Show fi A AM i M t In g u r ih h 0 1 1 i i if f I Ji HOW EFFECTIVE ARE checklist of questions developed by the Council for basic new departure here These questions highlight the factors that Education Uon Is intended to sharpen inquiry Into the quality of your matter for If a school can answer YES to all the schools Anyone familiar with the information customarily given rollo following ing questions ns students In in that school are probably to about schooling bud budgets ets expenditures per student learning s at capacity A NO answer r should alert all sll concerned capital improvements programs etc will reco recognize nize a about Ute the quality of schools Leadership by the Principal end and Senior Staff Emphasis on Academic Achievement Ve Yes No In Basic Subjects DODoes Q Q Does the school have havo a 8 clear written well concise Yes Vel No statement of specific Instructional goals DODoes Q Q Does the cUrriculum include requirements for all tJ Q 0 Is the principal authoritative decisive And firm students In all the basic subjects English Q o Q 0 Does Does the principal seek Ideas And nd suggestions Including reading writing literature and speech from the rest of 01 the staff mathematics sCience history government geog Q o Q 0 Does the principal fairly failly enforce rules and raphy foreign languages and the arts decisions for lor everyone Q 0 Q 0 Are elective subjects supplements to rather than Q o thano Q 0 Does the principal allocate scarce resources substitutes for lor basic sUbJects according to 10 predetermined priorities Q 0 Q 0 Are academic priorities clearly understood by staff Q o Q 0 Is at al Ie least est hall half the tho prin principals principal's lime devoted to students and parents supervising Instruction visiting classes and O 0 Is homework regularly assigned and checked responding to such visits Q 0 Q 0 Are academic problems diagnosed early end and dealt Q o dealto Q 0 Does the principal hold high expectations of with promptly academic achievement for the staff and students t Q 0 Q 0 Are learning lOg results stressed over teaching le dt ds dst o 0 Q p Is the principal I well grounded l in basic subjects J methods th Q 0 Q 0 Are there checks for students mastery of basIc Teachers Teachers Values end and Expectations skillS and knowledge Yes Vel No n 0 Q 0 Are the promotion and graduation Are teachers confident that all children can learn understood by all 8 8 0 Are teachers enthusiastic about teaching leaching and Q 0 Q 0 Is promotion based on scholastic achievement learning the basic subjects rather than time spent at one grade level grade level o Q 0 Do teachers know and support the educational Q 0 Q 0 Is the curriculum flexibly structured for more able eble philosophy of the school and less able students Q o Q 0 Do teachers know and support the academic Q 0 Q 0 Are curricular and classroom distractions from policies and priorities of the school academic achievement recognized and mini o 0 tJ 0 Are good models of 01 conduct and academic commitment DODoes Q Q Does beginning elementary reading stress o 0 0 Q Are teachers well educated In general and In the phonics subjects they teach Q 0 Q 0 Do all courses require students to write Q o 0 Are teachers available to students for special help Q 0 Q 0 Are there writing courses c for all al students on academic or personal problems Q 0 Q 0 Are textbooks selected to meet predetermined Q o Q 0 Are teachers well prepared for class Do they start curricular objectives and end class promptly tJ j 0 Does the staff coordinate Instruction grade lo o d 0 Do teachers write well grade and plan the curriculum sequentially o Q 0 Are teachers cooper cooperative alive and supportive ot of each DODoes 0 Q Does service In-service training Improve the academic other background of teachers Editors Editor's Note The follow follow- following ing article has been rewritten ten with the permission of Friendly Exchange the magazine or of the Farmers Insurance Group The ori ginal article was written by freelance writer Patri Patri- Patricia cia How good goodare goodar ar are the the schools your children are presently attending How much superior su or inferior are the the alternatives es These questions are very difficult to answer accurately especially corn con elementary and junior high schools Even though the process of rating schools is a difficult task criteria are available to make the proposition much more productive But knowing these various criteria can often be difficult For years educators and parents relied solely on selective information to grade schools Criteria long used and proclaimed by many today include the following total enroll enroll- enrollment ment pupil per expendi expendi- expenditure ture the national average for the school year was 2406 teacher sa sa- sa laries teacher student ra ra- ra ratio tio national average is to 1 scope of ex ex- ex extracurricular activities arid and specifics on the physical environment such as ave ave- average average rage age of school building and site on-site library facilities ties required by law in some states All of this information is easily obtained in educational onal directories and libraries ies But does this answer your questions Do these figures really tell you whether your school can provide your your child with the best possible learning experience Chances are they dont don't and an ever r increasing number of educational experts are agreeing with this Enormous budgets and exterior ornamentation ion may seem to exude quality but such trappings provide no guarantee of educational superiority Recent studies have shown that many of the criteria used to rate Is are irrelevant in terms of the quality of education provided Students can learn in old schools over over- overcrowded crowded classrooms and schools with strict finan finan- financial cial limitations The reason children in these situations continue to learn is that those charged with teaching and admin admin- administering care about the students Research shows that the quantifiable character character- characteristics dont don't have anything to do with the quality of childrens children's performance said Dennis Gray deputy director of the Council for in Washington DC The critical factors are intangibles gibles but if you know whom to talk to ana and what to look for you can find outward signs of these elements Gray points out that what to look for is an environment which is ron con conducive to learning see the chart for specifics He said saida a good school is isone isone one where students can expect to learn work comply and be respected Continued on page 3 10 Is 15 So Sources available I IA A CHECKLIST FOR CITIZENS Assessment of Student Progress D 0 Q D Are reprimands delivered quietly without dis and Academic Programs class cless Ve Yee No Q D Q D Do 00 senior teachers who are skilled In keeping Q D Q D Is there a coherent plan for regular assessment of order act as mentors for less students Individually and collectively especially In teachers the basic subjects D 0 Q D Are parents notified notified of discipline problems with Q D Q D Are the purposes of testing clearly understood their children Q D Q D Do 00 test results tell all concerned what they want to Q D Q D Does the school keep useful records for delin know quency truancy disruption vandalism tardiness Q D DAre Q Are students tested only on what Is actually taught and other kinds of school anti behavior which may differ from the written curriculum Q D Q D Is the school clean and well maintained are Q D Q D Are several criteria used In making Important needed repairs done promptly decisions e g for promotion remediation t tOJ OJ S Support port From Parents and Other Citizens Q D Q D Does the he school seek useful comparisons with Yee Ve No other schools D 0 Q D Do parents school board members and other Q D Q D Are Impartial outsiders asked to evaluate the citizens have access as appropriate to school school records teachers administrators and classes Q D Q D Are students parents teachers board members Q D D Does the school have a handbook for parents end and andIn citizens satisfied with academic achievement D 0 D 0 Does the school teach parents about the uses and In the school abuses of standardized testing lesting Q D Q D Do parents receive timely Information from the Climate of Orderliness school and from the school board Ve Yes No Q D Q D Does local news coverage of the school stress Q D Q D Has the school published statements of expects expects- academic achievement lions and norms for the conduct of staff and Q D Q D Does the school Inform parents about their students childrens children's placement In ability groups and the Q D Q D Are such statements widely understood and consequences of such placement choice of accepted courses performance on homework end eca aca Q D D 0 Is the school a cohesive social organization demic progress Q D Q D Do 00 students have positions of responsibility for lor Q D Q D Does the school urge the Importance of reading student activities conduct and school property aloud to young children end and of having home study Q D Q D Do 00 students end staff have numerous time free from TV phone calls end and other ties to work jointly on school projects distractions Q D Q D Does the staff display consistent values end Q D Q D Does the school encourage constructive citizen practices throughout the school as opposed to participation In teaching end and In establishing school having Idiosyncratic norms In each classroom policies priorities and curriculum Q D Q D Are students praised for good performance Q D Q D Does the school cooperate with parents and civic Q D Q D Do 00 students sense that thai staff members genuinely agencies to achieve concerted action by the entire care about their well being community In the education of 01 youth Q D Q D Is the tone of the staff businesslike end and professional yet Interested In students Q D Q D Does the staff spot disorders early and respond Reprinted e noted with permission Perm rom from the Council for BasIc quickly and firmly Education Washington oll UC He emphasized that that- parents should focus their attention on character character- characteristics characteristics which reflect the schools school's commitment to education Academic ranking is the first of these character character- characteristics characteristics Gray points out that in most communities comparisons of schools are available Level of parent and community involve involve- involvement involvement ment in the school is also very important Does the school have a PTA Is it active If not why not Do they utilize volunteers in the school as teachers aides What is the community's history of voting on school bond issues These factors can help determine the quality of the schools but parents should also look at the school policies toward educational goals as well as codes of conduct and Such policies should be in writing Gray said that according to experts lack of written policies is a sign of uncertain leadership Board and school policies are vital but teacher qualifications should never I be neglected Parents should not con con- concern concern cern themselves with salaries but with the amounts of advanced training and teaching ex- ex experience experience The final concern of parents should be the principals principal's attitude and philosophy The most critical factor in any school is the principal said William D Bolsen BoIsen coordinator for 18 years for the Cincinnati public schools The prin- prin principal cipal principal is the pivotal person the one who rates th the environment in which students and teachers work and learn Parents are encouraged to visit their school and talk with the principal Find out what the principal principal pal feels about education Schools do not spend a great deal of time advertis- advertis advertising advertising ing their Parents must search them out I IGray Gray suggests that parents planning a move contact the education writer of a local news news- newspaper newspaper paper representatives of citizen groups that are school connected or the president of the local teachers union A number of resources are available and parents are encouraged to gain access to these sources ParEnts have a responsibility to insure a high i m quality education for their children hut but as Gray points out how can you critique a school unless you know what you are looking fort for |