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I know a decent amount about these suburbs, so here's my 2 cents. I'm childfree, so I know nothing about schools. The rest of the information might be useful, though.
Barrington series - upper-middle to upper class, very safe. There are many walking/hiking trails, but the suburbs themselves aren't pedestrian-friendly at all, other than visiting your neighbors in the same subdivision, as well as the small downtown areas. Also, there is almost nothing for the under-21 set to do. Young people nickname the Barrington series "Borington" for a reason. This is OK now, but it'll become an issue once your kids hit high school. (Read: drugs.)
Tower Lake - don't know about it, sorry. Should be similar to Barrigonton.
Wheaton - upper-middle class, quite safe. Conservative politically. Actually quite urban for a suburb, and has an large, established downtown. Most of it is not pedestrian-friendly, but the downtown and a few surrounding areas are. There's a Metra line going through. Not much fun for young people, either, but in the summer, there are street festivals and farmers' markets. Easy access to Naperville and its youth-friendly hangouts. There's also a college right in town, which might be of help to you.
Inverness - I drove through it once or twice; it looked and felt pretty rural, save for strip malls.
The advice of folks that have driven through a place once or twice should, for obvious reasons, be completely discounted.
hollingsworth lives in Wheaton and LookoutKid lives in adjacent Glen Ellyn, their analysis of the positive aspects of Wheaton are spot-on. They both have done a lots of solid comparisons for the other suburbs in the region and have similar situations to the OP -- families with school aged children. The advice is sound for anyone that NEEDS to work in the Chicago region.
The OP is somewhat unique in trying to assess the relative merits of the region against other potential areas to live. The major downside facing the Chicago region is the fact that it is part of Illinois which has the literally the WORST debt situation of ANY of the 50 states -- https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illin...all-50-states/
I have to disagree with this. There are two branches of the Illinois Prairie Path in Wheaton, and the Great Western Trail is just a few blocks north of the Wheaton border. Not to mention a HUGE amount of trail activities on the south side of town in the Morton Arboretum, Danada Preserve, and Herrick Lake Preserve. And Cantigny Park certainly provides some nice walks.
Problem is you have to get through all the horrendous traffic to reach any destination in DuPage(barring Wayne). The entire county is land-locked, a result of very poor planning. Roosevelt Rd. is prime example, not enough room to even add lanes.
Problem is you have to get through all the horrendous traffic to reach any destination in DuPage(barring Wayne). The entire county is land-locked, a result of very poor planning. Roosevelt Rd. is prime example, not enough room to even add lanes.
I can't disagree more. I live in Glen Ellyn and rarely deal with troublesome traffic unless I'm taking the Ike in to the city. It's not bad at all out here, except for a few arterials at rush hour peak periods. But you quickly learn alternate routes if you live in the area.
There's certainly very little traffic between Wheaton residential areas and any of the nature spots I identified.
The major downside facing the Chicago region is the fact that it is part of Illinois which has the literally the WORST debt situation of ANY of the 50 states -- https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illin...all-50-states/
The OP, and frankly anyone with options for better future for themselves and their children , should look elsewhere...
The effects of the debt crisis are only beginning to be felt in the form of slower economic growth, and it's hard to see how it will affect residents in the short term, say a 10-15 year horizon. One effect of our dysfunctional government is the "kicking the can down the road" for any possible solutions, and I have a feeling that they will continue to do so as long as they can possibly get away with it. One thing is certain: Higher taxes, most likely in the form of state income taxes. And the state along with some local governments will have a hard time financing project with bond issues as their credit goes down the toilet even further.
If you are in a local school district like mine that already has very little funding from the state, you will probably continue to see school funding at high levels. The state could reduce our funding to zero and the impact would be minimal. Our Village and county governments are in decent fiscal shape. But everything that the state touches, from roads to courts to social services, will likely see cuts. And of course, it's hard to imagine the region doing well as Chicago goes down the drain.
Methinks someone has not spent much time thinking this through...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunbiz1
Problem is you have to get through all the horrendous traffic to reach any destination in DuPage(barring Wayne). The entire county is land-locked, a result of very poor planning. Roosevelt Rd. is prime example, not enough room to even add lanes.
The Prairie Path are Great Western Trail are largely accessible from the many interconnected sub-paths that have long been part of the system-wide design of "linear parks" that DuPage Co and nearby communities have been in the forefront of development:
While it is true that folks near the various pedestrian / bike paths may have initially been skeptical, the fact that very affluent communities continue to promote these as an amenity largely confirms that positive benefits of such links -- Oak Brook is perhaps the most visible example of a town developed largely in the era of vehicular dominance that has massively embraced the pedestrian / bicycle trails that link the entire Village. One can literally criss cross the town, including dedicated bridges and underpasses, without worries of sharing the road with cars / trucks -- http://www.oak-brook.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1651
We might move to metro Chicago next year and we will probably work from home. We prefer something with a white collar heartbeat in case our company slows down because I hate the idea of having to ever move again and I abhor long commutes. We have IT and engineering backgrounds.
I'm looking for great elementary schools that differentiate student learning, as we have one 4 year old who *might* have special needs but is also gifted and another that is only two years old.
I care a lot about local parks and nature trails, low traffic congestion, convenience walking to shopping/gym/schools/Metra/libraries/outdoor sports. We want a house, not a condo or townhome. Our budget is low 600's. Based on this I have narrowed it down to the greater Barrington areas including Tower Lakes and Wheaton. We care about cultural diversity however and Wheaton College is from what I understand a non-secular college. What is that area's reputation, would a non-religious bi-racial person have any reps there?
I really need to narrow it down a bit and plan to go and visit.
Schools are more important than anything.
I'm not talking about test scores, because I have seen a lot of districts that fly by on the performance of their high Asian population (despite low teacher pay and retention). I am more interested in progressive districts with strong budgets, high parental involvement, and high teacher/principal retention. Wheaton, Libertyville, and the greater Barrington areas all seem to have this based on my very initial research but I'd like input from those with direct experience? The problem is how far Libertyville seems to be from Chi, so I'm kind of thinking of ruling it out.
Does anyone know anybody whose children attend Rockland Elementary or Grove Avenue Elementary?
Anyways, sorry to ramble, any input is appreciated, especially helping me get more specific.
Thparkly
Although I've spent plenty of time in all the areas you've mentioned, I will only comment on Barrington as I currently live there and have kids enrolled in the gifted programs of this district. We specifically chose this district for their gifted education offerings. This choice was based on lots of research, mutiple school visits (including public and private gifted schools) and my personal ties to Illinois gifted educators.
There are not many districts like 220 that still fund daily, full-time gifted curriculum (both pull-out and full self-contained) in all subjects (including science and the arts, as well as the core reading/language/math), staffed by teachers with strong credentials/advanced degrees in gifted education. There are not many districts like 220 that start identification/gifted instruction in early elementary and continue this gifted (not merely "accelerated") differentiation throughout high school. There also are not many districts like 220 that have such an active parent-sponsored gifted foundation with the community outreach and the dollars to supply classrooms with state-of-the-art materials.
IMO the 220 district is at the top of IL "progressive" gifted programs. Ask about their progressive MEGGS math program to get a glimpse of how to teach math to some of our most intellectually talented students. When I hear from MIT engineering students that their 220 gifted math program more than prepared them for the rigors of MIT, I think the district is on the right track. FWIW, I also have an engineering background...
And IMO Grove elementary is an excellent Blue Ribbon School with wonderful teachers and gifted program. Considering where my kids are now on their educational paths, I cannot say enough good things about the gifted instruction of this district.
Barrington also has a plethora of parks, nature trails, outdoor spaces, and walkable areas...
Although I've spent plenty of time in all the areas you've mentioned, I will only comment on Barrington as I currently live there and have kids enrolled in the gifted programs of this district. We specifically chose this district for their gifted education offerings. This choice was based on lots of research, mutiple school visits (including public and private gifted schools) and my personal ties to Illinois gifted educators. Parents learn who the good teachers are and info is shared.
There are not many districts like 220 that still fund daily, full-time gifted curriculum (both pull-out and full self-contained) in all subjects (including science and the arts, as well as the core reading/language/math), staffed by teachers with strong credentials/advanced degrees in gifted education. There are not many districts like 220 that start identification/gifted instruction in early elementary and continue this gifted (not merely "accelerated") differentiation throughout high school. There also are not many districts like 220 that have such an active parent-sponsored gifted foundation with the community outreach and the dollars to supply classrooms with state-of-the-art materials.
IMO the 220 district is at the top of IL "progressive" gifted programs. Ask about their progressive MEGGS math program to get a glimpse of how to teach math to some of our most intellectually talented students. When I hear from MIT engineering students that their 220 gifted math program more than prepared them for the rigors of MIT, I think the district is on the right track. FWIW, I also have an engineering background...
And IMO Grove elementary is an excellent Blue Ribbon School with wonderful teachers and gifted program. Considering where my kids are now on their educational paths, I cannot say enough good things about the gifted instruction of this district.
Barrington also has a plethora of parks, nature trails, outdoor spaces, and walkable areas...
Interesting info. I can certainly attest to not having this level of "gifted" instruction in Glen Ellyn district 41. Yes, we have "accelerated math", where certain kids are quietly pulled out to work ahead with a different instructor. And there are some teachers who are good at identifying smart kids and challenging them. We had such a teacher last year who was quite wonderful and constantly pushed my child to explore interests on her own and gave her challenging material. But as I have since learned, not all of the teachers will do this to the same degree, and many are struggling just to keep "the middle" up to a certain level as Common Core standards are introduced.
However, even the "base-level" education in our system is pretty darn good, and the teachers have a lot of support in the form of materials, programs, and staff. Kids are still grouped according to abilities and the smarter kids kind of section off on their own in pretty much every subject. So far both of my kids are doing very well on all standardized tests, and we are able to supplement educational content at home. So at some level I wonder what the effects of a more intensive "gifted program" would be.
Interesting info. I can certainly attest to not having this level of "gifted" instruction in Glen Ellyn district 41. Yes, we have "accelerated math", where certain kids are quietly pulled out to work ahead with a different instructor. And there are some teachers who are good at identifying smart kids and challenging them. We had such a teacher last year who was quite wonderful and constantly pushed my child to explore interests on her own and gave her challenging material. But as I have since learned, not all of the teachers will do this to the same degree, and many are struggling just to keep "the middle" up to a certain level as Common Core standards are introduced.
However, even the "base-level" education in our system is pretty darn good, and the teachers have a lot of support in the form of materials, programs, and staff. Kids are still grouped according to abilities and the smarter kids kind of section off on their own in pretty much every subject. So far both of my kids are doing very well on all standardized tests, and we are able to supplement educational content at home. So at some level I wonder what the effects of a more intensive "gifted program" would be.
As a former teacher and parent I have seen lots of the many sides of the "gifted" controversy. In CPS it is very common for the most capable students to be "skimmed off" and attend magnet schools. That certainly makes those schools perform much better but also means the kids in non-magnet schools are not exposed to as capable a set of peers. There are lots of implications to that sorting -- the odds of a kid in non-magnet CPS facility getting into a selective college or even sticking out four years of high school is DRAMATICALLY worse than in suburban settings where magnet schools are uncommon. It is hard to argue that there is not more than a little bit of a "self fulfilling prophecy" that kids in non-magnet CPS schools are unlikely to be as achievement oriented... I have to say that among the teachers I personally worked with and well those that taught my own kids, there are absolutely differences that can be generalized about what drives somebody to do the kinds of things necessary to motivate AP level kids vs what skills are needed to get the best out of regular level kids. I am not going to say what is "better" but anybody that really cares should take some time to talk to the different kinds of teachers...
OTOH my own kids did benefit from a variety of efforts for their teachers at D181 and D86 to tailor their learning to their talents. My kids did get "accelerated" math in elementary & middle school which enabled them to take AP math courses in high school. {At least one of my kids said that their friends that were not in the accelerated level math clearly could have been if they just bothered to turn in their homework when they were in fourth / fifth grade instead of hanging out and playing video games so much...}.
My kids also took "enhanced" language arts that mostly did prepare them for AP level humanities courses and even social studies that had a similar effect. My wife and I were also pretty well "dialed in" on making sure that the kids participated in athletics and extracurriculars in ways that were healthy outlets for things that they enjoyed and not merely check boxes for being "perfect sheep". That said, we had more than a few neighbors that were not quite as on top of things and those at the other end of the spectrum that seem to actively encourage a slothful attitude in their kids. I'd like to say that there was some kind of "karma" to make things right, but as my kids do share what some of their former classmates have gone on to do post college there are certainly some kids that have "crashed & burned", some that have gone on to live on mom & dad (or grandma & grandpa) largess BUT THE MAJORITY of kids like my own have done pretty well for themselves -- there is a nice mix of kinds that have gone on to good colleges where they mostly seem to have majored in the kind of things that are in demand (CS, finance, medicine, etc) or play big time college sports and even a couple that seem to be on path in "the arts" and one way or another MOST do seem on track to get nice jobs or go to grad school. Many have moved away and most are still not yet at the point where they'll be eager to settle down in family oriented bliss, but I mostly have heard good things about kids that were not in the AP/honors track too. There are LOTS of schools that offer solid majors and even some kids that have already taken "non-traditional" paths to success -- one classmate is apparently running a little business that makes equipment for snowboarders and mountaineers. Having connections to folks with enough money to "get things off the ground" and going to a school known more ski-bums that academic talent can pay off too; maybe growing up wearing all that gear from Patagonia and North Face inspired them!
The nutty thing is that since Illinois HAS NO MANDATES for "gifted" education everything the districts do or do not do is LEFT TO THE VAGARIES OF BUDGETS and even ax-grinding cranks that can and do get elected to the BOE. Any district that is "tight" on funding will gladly start whacking the NON-MANDATED positions. I know, that happened back when I worked for CPS! It still happens ALL THE TIME. Ask anybody that teaches not just "gifted" kids but even things like ART AND MUSIC -- I have literally dozens of friends that have been bounced out of positions when the funding gets low! I live where I do specifically because when I was looking at towns that had enough funding to ensure that those would NOT get cut I narrowed the list down to not even a dozen towns and this was where we got the nicest house / easiest walk to train...
The future for education and frankly all government services in Illinois IS GRIM. There is literally NO WAY that things will not face more cuts AND more tax increases. If you are shopping for towns that are least likely to reduce things like gifted education and art and music you need to seek out the towns with sufficient tax base to support these "cuttable" things...
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Methinks someone has not spent much time thinking this through...
