Parents are always invested in the education of their children, since a good education is the key to any child’s future success. Thus, when a family moves to a new city or county, or when parents’ children first become old enough for kindergarten, parents may look online to find the best schools. Such a search may be for something specific to the family’s level of income and the child’s age or preferences, ranging from the best private middle schools or best elementary schools to art schools and art summer camp. What is more, parents may look for more specialized schools such as school for the performing arts, and these school for the performing arts may be found in most major cities across the United States today. Adolescents who are interested in theater, dance, and the like may greatly appreciate it when their parents help them find a school for the performing arts, and the children may help their parents evaluate which school for the performing arts is best for them. Something similar may be done for middle or high schools, and to a degree, even preschool.
Find a Preschool
Preschool is not compulsory the way a K-12 education is, but many parents are sending their three to five year old children to preschool, more so than they did in 1990. A child may get a head start on his or her education by going to preschool, and parents may start the search online if they need to. Parents may specify that they are looking for private preschools, in particular, and search based on their area and ZIP code to keep the results local. This will show a whole list of local preschools that the parents and their children may visit.
At these schools, parents may consult the staff and teachers to review their credentials, and they may also check the school’s level of funding. Meanwhile, the child may get their own impression of the school, and if that child feels comfortable there and gets along with the staff, that preschool may be a strong candidate. The parents may look over several schools like this until they find the right one where they will enroll their child.
Looking for Other Schools
Children are not required to attend preschool, but they are certainly mandated to attend their K-12 education. Here again, parents may look for elementary, middle, or high schools when the family moves to a new area or when the child is old enough for kindergarten. Parents will search for a school of the correct type based on the child’s age and last completed grade level, and parents may choose between public and private schools of that type. Parents may also look for specialty schools on the side, such as a school for the performing arts if their child is interested in theater, dance, or the like. A child who wants a career in performing arts may get a strong head start by attending a school for the performing arts, and they and their parents may visit and evaluate a few local ones before choosing one.
What about public vs private schools? As child may get a complete education from either route, but parents who can afford the tuition of private schools may strongly consider sending their children there. Private schools, unlike federally funded and run public ones, are privately funded and run (hence the name), and tend to boast expert staff and very high graduation rates. The teachers at these schools are highly qualified and motivated, and they report only low rates of student apathy or parental involvement problems compared to public schools. What is more, private high schools offer robust college counseling services for the students there, and private high school grads have a college attendance rate of 90%, comparing favorably to the 48% rate for public high schools.
All the same, many parents may send their children to public schools and still see their children get a quality education. Some cities may have many good public schools to choose from, and while public schools offer a distinct advantage, a student at a quality public school may graduate with a good future ahead of them. Numerous wealthy and successful Americans are, in fact, public school graduates.