What’s the recipe for a successful school?

“What makes a school successful?” is a question we’ve been asked again and again over the past few years. After visiting a wide variety of schools in the Denver area, we decided to put together a list of criteria that we feel makes a good school great! The running of a successful school is similar to creating a delicious meal; one needs all the right ingredients. Here is a list of the “ingredients” we feel necessary for a school’s success:

*Below is a brief summary of the important criteria along with questions parents may want to ask when visiting a particular school.

Leadership: This is a critical component to a school. The person who leads the school needs to be connected to their staff, to the parent community, and to the children. Executive Directors, Heads of Schools, or principals must be able to wear numerous hats and do their best to be present in the school as much as possible. This person needs to lead, motivate, possess high expectations, keep up with current and progressive teaching methodologies, have a clear vision of where the school is and how to take it to the next level, and keep their students the top priority! A school leader who wants to continually learn, grow and evolve is key to helping the school function to the best of its ability.

Also, the Board of Trustees/Directors in a private school exhibit much leadership and are important decision makers when it comes to the school.  The same way the Board of Directors make crucial decisions when helping a charter school run effectively.

How long has the leader been at the school? Who evaluates the school leader? What is his/her vision for the school today and in the future? Is the leader accessible to parents, staff and the children? Does he/she visit classrooms on a daily basis? 

Staff: The need to have teachers who are competent and passionate about teaching is a MUST. A staff that is enthusiastic about the philosophy of education at their particular school will bring this enthusiasm into their classroom. Accountability of staff members is critical to the success of the school. When touring a school, you may want to ask how often the teachers are evaluated and how they are supported at the school. Staff members who are willing to change and adapt to new ideas, continue their education through professional development coursework, and collaborate with their colleagues will become better teachers, create unity within a school and improve academic achievement from their students. Teachers need to go the extra mile in making sure each student thrives under their guidance. Those who are willing to communicate and create a partnership with parents will have better overall support within their classroom.

Are professional development courses offered to the staff throughout the school year? Is there time allotted for colleagues to share and plan? What is the staff retention rate from year to year? What percentage of staff has a Master’s Degree? If there is a specific curriculum used at the school and are all teachers certified in it?

Curriculum: Curricula vary from school to school.  Whether it’s traditional, Expeditionary, Core Knowledge, Montessori, Waldorf, or a Project-Based curriculum, it’s important to understand what each one has to offer.  Although many children are adaptable when it comes to learning, some children will thrive in one learning environment versus another. It’s important to recognize your child’s learning style(s) and find a placement (or curriculum) where they will reach their highest learning potential.

On a school tour, it’s important to observe the classrooms and the school to see how the curriculum runs. You will get a feel for the resources available to the students within their classroom, learn more about what special classes (technology, the arts, a foreign language) are offered during the week, and get a glimpse of how individual classrooms are set up and how children interact. You may be smitten with a particular school or specific curriculum but ultimately it’s about your child and his/her needs–be sure to keep this in mind!

Do children partake in cooperative learning groups, is there differentiated instruction within the classroom, what enrichment activities are provided during the day, is there a before or after school program for the children, and is instruction teacher led or student driven?

Community (Parental Involvement): Parent involvement plays a HUGE role in the success of a school. Yes, it’s your child attending the school but YOU will be supporting the school whether it’s monetarily, volunteering in the classroom or for special events, and with your child’s every day learning. Your family will be connected to the school no matter how little or how much you support the school from day to day. Therefore, you need to believe in the school, it’s philosophy, and make an effort to be part of the community.

Success of a school can be measured in a variety of ways whether through test scores, money derived from fundraisers, volunteer hours, academic growth, dedicated PTA’s, high academic standards, etc. No matter how you define the success of a school, parental involvement in your child’s education is significant. As parents, we can support their education by asking them questions about their day, helping with homework, attending special events, accompanying them on a field trip, and volunteering at the school. The more invested you are in your child’s education, the more invested they will be as a learner. When parental involvement at a school is high, expectations for students will soar and staff will feel validated, motivated and committed to reaching their utmost potential as educators.

When you toured the school, were parent volunteers present in the building? How much money is allocated each year through fundraising? How many members are on the PTA? What school events are offered throughout the year? Is a diverse community important to you? Are there a specific number of volunteer hours parents must partake in during the school year? What are the test scores like at this school? Does academic achievement continue to grow year to year?

Communication: I can’t begin to tell you how important this is to a school. Communication plays a significant role in how well the school runs. Communication needs to start with the leader of the school and trickle down to the staff. The office staff must be involved in the communication process along with the parent organization at the school.  In this way, everyone will be on the same page and messages will be carried out through a variety of outlets to the parents including newsletters and updates on the school website.

School leaders need to keep parents informed with weekly or monthly newsletters. Parents like to know what is happening regarding school-wide events, programming, staff, enrichment, etc. Some leaders even take the time to write personal reflections on what has taken place within their school (small, personal touches such as this go a long way with parents).

Many schools send home fliers in weekly folders. Some schools update their marquees with upcoming events. Calendars in the hallways are a good reminder for parents who are visiting the school. Automated phone messages and weekly email alerts are yet another form of communication that keep parents in the loop. Parents need to be aware of such events in order to better support their child at school.

Teachers need to continually communicate to parents what their child is learning in the classroom. Some teachers do this through newsletters while others update their individual classroom website. Whatever communication mode is used, parents are always looking for ways to better support their child’s learning and are appreciative of being briefed regarding classroom activities. The accessibility between a teacher and parent is huge—a simple phone call or note expressing praise or concern regarding a student will go a long way.

What forms of communication are used at the school? Does each teacher communicate to the parents in their classroom? How many parent/teacher conferences are there? Is there a principal newsletter? Does the board or parent organization keep you informed ? Does the school have a website that is continually updated? Is the front office friendly and helpful when you visit the school?

What criteria do you think is most important when looking at a school? Please be sure to share your thoughts with us.

Click here for an article relating to this topic.

Just last month, Michelle Rhee resigned from her position as schools chancellor for Washington D.C. and Mayor Adrian Fenty lost the democratic primary in September. Michelle and Mayor Fenty have been in the spotlight these past few years because of their unconventional education reform efforts and the drastic measures they have imposed in the D. C. school district. Their tireless efforts and dedication to education reform in our nation’s capital should be applauded. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every city in the U.S. had a reform team like this? Although Michelle and the mayor had many obstacles to overcome and the school district still has a long road ahead, they managed to get a lot accomplished in the four years they worked together. Be sure to read the article below to see exactly what changes they brought forth, the obstacles they faced, and what they learned.

The Education Manifesto

Michelle Rhee and Adrian Fenty on what they learned while pushing to reform D.C.’s failing public schools.

Our time in office and in charge of the school system of Washington, D.C., is quickly drawing to an end. Monday is Michelle’s last day as schools chancellor, and Mayor Fenty failed to win the Democratic primary last month. A new mayor will be elected next week.

During our nearly four years in office we pressed forward an aggressive educational reform agenda. We were determined to turn around D.C.’s public schools and to put children above the political fray, no matter what the ramifications might be for ourselves or other public officials. As both of us embark on the next stages of our careers, we believe it is important to explain what we did in Washington, to share the lessons of our experience, and to offer some thoughts on what the rest of the country might learn from our successes and our mistakes.

Continue here to read the rest of the article.

Wake up Denver! Actually, wake up America!  It’s no secret our education system ranks amongst the lowest in the world in math and science.  It’s also no secret that Denver only graduates just over half of its high school seniors and the dropout rate is abysmal. And, there are 1.2 million students dropping out per year in the United States!

Most of us walk around feeling helpless, pointing fingers and bad-mouthing teachers and administrators for not doing enough for the children – the children!  Well, we are the makers of these children and we began as the children, didn’t we?  When we fail them, we have failed ourselves.  School was originally developed to be linear and follow a track decades ago.  This was so our children could work in factories or on the farm.  Go to school, learn your numbers, break for lunch, learn your letters.  School was never about the organic and evolutionary nature of how children actually learn.  Most public schools follow that same track system today.

So, do we just sit around while ineffective teachers and administrators lead and teach our kids?  I suppose we should ask, “Are they actually leading and teaching my children?” Or, do we stir the pot, challenge them, question them and ask, “What are you doing to take my child to the next level, to inspire them?”  If they cannot answer, are you seeking alternative education or asking for change  so they will be in an environment that is rewarding and inclusive and progressive?

We are privileged (and for some, burdened) with many school choices here in Denver. But, those schools that are successful and making positive change are so incredibly difficult to “get in” to (it’s like winning the lottery if you do succeed). As Oprah said on her show yesterday, September 20th, 2010 about this very subject, “You shouldn’t have to win the lottery to get a good education!” What happens if your child doesn’t get in to one of these coveted schools, then what?

Waiting for “Superman” is a documentary film created by critically acclaimed and award winning director (of An Inconvenient Truth), Davis Guggenheim.  It has a similar premise as another film, The Lottery, a recent documentary about families vying for a spot in an amazing and high achieving NYC charter school. Waiting for “Superman” explores the state of our current public schools in the U.S. and how they are affecting our children and subsequently our children’s children.

Waiting for “Superman” will be released nationally sometime in October.  On October 15th, Denver will get our chance to see this film.  Please join us in watching; this is a MUST see whether you are pleased with your child’s education or not. It’s for everyone.

In the words of author, educator and radical thinker Ken Robinson, “Every education system is being reformed at the moment. And it’s not enough. Reform is no use anymore because that’s simply improving a broken model. What we need is not evolution, but a revolution. This has to be transformed into something else.”

To see yesterday’s Oprah Show, where her Angel Network awarded six “Groundbreaking Charter Schools” each $1 Million dollars, the Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) Charter School included among them, go here: The Oprah Show – Waiting for “Superman”

When you’ve had a chance to see the Oprah Show and the documentary, Waiting for “Superman“, please tell us what you think.  Who will be Denver’s “One Woman Tornado”? What will you do to strive for educational excellence? If you don’t know where to turn, perhaps start here: Take Action Denver.  Let’s bring this rumble to a ROAR!

Our friend Liz Easterly, who writes a cool blog about life in Stapleton, is featuring a new series on her blog regarding schools/education in Stapleton. She has a guest blogger, Marissa Ferrari, the Marketing Coordinator for DPS and also a good friend of ours who will contribute to the series.

Marissa’s first interview is with Chuck Raisch, the new principal, at Stapleton’s 3rd elementary school. The school has temporarily opened in the Westerly Creek building for students ECE-1st grade. Next fall, the new school building will be completed and open its doors to more students. Eventually, the school will serve approximately 900 students from ECE-8th grade. Click on the link below to learn more about Chuck and his vision for the new school. We look forward to featuring other interviews conducted by Marissa this fall.

Please visit Liz’s Blog: Stapleton Moms for the interview series.

We wanted to provide you with something we wish we had when we were getting started in our school search.  This isn’t exactly a step by step process, as there are so many paths each family could go down together, rather we are sharing our loose guideline for this process.  Depending on whether you ultimately decide to send your child to a public, private, charter, magnet or catholic school there are different steps one must follow in order to maintain sanity during this quest.  Here is what we suggest:

Check Out Your DPS Neighborhood School

One of the first things to do in your search of the “right school” is take a look at your neighborhood school and see what it is all about. If you are unsure of your neighborhood school, you can find it at this site: what’s my neighborhood school? If you fall in love with all that it has to offer, you’re lucky, and you might stop the search altogether!  I know some parents who never did an ounce of research because they felt strongly about sending their child to their neighborhood school.  For any of a variety of reasons, it worked for them.  I also know a lot of parents who liked their neighborhood school but wanted to see what else was out there.  Just like when we go shopping for groceries or shoes, it’s always smart to do some comparison shopping….why not with schools?  Here in Denver, we are lucky enough to have a program through the Denver Public School system called School of Choice.  This allows our children the opportunity to be educated at a school outside of our neighborhood if need be. It’s our choice and it’s a great option to have!

Determine Your Interest in the Private School Option

If you are interested in the possibility of sending your child to private school, there are a different set of steps to follow.  You will find a comprehensive list and links to those schools at the right of this page.  The majority of these schools post their tuition and financial aid programs directly on their Websites.  Each of these schools generally have open houses and tour dates as well.  You will probably need to call each school where you have interest and sign up for a tour date or open house.  Once this is complete and you choose to apply, the application process can be quite tedious.  The Logan School, Graland Academy, and Colorado Academy require intelligence testing by a certified Child Psychiatrist.  Additionally, most of the private schools require an observation of your child, and on a separate occasion, the parents.  Lastly, keep in mind that many private schools also require a teacher recommendation or two.  Yes, it’s like college so get organized!

Advanced Kindergarten Testing

If you feel your child is a more advanced learner and is also socially ready for Kindergarten, you may choose to apply for the Advanced Kindergarten testing. Applications are accepted in December for the following school year, and testing generally takes place in January and February (Update: applications due in late October or early November for the following school year). There is a fee of $50.00 and your child is tested on basic concepts in reading and math. A recommendation from your child’s preschool teacher is not mandated but is a plus. If your child scores in the top 10% (Polaris, the top 5%), then you are able to apply for the Advanced Kindergarten program. Note, the Bill Roberts Elementary School in Stapleton is now only accepting applications from Stapleton residents. You will then be given a choice of two schools in your area that offers this program (ex: if your neighborhood school is Park Hill, your two options in north east Denver for Advanced Kindergarten are Polaris or Stedman, if slots are available). UPDATE: Not every neighborhood is given two choices to select from for the Advanced Kindergarten program. If you are not interested in sending your child to the AK program in your neighborhood or area, you can contact the AK office directly, to see what other choice(s) may be available (if any) for your child. Currently, there are eight elementary schools throughout Denver offering Advanced Kindergarten classrooms. These classrooms differ from traditional Kindergarten classrooms due to an accelerated curriculum, looking at where the individual child is now and where he/she needs to go, and more small group instruction versus whole group instruction. The Advanced Kindergarten Program is part of the full-day Tuition Based Kindergarten Program (click here to learn more about the program). If you get into a school  that offers the Advanced Kindergarten, be sure to ask what is offered in the next grade level to challenge your child. If you would like further information re: Advanced Kindergarten testing you can contact Terri Freund (DPS) at 720.423.8277 and check out our post on Testing, Who Needs It? If you’d like more information on gifted and talented programs, feel free to contact the individual school.

School Tours and Open Houses

By this time, you will have heard about certain schools that are being discussed by friends, acquaintances, and neighbors. You have discovered some on your own. You have explored our site to get the Scoop and checked out school Websites ahead of time (most schools have updated sites with plenty of useful info). Now it’s time to start calling these schools to see when their school tours are scheduled, along with dates of their Open Houses. You may even want to make an appointment directly with the Principal or Executive Director.  Feel free to use this School Comparison Spreadsheet to keep track of the schools you visit.  This will help you visualize this process and what is the best fit for your child and family.

What To Ask

While visiting the schools, it’s helpful to have a list of questions prepared to help you differentiate between them.  We have put together the list below to get you started:

• How many children attend the school?
• How many classes per grade level?
• What is the percentage of neighborhood children attending vs. the percentage of children choicing in?
• What is class size like?
• Are there Paras or Assistants in each classroom?
• Is there an active PTA or Parent Association?
• Where are the fundraising dollars typically allocated?
• What is the teacher turnover like? And what percentage of teachers have advanced degress?
• How long has the Principal or Executive Director been there?
• Is there a support staff available for the children with special needs?
• What advanced or accelerated programs do you have?
• Do children in each grade level interact with each other or with children in other grade levels?
• What other special programs are offered (language, arts, extra curriculars)?
• What makes this school unique to other schools?

Keep in mind how you feel walking through the halls. Is the person giving the tour enthusiastic about the school and what it has to offer? Do the children look happy and engaged? Is it cramped, institutional, chaotic, pretentious?  What do the classrooms look like? Is there a computer lab and a decent library? Could you picture your child in this school or yourself volunteering your time here? Do you feel that vibe?

Guidance From Professionals

Once you have decided on some schools, you may want to ask your child’s preschool teacher for a bit of guidance. You may want to ask out of school A, B, C, what do you think would be the best fit for my child?  They should have a good sense of the type of learner your child has become and the environment where he/she might thrive best.  Of course, you know your child best but additional opinions can be helpful in solidifying your choices.  Child Psychiatrists can also observe your child and give you guidance on how they learn best.  Additionally, there are “Educational Consultants” who can work with you as well.  Certainly, you will have to pay for the latter two options.

In Conclusion

We plan to offer a series of posts that break down the majority of the subjects mentioned above and a lot more.  Have no fear; you will find the answers (we hope) to all of your questions here!

As a stay-at-home mom for the past five years and a former educator, choosing a school for my children became a full-time job! I am joking but at times, it felt that way. Who knew choosing an elementary school for my twin boys was going to be such a process, and a stressful one at that! I’m not sure if it’s because we live in the city and DPS, like most city school systems, doesn’t have the best reputation. Do moms in the suburbs research schools to this extreme or just send their kids to their neighborhood school like my mom did with us many moons ago? When talking to my mom while going through this ordeal, she thought it was absurd how much time and effort I was putting into this search. She told me when we were growing up, like most moms in our town, she threw my siblings and myself on the yellow school bus, to the school our neighborhood was districted to. No questions asked! Oh how easy life would be if it were that simple…but it’s NOT! And questions are asked…..lots of them! Many parents want to give their children the best education possible. We are united because of this.

When I first began this school quest, I was guilty of seeking out DPS schools rated with “excellent” test scores. Wasn’t this the only thing that truly mattered….test scores? I mean excellent rated schools automatically meant excellent staff, excellent curriculum, excellent kids, etc. I couldn’t wait to tour these schools. And once I did, I was a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, they were great schools and lots of learning was taking place but they lacked “that something.” I didn’t get the vibe as I meandered through the hallways. And it’s all about the vibe…that gut feeling that helps you make a decision.

After a lot of soul searching, touring schools, comparing lists, talking with friends, teachers, and acquaintances, asking questions, I slowly started letting go of the test score obsession and really started to focus on other things….such as school leadership, staff, community, programs, parental involvement, curriculum, class size, etc. You see, there is more to a school than just test scores, and it took me a while to learn this.

There was a time when we seriously considered moving to the suburbs so we wouldn’t have to worry about choosing a city school and, instead, have our children attend a school like the one I grew up learning in. In the end, we stayed in the city (thank goodness), and my husband and I decided to choose a school that was much different than both the schools that we went to as children. We chose public versus private because we believe in the public school system and private was not an option for us at the time. We choiced into a school rather than attend our neigborhood school. We chose a school with a very diverse student body and socioeconomic background. This has been an education in itself. We chose a school that has made a major transformation from what it was like four years ago due to a strong parent movement and an amazing principal. It’s a Beacon School and recently was two of the only schools in Denver, to seek Innovation Status. The Secretary of Education recently visited the school to see the changes that have occurred!  Every so often, I question the decision we made, but when I see how much my boys have grown both emotionally and intellectually, and see just how thrilled they are to go to school each day, I am reassured and justified in our decision. Nothing is forever and things change, but for right now my husband and I couldn’t be happier with the education they are receiving. And it’s great to be a part of a new community!

My greatest piece of advice to all of you is to do your homework, don’t be afraid to ask questions, don’t rely on friends (see a school for yourself), think of your child and his/her needs (in what kind of school environment would they flourish the most?), explore this site and get the information you need, and last but not least, trust that vibe! Best of luck to all of you on this journey.

Hello world. Or better yet, hello Denver for now!  

We are bringing you the scoop today because, well, there is a need for it!  

Here is the premise: This is the scoop about getting your head wrapped around the school “situation” in Denver that can be maddening, confusing, and downright frustrating.  So we are bringing you this blog in order to provide some insight and some relief in your quest to do right by your children when it comes to their early education. 

Here is my (Jenn’s) story and then you will hear from Kerri:

When our family first moved to Denver almost four years ago, our son was 7 months old.  Little did we know that we should have been investigating the school situation here when he was a mere zygote.  

My husband and I began our citywide edu-tour when Andrew was about a year old and we were ready to relinquish him to the world.  What we didn’t realize, was that getting your child into pre-school, or even daycare for that matter, is like training for getting into college, but it’s the parents choice and not the child’s choice….this time!  

We visited in-house day care facilities, “corporate” daycare facilities, ECE programs at public schools, Montessori and non-Montessori situations and what we found, for the most part, was that waiting lists were years long.  Huh?   How were we supposed to know about this?  As first time parents, this seemed preposterous.  How could anyone get back to life or a career  if they had to wait year or longer to get proper care for their child?

After a short stint in an in-home facility, we found ourselves wanting more structure and “real school” environment for our child.  What we weren’t sure of was where that would be.  We found ourselves on waiting lists for several locations, but came across a Montessori School that accepted children from 6 weeks to 6 years old.  The school had just moved locations to a new building and had the space now for children in their Toddler Community (18 months to 3 years).  This was it!  Now we just had to wait for him to become “of age”.  I never thought I’d want to have my first born hurry up and get older so quickly but alas, he did.  

It was a tough transition but like they always say, it’s probably harder for the parent than it is for the child.  Our 18 month was, and still is, a mama’s boy so it took several months for him to get into the groove of sharing space and time with 14 other children.  This coming May (2009) he will have been in this school for three years.  Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined that our now 4.5 year old would have needed or received the education that he has gotten – we are thrilled.  We owe a lot to his teachers; that is for sure.  We also have high hopes for our 2 year old son, Torin, who has been at the same school since he was 9 months old.  We shall see!  

This leads me to my next point.  Now that Andrew is 4.5 years old, the Kindergarten and Elementary school whirlwind has begun. Once again, we find ourselves in a flurry of school tours that include the gamut of public, private, faith based and charter, (see upcoming related article). There is also DPS Advanced Kindergarten and Early Entrance, testing and applications to think about. Since Andrew’s birthday is in late October, he just misses the deemed October 1st cutoff date for the Denver Public School system.  This is a date that a lot of private schools follow as well.

I find myself often thinking that I need a matrix for all of this crap.   A simple Excel spreadsheet will not do (though I do have one of these).  The problem is that tuition changes from year to year, the rules change from year to year, as do the tour dates, the due dates, the public school zones and the choicing process.  It’s a moving target that requires the power of something more complex to rein in all of the data.

So, where does that leave us all?  We hope that the insight and information you seek about the schooling dilemma can be found here.  At least we tried.