Kristin Brown Offers Moving Tips: Finding a Great School System

 
April 11, 2013 - PRLog -- If you're planning to move and you have children, you definitely want to learn all you can about school districts in the areas you're considering. This can be tough if you haven't "school shopped" before, but there are some rules you can live by when you begin your search, and your real estate agent can help guide your way.

You can start researching schools in your targeted area by looking around online. A number of websites offer "reviews" of schools contributed by students and parents. Take a look at the web presence for each district you're considering. Are the sites professionally maintained, informative, and appealing?

Depending on the age of your children, you'll want to know the specifics of the education available to you. Are you considering public or private school? You might be researching preschool options or choosing among high schools. If you're planning to live in your new home for the long term, you'll want to consider the reputation of each school your children will attend along the way. You can find out a specific school's performance on standardized test scores by grade either at a school district's main office or by going online to a web site like greatschools.org.

Here are just a few things to consider when researching schools:

Structure. How is the district organized? Does elementary school run from kindergarten through sixth grade? Or just through fourth? What about middle school – is your fifth grader going to be in the same school as eighth graders? Is kindergarten a half day or a full day?

Size. How big is the school your child will attend? How many students are in each class?

Staffing. What percentage of teachers have master's or other advanced degrees? What types of professional development opportunities are offered to staff? Is teacher collaboration encouraged.

Resources. What sort of media resources and technology are available to students? What about extracurricular activities? Which foreign languages are offered and when does language instruction begin? Does the school system offer advanced placement or college preparatory courses? If you have children with special education needs, you'll want to understand the resources available to them.

Transportation. Are all students offered the option of busing? If so, is it free or will you be obligated to pay a fee?

The numbers. What is the percentage of students who graduate high school within the district? What percentage continues on to college? What is the average expenditure per student in the district and in each grade?

Local opinion. What is public perception of the education in the community you wish to move to? Your best resource might be the opinions of other parents. Visit the school playground and chat with other families. Or attend a PTO meeting to find out the level of parent involvement and the programs that PTO sponsors.

The facilities. By scheduling a school visit, you can get a good idea of how the school functions during a school day. What is the condition of the building and grounds? By observing students in their environment, you should be able to get an idea of the safety and discipline practices as well as the dynamic among faculty, staff, and students. You should use your on-site visit to get a "gut feeling" about the school's routines and performance.

Coordinating a move to a new home with a decision about a school district might seem daunting, but there are many resources you can use to make the assessment process easier for you. Start with your real estate agent and then move on to the community itself. With a little research, you should be able to find a school system that is just right for your family's needs.
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