Howard school ratings

[ymd]

I would like to ask the same question. What do we evaluate when we visit a school? When I enrolled my child in Ducketts elementary, I visited the school. I was taken around by the front desk clerk. The principal was busy, so I could not meet her. All I could see was the shiny new building and the class rooms. I could not gain any insight as to how the school would be for my child. I don't know what are the signs, positive or negative, I should look for when I visit another school.

Originally Posted by james777

As an education professional, could you please tell us some things that parents should look for when visiting a prospective school? Thanks in advance.

[freeazabird]

I would look for student engagement, do students appear to be interested and excited to learn? Are there opportunities for hands on learning? Does the school offer nutritious meals? What does the student teacher ratio look like, do students in the classroom appear to be getting appropriate attention? Is there order in the hallways? Is there sufficient diversity amongst students and staff? Is the school adhering to proper safety protocols (i.e. do they track visitors, properly oversee recess activities, etc.)? Also I would learn about the curriculum to make sure it is rigorous, compare public school curriculums to reputable private schools (they usually have this info on their websites). Lastly, look for low staff turnover.

[freeazabird]

I would also like to add, please do not base your decisions on reputation alone. For instance, I hear people routinely state that all Baltimore city schools are terrible, which simply is not true (though there are some very bad ones in the system). You have to look at each school individually and assess for yourself. Don't let someone else's ignorance deter you. Just last week I visited a phenomenal city charter school that was easily on par with the areas mid-ranged private schools. I hate to think of all the parents who could be sending their kids to this school for free, but are not because "they've heard city schools are bad".

[bus man]

Originally Posted by freeazabird

I would look for student engagement, do students appear to be interested and excited to learn? Are there opportunities for hands on learning? Does the school offer nutritious meals? What does the student teacher ratio look like, do students in the classroom appear to be getting appropriate attention? Is there order in the hallways? Is there sufficient diversity amongst students and staff? Is the school adhering to proper safety protocols (i.e. do they track visitors, properly oversee recess activities, etc.)? Also I would learn about the curriculum to make sure it is rigorous, compare public school curriculums to reputable private schools (they usually have this info on their websites). Lastly, look for low staff turnover.

Could you expand upon that, please?

[freeazabird]

Does the school provide hands on opportunities for students to interact with and learn how to communicate with people who are different from them? I work in management and am amazed at the problems I run across dealing with staff who have grown up sheltered and not learned how to function in a diverse group.

[cjmeck]

In short, yes, it matters. I don't place a huge emphasis on test scores, but rather the culture and climate of the school. I look at things like demographics, what kind of programs they offer, are they stronger in sports, are there safety concerns? But HOCO property values are very centered around what high school the property is zoned for and their rankings; and if future resale is important to you, keep that in mind.

[cjmeck]

Originally Posted by ymd

Why do you consider Howard High school bad? It has a score of 10 on Greatschools.org. Is it your personal opinion or a widely held view?

Howard High has a very good reputation in the community, I don't know what the previous poster is getting at.