Radio Flyer....question for you (Londonderry, Keene: get credit, home, private schools)

[eswrede]

Hi Radio Flyer,

I noticed on another thread that you live in Londonderry. We are looking to move to that area of southern NH. Would you be able to answer a few questions about the area?

We are interested in Windham (the choice comes via a rec from friends who live in Wakefield, MA). What sort of reputation does the area have? How about Pelham? Hampstead?

One of the reasons we are looking to leave TX is the education available here. How are Londonderry schools?

My husband works from home so we don't need to commute but I know he doesn't want to be too far from Wakefield.

Thanks,
Libby

[NH2NCMom]

Originally Posted by eswrede

Hi Radio Flyer,

I noticed on another thread that you live in Londonderry. We are looking to move to that area of southern NH. Would you be able to answer a few questions about the area?

We are interested in Windham (the choice comes via a rec from friends who live in Wakefield, MA). What sort of reputation does the area have? How about Pelham? Hampstead?

One of the reasons we are looking to leave TX is the education available here. How are Londonderry schools?

My husband works from home so we don't need to commute but I know he doesn't want to be too far from Wakefield.

Thanks,
Libby

Valerie C is also from this area I believe, her daughter attends the high school and she raves about it. I hope that she sees this and can help you as well.

[renlouis]

Just curious what part of TX you are in (just curious because you made reference to the fact that the education isn't good)

[eswrede]

Originally Posted by renlouis

Just curious what part of TX you are in (just curious because you made reference to the fact that the education isn't good)

We are in central TX just outside of Austin. In comparison to all of TX our area is good, it is just when you compare it to other areas of the country not so much. DH and I grew up for the most part in South Jersey. In TX they are trying to pass a law that will allow high school students to get credit for playing football. I think at our local high school, while it has a small IB program, other students are getting credits for cheerleading. Don't get me wrong - I love sports - played them throughout high school but they are an afterschool activity imo. Public schools here teach to the TAKS test, a test that is given every year. Most teachers will admit that they spend more time teaching kids how to take a multiple choice test rather than how to think. There was a study here that showed that most college freshmen aren't really ready in math and reading for a college level curriculum.

Libby

[renlouis]

You raise an excellent point eswrede - Does NH have a test like TX's TAKS?? (the schools are rated by the students performance on this test, so much of teaching has to do with getting kids ready for the test so the school can be "look good" - i.e., perform well on the test). It is a real problem - I agree. We are in Dallas and thinking of moving to NH for husband's job. Our schools are ranked very highly in the state, but they do "teach to the test" for the most part - it is really frustrating! It would certainly be a plus to get away from a test-based teaching system. Once when my daughter was in about 4th grade, she was asking for help on an end-of-chapter question. I said "which section of the chapter talks about that subject?" - she gave me a blank look and said "I don't know, I haven't read the chapter". I freaked out and asked her why she was trying to answer the questions without reading the material first and she told me that is what they are taught - read the question first, then go through the material lookng for the answer. Needless to say, I gave her a huge lecture about how that isn't the way you learn - there is alot more information in that chapter than what the questions are asking, etc., etc. - but the bottom line was, they were being taught how to "take the test", rather than how to learn. NH-ites - do you know if there is a test that all NH public schools take that forces the teachers to teach to the test rather than teaching what they think is interesting, important, etc.?? I know some teachers and they say there is no time to do anything else because they "have to get through all the info on the test" and they are evaluated on how their students do on the test. Aaaaagh! Just thinking about it makes me unhappy.

[eswrede]

Yes, NH has standardized testing. The tests are given in grades 3, 8 & 11. NH Department of Education - Welcome! is a great site for info about NH schools. The name of the test is NHEIAP. I grew up in south jersey and it sounds similar to the Iowa tests we took in the same grades. I don't know how/if it might affect what teachers are able to teach.

One thing dh and I believe is that education is valued differently in the northeast compared to TX. One other thought about education there vs here and take this for what it is worth. We asked friends of ours who live outside Boston, who were thinking about moving up to NH, if there are lots of private schools out there. Their reply was we don't need private schools here b/c the public ones are really good. That made me start thinking b/c if we were to stay in TX we would send our son to private.

Where in NH are you looking?

[GregW]

I live in Londonderry and a major part of my property tax goes to the schools. Judging from the behavior of the kids I meet around town I would say the parents and the schools are doing a good job. I am typing this at night and the marching band is marching around the HS parking lot with drums and bells and horns in some sort of weird pagan celebration. It is Not warm. That is dedication.
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]

[renlouis]

We would be in either Keene or Peterborough (husband's job would be in Keene) and from what I see on some school rating sites, either town's high schools aren't rated very well. I see there are plenty of schools that are highly rated in NH, but not within a reasonable commute of Keene. We were thinking that if we moved there we might have to do private school (which I can't imagine affording), vs. public that we do here. (Again, our schools are very highly rated - but maybe that has to do with "teaching to the test" type of thing). We also live in a relatively affluent community and a very high percentage of students take AP classes and go on to 4 yr. colleges, which I think affects the rankings in a positive way, but certainly doesn't tell the whole story........................i.e, a school that is more diverse socioeconomically (I would assume Keene and Peterborough fall into those categories vs. like a Hollis or Amhearst) would likely not have as many students taking AP classes and going on to 4-yr. colleges because that is not their families expectation, but the school could also do a good job of teaching those kids who are on the college-prep track. It seems like there are alot of factors that go into the rankings and it's more complicated than the "rating". I would certainly welcome all thoughts on this, esp. with respect to the high schools in Keene and Peterborough.

[WannaComeHome]

renlouis, EVERY state has standardized tests because the oh-so-charming 'no child left behind' rule. Every school must do tests that can be ranked the same to show their progress and so the feds can decide who gets education money and who gets warnings. Can't get away from that, I'm afraid.

GregW, I imagine the marching band is getting in as much practice time as they possibly can, considering they are marching in the inaugural parade!

[renlouis]

Wanna - that makes sense. Our state just seems to have so many. Starting in 3rd grade, they have 1 - 3 tests per year. I guess that's part of the price of public schools.