest boy, he is now 27 years old, he says that public schools, if you choose the right one, the education is so much better. I have now a 12 year old girl in the 7th grade in the honor roll, and once she finishes 8th grade I have not decided yet on where to place her. I want a school in Broward for sure....

Write back and good luck.. Cari

My response may be considered bias to some since I and our children have had terrible experiences with prior public schools. If I had a choice to try out something new like the Montessori school and had the opportunity to have our children reap the benefits of its approach and philosophy of teaching, I would definitely go that route if money was not an issue.

Public schools can be as good as a private schools for your kids, I like a school if the rating is 10 out of 10, I have experienced several public schools in which my kids have been and that is why I can advise you, I have compared the schools curriculum and some are harder that others.

I agree with the last post ... there is no simple answer to this. First of all, a charter school *IS* a public school. Second, Montessori schools can vary widely in operation, format and quality, so the "brand name" may not be as vital as what they actually do in the classroom. The bottom line is to thoroughly study what both schools actually do: when you tour the schools, do you see kids actually learning, as opposed to working on various projects? Do teachers teach, or merely act as a guide on the side? What is the math program -- that's often a powerful clue as to what the school's overall philosophy is: if it's fuzzy and constructivist, run like hell. Are content areas clearly labeled -- extra points if history is a discrete subject, subtract points if social studies and science and writing are merged into one big stew. See more ideas on the REAL story in evaluating schools here: www.illinoisloop.org/good.html#howtochoose

Good luck to your family!

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