Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Magnet schools for elementary?

DS7 will be in second grade next year (or possibly third - it has been brought up, but not seriously discussed just yet). He has the opportunity to go to a magnet school for international studies and cultural arts. He LOVES History, and wants to learn to play music - so at least on the surface, it sounds great. But with the focus on international studies and arts, will they put the necessary emphasis on math, reading, etc? I know it sounds like an idiotic question, but I've had so many problems with his current school, and I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing for him. I plan on looking into it farther, but wanted some input from people who had experience with this. Is second grade too young to put them into a school that focuses on one particular subject? Any other thoughts on pros and cons would be GREATLY appreciated.

I've learned over the years that what it says over the door of a school and what goes on inside the classroom are too different things.
((BAd joke in my head - laugh along if you can think of other misleading mottos over entrance doors))
Make a list of questions and observe, observe, and ask questions like -
"Can you give me an example of how you handled problem X in the past?"

Personally, I don't have a problem with focusing to this degree at an early age. I think it's easier to do Elementary School Level Math at home or online at school as an independent study than it is to provide class discussion of history and culture.

Good Luck,
Grinity

Can he spend a day or two at the magnet school as a visitor?

Also, you could probably call the principal and ask him/her these questions. Parents of current students can also be a good resource.

I would get as much information as possible!

Val

Grinity - that's an excellent point. I know how to teach math, if necessary. (Heck, I've been doing it all year! His class is still doing single digit addition!). I'm not so confident about some of this other stuff. They're having an open house next week, and I plan to go. But being a former teacher, I totally understand how schools put their best foot forward during open house and aren't always as great as they seem. Still, I've been doing some research. They teach Spanish starting in kindergarten, which is definitely a point in their favor. They have partnerships with the local rotary club, who supplies a LOT Of stuff that the other schools don't get. They have pen-pals at a school in Mexico. And they have a better-than-average music program for elementary. The neighborhood is not very friendly, so I'll have to ensure that it's well supervised and they have good security. All of the online reviews look good, but their test scores are similar to the school he attends now. I wonder if it may be worth it to send him to a school with mediochre test scores, just for the extra perks? After all, pretty much every school in the county has mediochre test scores, and we have no accredited private schools to consider.
Thanks for the suggestions - both kids are on board with going there (DS is enamored with the fact that they actually have a robotics lab, which he can use when he gets to third grade). It's definitely looking promising - almost too good to be true, in fact. But maybe that's the past year of beating my head against the wall over school issues talking.

So, from what you wrote, it sounds like the school is, at a minimum, more appealing than the current school, and it offers some perks not available at the current school.

I suggest creating a short list of specific questions to ask at the open house, such as, "He's working at this grade level in math. How would you envision helping him maintain this level of achievement?" Look for specific answers rather than vague promises of differentiation or observation.

As a teacher, you have a nice advantage over most of us others on this board in that you know a lot about what schools will respond to and how. That should be a big help.

Val

At my high school, the senior class had traditionally been permitted to paint their class motto above the entry door. To avoid the discrepancy you noted, our class chose a literary quotation as our class motto: "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here" - Dante Alighieri, Inferno

There was a HUGE ruckus about whether we should be permitted to put this up.

We were directed to put forth a substitute motto, which we did: "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell

Sadly, the school decided that what would go over the door was nothing.

Treecritter you did not indicate your metro area.

Val - you're right, it does sound much better than the school he's attending now. And as of now, that's the big selling point. Even if I'm not absolutely thrilled with it, it'll be better than the current situaion (I think).
Aculady - that's hilarious! My senior class was the one who caused the tradition of picking a "senior song" to disappear. We chose, "It's the End of the World as we Know It."
Austin - we're not really IN a metro area. Smallish military town on the coast of North Carolina. About an hour north of Wilmington.

Any un-accredited private schools? Ever want to start your own?

I am one of those people who think that mediocre test scores reflect the overall IQs of the kids who attend the school, rather than super teacher and super systems create high test scores. This is not to say that an individual teach can't make a difference - they do all the time, but to get a whole public school of 'above average teachers?' Sound a bit like Lake Woebegone to me. And even teriffic teachers might be poision for certian students - I've seen that too.

I think that wealthier areas tend to have more people in them with higher IQs and tend to spend the money to attract the super teachers and the super systems. Charter schools and schools 'with a mission' have the possibility of doing this as well. So it's a mess ball of association and causation.

I think that schools in poverty areas have the lowest test scores but not because of IQ. I think it the worst areas, the conditions outwash most of the IQ.

Interestingly, lots of people feel comfortable saying that the lowest performing school are that way 'because the kids are substandard' but the highest performing schools are that way 'because the teachers and systems are extrastandard.' My feeling is the exact opposite. But what do I know about it?

What I do know is that the test scores are like a full scale IQ - an average of many different things. There could be a school that has 2 distinct populations, one very high and one very low that has mediocre test scores. Sometimes gifted kids do better in 'modest' school systems with lower scores because the school is willing to listen to the parents and give needed subject accelerations. Our local school system is very proud of it's highish test scores, and very 'what do you know' towards the parents: ((We have handfuls of kids like yours in the Middle school, just wait a bit, will you? Or go away, ok?))

I really really wouldn't get hung up on the test scores, but instead get into the mechanics of how do they deal with kids who are ready to learn a different level of material than agemates.

And I do think that all the 'pluses' are really important to gifted kids, because the pluses might involve abstract thought, which is sorely lacking in elementary school model. It's seen as non-essential and 'extra' so look for a school that is willing to dally in the extras.

My .02
Grinity