Living History Worldwide

Few things are as important to a family as the where their children go to school. For some families, in fact, the decision of where a young child will go to preschool is made even before they are born. With long wait lists at the very best schools, parents who wait until it is time to enroll their child in preschool or kindergarten will find themselves with few options. And while many places in America have great public schools, other locations rely on the benefits of private schools for their children. Even though many parents who grew up in public schools may have never thought that they would ever be looking at the benefits of private schools, even at the preschool and elementary level, find that they have no other choice.
Is Your Family Considering the Benefits of Private Schools?
Education is the stepping stone to everything. A good job. The best connections. The best chance at a successful future. Without a great education, however, many of these opportunities evaporate. For this reason, families start making plans for their choices of private elementary schools, private middle schools, and private high schools years in advance.
According to some of the most current records America 30,861 private schools that serve a total of 5.3 million pre kindergarten through senior in high school students. Although they can cost parents a significant amount of money, in many parts of the country the benefits of private schools far out weigh any offerings in the public schools. From classroom size to curriculum offerings, many private schools in some of the largest cities in America are the choice of many families.
In a time when the nation is struggling to keep some public schools working productively, 80% of parents of students enrolled in a religious private school during the 2011 through 2012 school years indicated that they were “very satisfied” with their child’s school. In private schools that do not have a religious affiliation, 82% of parents report being ?very satisfied.?
The nation appears to be at a turning point for education in America. While the public school leading teachers in the country are doing their best to rally support for the public schools in America, some pockets of America struggle to offer classrooms that produce results. The bottom line is that in some locations in parts of the country, the ramifications of poverty, crime, and substance abuse can make the public education classroom a challenge. As the country tries to balance a family’s right to select a private education for their children, the nation is still faced with providing the best available education for the families who do not have the resources to access a private school experience.
For some families, the best way to navigate the difficult decision of selecting a school is to spend time researching and visiting the best available options. Here are some things that families look at when they are considering a school choice.

• Class size. Many times this information can be found online, but to understand how class size really plays out in a school you may need to make a visit. At preschool and daycare settings, for instance, the cook, the school administrators, and other personnel are averaged in to the class size. Visiting the school will give you a chance to see the classrooms themselves and see how many students are in the room.
• Teacher to student interaction. Most parents do not need to be in a classroom long to be able to know if the teachers in a particular classroom relates well to the students. A teacher that has impact in the classroom will be able to read the room and be able to respond to the needs of the students. When a powerful teacher gives a lesson it is a combination of well detailed lesson plan, as well as an addition of current information that can help students relate to the information.
• School atmosphere. Not everything that is important to an education goes on in the classroom. How students interact in the hallways and how they respond to any adults in the building can help you get a feel for a school environment.