Here are tips for sleuthing out a school’s true identity:
- Drop in on a PTA meeting or Curriculum Night—dates are often announced on the school’s marquee—and see what kind of a turnout there is. Is it standing room only? Or do the teachers seem to outnumber the Moms and Dads? Are people mingling and having a good time or is the atmosphere tense?
- Schedule a tour of the school, preferably with a parent volunteer, though some schools prefer to have the principal lead the way. When you see teachers walk down the hall, watch their body language. Do they smile and greet you? Or are their heads down?
- When you peek in a classroom, look at the kids sitting at the back of the class as well as those at the front. How engaged are they in the lesson? How happy do the children seem?
- Look for art and music lessons. Does the school have rooms set aside for “specials” or does the teacher wheel a cart into the classroom? How often do students get art and music instruction?
- Schedule your tour so you can have lunch in the cafeteria. Observe the atmosphere. Are children giggling and enjoying themselves? Or is the cafeteria eerily silent or out of control? (Writer's note: When working as an education reporter for a large newspaper, I learned that some principals, under pressure to raise test scores, advise teachers to require students to work in workbooks while eating lunch in the cafeteria.)
- Ask to see the playground. Don’t be surprised if there isn’t one. Some schools have too many trailer classrooms, or leaders may be too fearful of injuries. In the absence of a playground, how do kids blow off steam during the day?
- To figure out whether the school is overly consumed with teaching to the latest standardized test, look at the work posted in the hallways. Do you see mostly worksheets, or do you see projects requiring more in-depth thought and analysis? Ask the principal what his or her philosophy is on standardized testing. Some will reiterate how high their test scores are, while others will talk about their efforts to promote critical thinking skills that go beyond testing.
