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I am moving this to its own thread, since I sense that it might get lost in its original location. The discussion veered (as it often does) to "moving where the schools are good". Are test scores/school rankings enough for a parent to make a decision -- especially when you're doing most of the research long-distance? Definitely not. One of the more intangible qualities to research long-distance is the school's sense of "community". Questions like:
Are the parents involved in their children's education and extracurriculars?
Does the school have a problem with bullying (either physical or psychological)?
Is there a mix of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, or is there a clear "majority" such that a "minority" might feel alienated?
What are the attitudes towards kids with special needs?
In my case, I've narrowed the field to Jefferson, Madison, Hoover and Eisenhower. If anyone can speak to any of these "intangibles" with regard to any of these schools, I'd appreciate it! I am not concerned with HS yet, since we'll rent first -- we can move to a different HS cluster when it's time to buy!
You make very good points. I can't help you with ABQ schools. But I can tell you of our experience in trying to help select a school cluster for our grandchildren.
We came out here early and found that talking to people was not that useful -- it was like the story of the blind men and the elephant -- four different people would describe the same school in four different ways.
We found that visiting was very helpful. Most helpful was standing in hall as classes changed; and speaking to kids and teachers. In some schools, the kids looked like they were on a chain gang. In others they were happy, polite and eager to talk with an older couple.
Our favorite was a MS in Santa Fe. It didn't have a great reputation -- but it had the kid's art work on the walls; happy enthusiastic kids; and happy enthusiastic teachers.
Unfortunately, I can't answer any questions about the specific schools you mentioned. However, one option for getting the inside scoop is to go to the school websites and get info on the school's PTSA (or PTO). Contact the PTA and find out from them what their feelings are on the school. You can get info on the statistics of the school from the APS website, as well as info on policies towards bullying, etc. Having been an involved parent at my children's school, I met many parents from around the state thru PTA Legislative Day at the Roundhouse and from the state PTA convention. They will give you a good idea about what works and also what doesn't work at the school. Good luck with the search
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