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Great School? Maybe Not…

Top Ten Signs of an Academically Mediocre School

  1. Your academically typical child needs out-of-school tutoring to make grade level
  2. Your child struggles academically, but gets the same instruction as other students
  3. Your academically advanced child is taught the same material as other students
  4. At school you are warned not to let your child get “too far ahead” in a subject
  5. Your child learns more in some core subjects outside of school than in school
  6. The things your child studies seem easier than what kids you know at other schools are learning
  7. Your child rarely if ever has academic time one-on-one or in a very small group with the lead teacher
  8. Your child’s principal says low grade level pass rates are to be expected, given the student population
  9. Your child didn’t test gifted, and so is not expected to exceed grade level in basic subjects
  10. Jockeying for teachers is critical to parents in your child’s school, because the quality is so uneven

More Signs of a Mediocre School

All of the above, plus:

  • You can’t tell where the principal stands on issues important to your child, even after you’ve asked
  • Your child’s principal makes excuses rather than acting eager to resolve problems your child faces
  • Your child’s learning varies widely in different subjects, and nobody has suggested disability testing
  • Parent volunteer time focuses mainly on activities unrelated to the school mission and academics
  • Test scores in your child’s school are entirely predictable based on race
  • Between bored and misbehaved children, many students aren’t engaged in work in your child’s class
  • You’re not sure what your child is learning at school until graded tests and report cards come home
  • Safety problems slide until someone gets hurt or a scary incident occurs

Adapted from Picky Parent Guide: Choose Your Child’s School with Confidence, The Elementary Years (K-6). © 2004 by Armchair Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Your child will spend 16,000+ hours in school in grades K-12. Whether you need to choose an elementary school, middle or high school, this book can help. Read more…

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Testimonials

Picky Parent Guide is phenomenal — just what parents need to stay calm and productive during the admissions process. I would consider the child of any family that has read and used this book an attractive candidate.

—Jeff Escabar, Director of Admission, Marin Country Day School

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