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.
I've found that the best is talking to other parents of 'similar' kids - and taking it with a grain of sand.
A close second is '
sitting in the classroom on a non-special day and watching.'
This is non-optional in my opinion. And if you pick up a few ideas about which teachers might be the best fit, that's useful for planning.
If the school is small enough that there is only 1 teacher per grade, it's even more critical. I would look to see how the teacher treats the wiggliest child. Sarcasm? Public Humiliation? Total ineffectiveness? Can the teachers command respect without being condescending? See shades of grey? Laugh at themselves? What will happen when the teacher makes an academic mistake, and your child points it out?
I think that a careful listener can get a lot of those questions answered in about 45 minutes of observation on a typical day - or maybe I have super powers and a new career - not sure which, actually. So let me know, ok?
Smiles,
Grinity
