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How Can I Find The Ideal School For My Child?
by Dennis O'Brien
Many parents are concerned about identifying a school which will nurture and challenge their child's giftedness. Hometown parents of young children as well as newcomers to the region are often eager to assure the best possible environment for their child, despite the personal sacrifices it
may entail.
Here are some ways to find a school which is a good match for your child.
- Call for information about the gifted programs at various school districts and ask follow-up questions of the districts' gifted coordinators.
- Evaluate the range of services provided by various districts. For instance, Rockwood busses gifted elementary students to the Center for Creative Learning for a full day of intensive enrichment each week and provides pullout support in their home schools.
Clayton, at the other end of the spectrum, provides enrichment specialists to serve students with learning problems as well as those with special talents in an effort to downplay the giftedness of a few and stress the "enrichment for a wider population and individualizing services as much as possible for a broad range of students." Most districts provide something in the middle, like pullout classes and homework compacting.
- Network with other parents to verify that a school's climate and educational philosophy are what you believe them to be.
- Consider independent schools. Although they may not have programs specifically tailored for gifted children, many provide an environment in which gifted children thrive. Because of the much lower student-teacher ratio, independent schools can provide more individual attention.
Independent schools also select children to match the special mission of each school, and this makes for a more committed student and parent community. According to studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, children who attend independent schools are assigned twice as much homework as those who attend public schools and are more likely to take honors classes in high school than their public school peers. For more information, call Independent Schools of St. Louis at 314-567-9229.
- Keep in mind other considerations, including the harmony between family values and school climate, opportunities for character-building as well as academic challenges, the amount of nurturing available as well as the school's educational philosophy, and the realistic costs vs. the benefits of a better opportunity.
For more information regarding Gifted Resource Council, please call the GRC office at 314-962-5920.
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