The hurricane has inconvenienced everyone and caused considerable damage to many. Kids have been out of school, parents out of work. When travel has been possible it has been difficult at a minimum, and has been a nightmare for many. Kids are stir crazy and haven’t had access to TV at a time when their parents most need them occupied.
Sandy has made everyone irritable, but there are other ways to look at it.

Many of us believe we can control our environment. Kids want a toy and get it for their birthdays or the holidays. After an admittedly fraught experience, kids generally end up in appropriate schools. Life typically is very predictable until something goes awry. For many families this may not happen until their kids apply to college and don’t get in to the one of their choosing. In other cases, families may have to move and children may have to change schools abruptly, either because of a job change or a loss of economic standing. When kids graduate from college they may not be able to get jobs they feel they are qualified for – or any jobs. And in some cases they may have to relocate to make a living.

A hurricane or natural disaster gives parents an opportunity to talk to their children about adversity, about how to function and make good decisions under pressure. It is good for kids to learn that life doesn’t always go as planned but that one can make the best of difficult circumstances and carry on.

There are a lot of things that schools teach very well, but the need for real life skills does not arise often enough to be a focus. Parents who calmly convey to their children that families need to work together to develop and carry out solutions, and teach their children that they can survive and achieve their life goals even if the path isn’t straight, can make a huge impact on their children’s long term comfort with circumstances they can’t control.

Elizabeth Perelstein
Chair
The School Choice Group:

Unexpected school closings can be hard on everyone, especially if they go on for days.  Of course, families with no electricity have different options than those who are just housebound because there is nowhere to go.  Here are some things you can do with your children when television isn’t an option and you’re spending much more time together than you’re used to.

Community service:

1)   Think about people who are less lucky than you.  If you can get out and have a nursing home or hospital near by, see if you can pay a visit to people whose family and friends may not be able to check in on them.

2)   See whether there is any way you can participate in a neighborhood clean-up effort.  Hard work outdoors makes you feel you have earned your hot chocolate.

3)   Write letters to people in your neighborhood who have lost power.  Some of them may be old and unable to navigate stairs and are housebound.  But you are not – so ring their bell with a letter or picture – or place it under their door.  You can brighten  their day.

Getting out:

1)   As soon as it is safe to go outdoors, do a neighborhood survey.  Take photos that your kids can share with their classmates when school reopens.

2)   Help an older person by walking their dog.

3)   Join a group of friends in a park where branches or rain don’t put you in harm’s way.

4)   Play fetch with your dog in the nearest enclosed location.

Stuck at home:

1)   Old fashioned paper mache can be a treat.  Make it with a paste of flour and water which you use to dip old newspapers in so they stick to each other.  Use balloons or any other materials that you don’t need (like empty milk containers) as a frame and paper mache around them.  Then they can be painted according to your children’s imagine.

2)   Finger painting with pudding – either on paper or an easy to clean surface in the kitchen is exotic and therefore loads of fun.

3)   Word games and card games face to face rather than on an electronic device are great for encouraging conversation and building relationships.

4) Of course age appropriate ghost stories by candle light will be retold for years to come.

5)   Document the experience your family is having by writing and illustrating a book will embed these days – both the fun and the not so fun – in your memories.

When there’s nothing else to do, old fashioned games and community service rule the day.  But looking back these can be days your family reflects on fondly as time spent well together.  So make them count.

Jenny Anderson’s New York Times article from October 19, entitled “Admitted, but Left Out” can trigger a turning point in helping NYC independent schools achieve the next level of awareness and effectiveness in their diversity programs.

I’m sure it already has hit a nerve in the independent school community, and has begun to stir debate about how they can better serve minority students, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds as well as their more affluent Caucasian peers who still represent the majority of the student body in these schools.

It is public knowledge that in recent years the independent schools have put forth an all-out effort to recruit minority students.  Beyond admissions policies, most of these schools have diversity coordinators charged with educating the school community about cultural differences and improving the experiences of minority students.  And yet, as the students admitted under diversity policies have matured, they have become more aware and more vocal.  Jenny has taken advantage of the opportunity to explore their often painful experiences.  So often the best laid plans have unintended consequences and the efforts to mix communities within NYC that are worlds apart are no exception.

While no one can take away the suffering brought about by intimate acquaintance with nuances that define the disparate opportunities and lifestyles of their fellow students, hopefully Jenny’s article has brought the emotional aspect of the minority student experience to the forefront in a way that will create meaningful dialogue and stimulate new ideas that improve the experience for the next generation.

Liz Perelstein

Chair, The School Choice Group

I’m no fan of standardized tests, particularly when they drive curriculum.  I also agree that large and stagnant testing agencies develop self-interest in perpetuating the status quo which often is not in the best interests of students.  But fraudulent?  That’s a bit extreme.

In most cases standardized tests are developed to ensure accountability, and to raise the bar.  Often they improve access to educational resources for those who would otherwise be deprived of them.  Even if AP courses don’t match actual college level courses (and my guess is that whether or not they do depends on the college) they likely set a higher standard for  high school. And those who benefit most are the students who don’t actually attend college.

Addressing a few of the author’s objections:

1) AP classes often no longer substitute for college classes.  In my experience, sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.  But even if they don’t qualify students to receive college credit in all cases, are they still useful?

2) The number of students taking the courses is growing by leaps and bounds and now includes students who are not college- ready.  To me this is a great advantage.  This trend may not benefit kids who are tutored to get high scores on AP exams, have access to high quality education in high school with or without these courses, and will be able to attend four years of college.  Allowing less “qualified” students to enroll in AP classes gives these students access to new opportunities that may really make a difference to them.  The chance to become engaged and work hard may change their lives.  The target population may have changed, but I can’t find fault with AP courses and exams if they increase access to educational opportunity.

3) AP courses lead to rigid stultification leaving little time for teachers and students to explore offshoots of the curriculum which may be more valuable than the prescribed course content.  On this point, I agree.  In fact, the majority of educators today agree that subject specific AP classes may not be the best approach to imparting long-lasting knowledge and that interdisciplinary classes may be more effective in teaching kids critical thinking and problem-solving skills. But AP courses are not evil; while the College Board may be slow to change, I don’t suspect malice.  The AP may be past its prime but I believe that it provided more good than harm over the last generation of education.

The importance of education for gifted children is not the label. Parents of gifted children often don’t need numbers to confirm their intuition but do need to know how to address their children’s unique educational needs.  In my view the two most important factors involved in educating gifted children are the need to engage them successfully so that they embrace school rather than turn away from it, and the peer group that surrounds them so that they can have a rewarding social as well as academic school experience.

Often gifted children pursue an interest – sometimes an arcane one – with vigor, learning everything available about railways in the United States or the history of a musical instrument or the evolution of a language.  They may be bored in class and reluctant to show their work in math if they can come up with the correct answer instinctively, or to learn from teachers whom they feel are not their intellectual equals.  Successfully engaging these children works well if they are drawn in on the subject of their passion.  They can be turned off from school if they are chastised because they learn differently and want to focus deeply on some interests rather than learn a little about a lot of subjects.  Those who are able to learn from a curriculum that includes reading, writing, math, history, science and the arts built around the theme that they are passionate about are lucky.

Additionally, gifted children need to be among others who think the way they do.  They may not be able to make small talk or share the interests of their chronological peers.   Sometimes surrounding them with older children is successful, or sending them to programs – after school, on weekends or during summers or holidays – where they can delve deeply into their interests among similarly motivated kids can help them form friendships that last outside of school even if they struggle socially in the classroom.

When I talk to parents about what’s important in choosing a school, I always minimize the importance of facilities. To me, parents care much more about beautiful campuses, fields, and state of the art labs than kids do. Of course, for an athlete, sports fields are important and for an artist a well equipped studio does matter. But in general there is far more emphasis on the way facilities look than matters, in my view.

But this article in SchoolBook.org captured my fancy. The edgeless campus is interesting because it echoes the way students are learning today. Collaboration, interdisciplinary instruction and applying academic knowledge and technology to real life problems has been recognized as the way forward if kids are going to remember what they learn and be prepared for the world they are entering. I like the idea of edgeless schools because it works in tandem with best practices in teaching and is not designed to impress parents (in fact it may make many parents uncomfortable) or as an innovation for innovation’s sake.

www.schoolbook.org/2012/09/30/designing-edgeless-schools/

Sometimes a child isn’t happy in school for a period of time but it is not necessary to consider a drastic change. Kids have temporary academic or social problems, difficulty during unstructured times of day -like recess or lunch – or may be bullied for a short period of time. While it is always painful to watch your child struggle, often there are skills that he or she can learn that will help when dealing with future adversity.

At other times a problem persists – whether it is bullying or a long term academic struggle – and you can really see your child decline. In these cases it is worthwhile to consider a move, but not without first trying interim steps to solve the problem. Academic issues might call for meeting with a learning specialist, having your child tested, or simply engaging a tutor. Behavioral or emotional problems may merit seeing the school psychologist or a professional outside the school. The process you undertake shows your child that it is important to work on solutions before jumping ship.

If your child really is mismatched with the school – in terms of learning/teaching style, peer group, or interests, switching schools can bring about an amazing change in his or her level of happiness and engagement. In these situations, a mid-course correction can be preferable to waiting, because a year or more is a very long time in the life of a child.
Is it possible to move my child?

Actually, a change during a non-entry level year can be easier than applying when everyone else is going through the process. While most parents intend to keep their child in school when he or she enrolls, life circumstances cause families to move – either out of town or out of the country – and chance vacancies become available. And children other than yours may not be thriving and switch schools just as you are considering doing. While there are fewer openings during non-entry years, there is far less competition for these places.

Parents look for schools by top SAT scores for several reasons:

1) They think  top scores are an indicator of school quality;

2) They think a school’s scores will help their children get top scores on the SAT’s;

3) They think it will help them get into the best colleges.

What’s wrong with this strategy?

1) SAT scores have nothing to do with whether or not a school is a top school.  SAT preparation is rarely part of the curriculum covered in NYC private schools.  Good schools expose kids to important ideas, teach students how to think, how to solve complex problems, how to argue their opinions verbally and in writing and to obtain and evaluate information.  For the most part, these are not the skills that are tested by SAT exams.

2) The SAT scores of their classmates have no bearing on what your child’s SAT scores will be.

3) While admittedly an undeniable component of college admissions decisions, emphasis on SAT scores to the exclusion of other qualities colleges look for (including, but not limited to, intellectual curiosity, depth of passion, commitment to community service) may actually reduce a student’s chances of admission.

Unfortunately, today top SAT scores may reflect parents spending a great deal of money on SAT tutoring, and this kind of trend does spread quickly throughout schools.  If you plan to devote significant resources to SAT preparation, going to a NYC private high school with good SAT scores is not necessary.   If you’re not planning to do so, putting your child in an environment where all the other kids get a great deal of tutoring and coaching may reduce his or her confidence and backfire.

Claiming parental rights, increasing numbers of parents are opting out of childhood vaccines. Not only are they exposing their children to known risks by potentially saving them from unknown ones, they are bringing back these often deadly diseases into the school community.

Whose rights should dominate – parents who want to protect their children claiming individual rights or the parents whose children are inadvertently affected – e.g., those who choose to send their children to private schools where childhood illnesses have resurfaced because vaccinations no longer keep them at bay?

http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/09/13763730-private-school-vaccine-opt-outs-rise?lite

Elizabeth Perelstein

Chair
The School Choice Group:
School Choice International
School Search Solutions
www.Schoolchoicegroup.com

What about Suri’s enrollment makes Avenues a better school than it was two months ago?

Is Suri teaching the other children?

Is she attracting better teachers to the school or adding educational resources?

If I were a parent of a child in Suri’s class I would actually be concerned that my child may get less attention because people were fawning all over Suri.

New York City parents who lose sight of the fact that schooling is about the children, not about their cocktail party conversation, are, at the very least, wasting their tuition dollars. Choosing the right school for your child is often one of the most important decisions a parent can make.

Liz Perelstein
Chair and Founder
The School Choice Group