Homework for Parents
When moving to a new area parents must remember to do their homework and check up on the local schools. An important task to put on your to do list is to carefully research and compare school systems to determine which is the best fit for your particular childs needs.
The place to begin is to examine each district’s school report card. In most cases these are published annually by the state board of education and measure the performance of each public school district. Among the information listed are demographics, scores on standardized tests, teacher qualifications and salaries.
There are several ways to access this information. You can request that the various schools send you the information. Or you can search on the internet by means of a keyword search of the area’s school report cards. In addition you can access report card data on Standard & Poor’s site www.schoolmatters.com
Do remember that these report cards only reflect the data that is input and may not be an accurate measure of how your particular child will do there. For this reason it is also necessary to take a personal tour of the school. In addition to considering the test scores it is important to consider factors such as what classes and programs are offered, extra-curricular activities, class size, teather-student ratio, arts, music and honors programs, sports.
Doing this homework will give you the security of knowing that in addition to finding the right home you have also found the right area.
In Charlottesville and Albemarle County we are lucky to have many good schools both public and private to choose from.
Please feel free to post about your favorite school and teachers.
Pam Dent, e-PRO, SRES
Real Estate III
434 960-0161
www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.com
pam@jumpintogreenerpastures.com
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