Choosing the right school for your child is a major decision that many families face, particularly in the fall when applications for the next academic year open up. Sarah A. Cordes, an education researcher and a parent herself, shares her insights on the multifaceted process of selecting the best possible school for a child, drawing from both her professional expertise and personal experience. Her reflections offer valuable guidance for parents navigating this important choice.
Cordes recounts the challenging experience she and her husband had when applying for kindergarten for their son. Living in a district that, like many others, offers various options beyond just neighborhood schools, they considered multiple public schools, including charter and magnet schools, each with different application requirements such as lotteries and entrance exams. After months of uncertainty and waiting lists, they eventually received an offer from one of the public schools they hoped for, but the decision about whether to accept that offer or stay with their local neighborhood school was far from straightforward.
This experience illuminated for her that school choice is rarely easy, even for an education researcher well-versed in the complexities of the system. Parents weigh a variety of factors, some practical and some more subjective. Cordes highlights several key considerations that can help families make an informed decision about where to send their children.
First and foremost, the quality of the school’s administration and teaching staff is crucial. Cordes notes that strong, enthusiastic leadership—exemplified by the principal who welcomed her family during a school fair—can have a significant positive impact on student outcomes. Research supports this, showing that effective principals can boost student learning by nearly three months in reading and math compared to weaker leaders. Good principals foster a positive school climate, prioritize instruction, encourage collaboration among teachers, and manage resources wisely. Similarly, teachers remain the most critical factor influencing student achievement. Therefore, hearing positive reports about a school’s educators should weigh heavily in parents’ decisions.
Another practical but often overlooked factor is the school’s location and the logistics of transportation. The daily commute affects attendance and can influence a family’s overall satisfaction with a school. Long or complicated commutes tend to correlate with lower attendance rates and higher likelihood of families switching schools, even if the school was initially a top choice. While school bus services can ease the burden, long bus rides may still negatively affect attendance and student well-being.
The social environment of the school—the climate and community—is also a vital consideration. Cordes shares how she and her husband investigated their son’s eventual school’s family-school organization (similar to a PTA) and found it to be an active and welcoming group that hosted numerous events for families. Such involvement signals a positive, supportive school climate, which research shows can boost student engagement, grades, and overall performance. Knowing that a school has a vibrant, involved community can provide reassurance that your child will be part of a nurturing environment.
When it comes to measuring school quality, Cordes cautions against relying solely on test scores. While test scores are a common metric, they are averages that may not reflect a child’s individual experience and are heavily influenced by family income levels. Instead, she suggests looking at a broader range of performance indicators, including growth measures that account for student backgrounds and show how much students improve during the year. Schools meeting or exceeding growth targets often demonstrate a commitment to supporting all students’ learning. Additional factors such as teacher-student ratios, availability of tutoring, counseling services, and access to libraries also contribute to the quality of education.
Beyond academics, other elements like student diversity, extracurricular activities, and special programs can shape a child’s experience and development. Cordes emphasizes that her son’s school is socioeconomically, racially, and linguistically diverse, which was important to their family. Diversity has been linked to benefits such as improved test scores, higher GPAs, better educational attainment, and increased earnings later in life. While the academic gains from extracurricular activities tend to be modest, participation can enhance students’ social skills and aspirations. Special programs, such as dual-language or immersion education, have demonstrated positive effects, particularly on reading skills, although these benefits are generally observed among families already interested in such programs. Considering these factors helps parents find a school that aligns with their child’s interests and needs.
Ultimately, Cordes and her husband prioritized factors like strong leadership, excellent teachers, a positive school climate, and a thriving community over raw test scores. She acknowledges the value of test scores in research but stresses that they capture only one dimension of school quality. Her