[vvolin]

The fact is, if your top priority is your children education, standardized test results are one of the few ways to get a feeling and to compare districts. We chose Glastonbury for this very reason and, while I would still choose the same way, I have come to the realization, after 5 months here, that even the best schools system may end up failing your child. I am now looking at new opportunities for my daughter (5th grade) because her school is not giving her the opportunities to grow into her passion: writing. So I am doing it myself and looking into other ways (Uconn, writing clubs). Even the great Glastonbury school system fails when it comes to math problem solving: in 5th grade it has never made any appearance yet in my daughter's class. Should I mention grammar? Probably not.... So while I do not usually like these reactive messages that, instead of simply giving an opinion, try to undermine your own priorities, I must agree that agonizing over the school choice may not pay in the end.

[Srib]

vvolin - i would agree with most of your post except to add that I think a better way to gauge a school district is to talk to teachers, parents and others who work in the district - not by looking at standardized scores. I think these have their merit, but clearly don't tell the whole picture.

[vvolin]

That would be great, Srib, I agree. But when you live far away and need to find a school district before your move to CT, then little is left but stand. test and, if you are lucky, your job interviewers...

[Srib]

very true - or they can rely on those of us who post here :-)

[JayCT]

vvolin - You obviously have certain expectations for your childs education and what and when curriculum should be addressed. No school, public or private, fully meets every childs or parents desires. That would be very difficult to do. We have found that Glastonbury schools address all of the basic needs of our children. Would it be nice if they offered more writing in lower grades (my child loves wriitng too )? Yes, but emphasis on that would necessitate lessening the emphasis on other courses. As for problem solving and grammar, we asked about this when our son was in 5th and were told it will come later.

There are a lot of changes coming when your child goes from 5th into 6th. We found Gideon Welles to be a lot more rigorous and comprehensive than the elementary schools. It will be a transition for your child from the small, safe world of an elementary school to the larger independent world of middle and high school.

As for writing options, we explored them too. There is a summer writing program offered at Gideon Welles that my child took that was excellent. We also looked into outside classes and Manchester Community College offers serveral courses for children. My child also participated in the elementary school's Memory Book by writing portions of it. At Smith Middle School there is a young Journalists Club which produces the monthly school newsletter and my child has several articles in each issue. We are very proud. Jay

[netdragon]

Personally, I think some Manchester elementary schools are ok and no worse than Glastonbury (such as Highland Park School), but for middle school it's a different story. I'd plan on moving to Glastonbury for middle school or sending your child to a magnet school for middle school.

[Srib]

why? because the diversity will kill you?

[EHCT]

Originally Posted by Srib

oh and EHCT - there are plenty of safe places to live in EH. Crime stats are higher in EH than surrounding towns due to a few select areas which many fail to realize when they decide to bash the town. My parents have lived in town for 20 years are still there and have never experienced anything negative.

Hey Srib, I agree that there are definitely safe places to live in EH. My parents still live in the neighborhood where I grew up and they certainly have no complaints. My wife always comments about how quiet it is over there. She also jokes about how everyone seems so snobbish and uppity. I don't agree with the snobbish part, she's probably just feeding into the overall reputation that CT has in other parts of the country. I just know that EH isn't a bad place for raising a family. Some schools in town do get a bad rap but I wouldn't let that overshadow the fact that EH is a good place to get an education.

[netdragon]

Originally Posted by Srib

why? because the diversity will kill you?

No, because Manchester students don't perform as well as Glastonbury students in the higher grades. I lived in Manchester as a little kid then we moved to Glastonbury in 3rd grade. I personally think Manchester has more to do for children (neighborhood parks, etc). However, for education, beyond elementary, Glastonbury offers a better education. In my opinion, for elementary school there isn't really that much of a difference.

[Srib]

and apparently we are right back at the "standardized scores". Read the rest of this thread perhaps you'll be enlightened. I would argue that Glastonbury does not offer a "better education", just a different type of resident. Plain and simple. Or do you really think that all the good teachers are in glastonbury?