Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy What questions should I ask new public school?

Hi. I haven't been on here in AGES, so here's a brief summary of our situation.
I have DD8 and DD6 who go to a small private school where each child gets a personalized education plan, meaning my girls have always had a differentiated curriculum to meet their needs. They both score 3+ grade levels ahead on reading/comprehension and are completing all other work 1 grade level ahead at the moment. Neither child has been officially tested because we never had a need to do so. It's been great, no real problems.

BUT... we are moving to Cincinnati. And we're looking at a lot of the public schools in the northern suburbs which appear to have GT programs that sound great. Many start as young as K and offer curriculum enhancement, subject or whole grade acceleration, among other things. The schools even employ a Gifted Education Specialist. So I'm hoping one of these public schools can meet our needs.

Here's my question to those of you who have advocated for your child:
As we explore these schools in depth, what kinds of questions should I be asking?
What should I be looking for that's good?
What are some red flags?

ANY info would be helpful as I am flying blind at the moment. I want to start making phone calls to these schools, but I'm not sure exactly what I should be asking.

I have never had to navigate the public school system, and I've heard so many horror stories that I feel on guard about the situation.

THANK YOU.

Welcome back!

Here's a start...

1. Choosing the right school for your gifted child http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10511.aspx

2. A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children with Chapter 14 about finding a good educational fit.

Thanks for the links. I know this question has probably been asked a million times on this forum!

I think indigo's links are great. I had a couple of thoughts, based on our (unsuccessful) experience relocating to the Northeast a few years ago.

1. Do push the schools for specifics. So many things sound great but are not what they seem. Our school touted its Mandarin program (3 days a week! Starting in K! Kids are writing characters by 3d grade!), but we arrived to find it a joke: the school could not keep teachers, and the students (except for a handful) were disruptive and disrespectful (not the teachers' fault). It was something for the school and parents to brag about without any substance.

2. Ask for specifics on acceleration and differentiation. We got a lot of soft talk about differentiation, but it turned out to be just some leveled reading groups and a little extra math homework. The math was so bad (Everyday Math) that most of the high-performing kids went to outside math classes. The reading was OK but still grade-level. I would ask for *specific* stories of what they have done for g students working at several grade levels ahead.

3. Written materials, IME, are next to useless in capturing what happens on the ground, which depends critically on teachers and staff. That means it's very hard to get a real sense of what is happening. Parents, too, have only their own experience, and so when they say "X is an excellent school," what they mean is that (a) it fits their kid or (b) they're putting a happy face on a mediocre situation that they will only confide in you after you move in!

4. One exception to 3. might be to ask about math courses in 6th grade and above. Can a 6th or 7th grade take Algebra? Is Geometry available before high school?

Good luck! As a shorthand, and others on the board might disagree, beware Everyday Math.