Help Finding the Right School

You haave to determine the things that are most important to you. The test scores are not the most important thing to me. If they are not high, I would like to find out why, but I wouldn't base my decision strictly on that.
If you are planning to be in the area awhile you need to think ahead. Look at the older grades, too.

What matters to me is teacher/child ratio. Teacher/child interaction. What does the climate feel like? Is it friendly and open? Is it quiet and strict? How do they handle bullying? How involved are parents? If there is a high number of parents who volunteer, that is usually a good sign. Are policies geared toward helping the students or the teachers?
We recently moved to Douglas County and despite everyone telling me what a great district it is, (based on scores) we are not very happy with the shool.

When we moved here, we knew absolutely nothing about the area. We knew people here, and in fact were guided towards the Cherry Creek Schools, but housing prices were just too much! So our realtor provided us with school scores for Douglas County and that's how we chose our home...near the school that we wanted. I don't know if that's the best thing to do, go strictly by scoring, but it's definitely one way. One thing that really got us was the extra help they were willing to provide our daughter who has a learning disability. We also talked with the neighbors around our new home to find out their thoughts on the schools. We received all good feedback on the school our daughters are currently in and we have been happy with it.

Look at the class size. How happy are the kids? Look at the ciriculum and whether the teacher interacts with the students. Test scores can tell you if the teacher is teaching to the test or are the kids really learning the life skills that they need to know to function in life. Just because the school is free, it does not always provide the best education.
C. B

Hi J. - we just went through this same thing this past year so I thought I would share with you the things we did and asked.

We had the choice of public school, one charter school, private Christian school (tuition) or a local pre-school with kindergarten program (tuition)

First off, I would recommend visiting your neighborhood public school and the other schools you are interested in. That was key in our decision in choosing the public school over the charter school. The public school environment seemed happy and friendly and the kids were smiling. The office staff was friendlier too. The classrooms were large and sunny. We were on a waiting list for several charter schools in the area and the one we would have been able to go to was practically dismal in comparison. Also, the charter school student/teacher ratio was 22/1 whereas the public school was 17/2 (my son's class is smaller than normal - other tracks are 24/2 (one teacher and one full-time Educ. aide) The One Report showed that both schools were academically equal on test scores. (of note, this past year's One Report showed the public school stayed the same and both charter schools dropped a level in their rating)

Interview other parents and especially the principal or asst principal and ask all the questions you have. I discussed everything from homework, kids stress levels, if there had been any major discipline probs or drug probs, discipline policies, class ratios, access to Educational Assistants, after school programs, PE, recess, music and art curriculum, access to computers, foreign language curriculum. I even asked about school plays and concerts and what their feelings were about some of the PC stuff like - is it Christmas or winter break? (It was Christmas btw)

We also took into consideration our son and his temperament. He is very smart and we were concerned he would be bored at public school. I asked the asst princ. about what they normally did for bright kids to keep them challenged. She said that teachers normally had different levels of same curriculum for different kids. She was honest that they weren't always able to give them all the extra time they needed but encouraged me to continue to work with him at home and be in communication with the teacher to avoid any boredom probs. So far it's been great. He loves school and is doing great.

I also visited our public library and chatted with the ladies in the childrens section about the differences between the charter/public schools. They unanimously said that charter schools give significant amounts of homework even though the charter schools insist they don't. Charter said 20 minutes per night total per grade level. Librarians and parents said that 2nd grade and up this was more like 20min per class per night. Many smart 2nd graders had 2 hours of homework a night. Too much in my opinion, especially since I want my son to have time to play a sport, learn an instrument, take some art classes and still have time to play and ride his bike.

Oh - one last thing. My son catches the school bus at our corner every morning and loves it. (Someone at the school end gets the kindies off the buses first and takes them to class) It's great for me as I don't have to worry about carpool every morning. This was definitely an unexpected benefit!!

Best of luck to you and your son!

Check out Hulstrom Options (Adams 12 School District) it is a K-8th school of 112th and Irma. My son has been there fopr two years and I love it! Hulstrom has one of the highest CSAP scoring in Colorado. My son is in 1st grade and he is in 2nd and 3rd grade subjects.
Good luck

Andrea

Are you out of your mind? Leaving Cherry Creek schools for the schools up north?
Cherry Creek schools are the best Colorado has to offer. Some people move from all over the US to allow their children to have the opportunity to go to Cherry Creek Schools that are nationally recognized as the best of the best in the US.
However, I am not so sure about the ones that reside in Aurora! Try Centennial.(Our son attended Willow Creek Elementary), West Middle School, Cherry Creek High School)

Hope this changes your mind on the move. I would move out of Aurora and move into Centennial for the next 13 or so years. Give your children the best opportunity for advanced placement in the real world.
From one who wanted all her life to go to Cherry Creek Schools for their great education while living in Aurora - "the babysitting school system" having moved to Cherry Creek for her childs education and never having regretted it for a minute! Now a second year college student - Engineering, Mechanical at UCCS! (Not struggling - but enjoying, actually helping others less fortunate in work study groups!)

Hello - leaving...One of the most highly regarded school systems in the country, Cherry Creek Schools is recognized nationally for its dedication to excellence and academic achievement.
THINK AGAIN!
Parent participation to the max
low child teacher ratio
Bully program instituted in elementary schools
Emphasis on manners and respect - based on how each child is treated with the same (this has got to be the single most dedicated difference between
reaching the bar - and jumping over it
from any other school system.)
Huge effort in developing childhood self esteem thru class work.
Teaching TEAM work.
Emphasizing "home" work / class work / after hours club association of their choice
NEED I SAY ENGLISH spoken here?

In addition we had our son in Boy Scouts and Indian Guides!
All I am saying is give YOUR CHILDREN a chance!
Raising a child is one thing - making sure he has the best opportunities is another...
THEY (Cherry Creek district) taught us early that our child was our finest asset - and this is truth!
Also all kids are expected to go on to college from the time they enter kindergarten and so it is planned...
Oh and I was told to hold my kid back as he had an August birthday so he had turned 5 shortly before starting Kindergarten - and we were told that if he knew his alphabet and his numbers to 10 and how to spell his name, he was ready.
I wished he was older to handle all the older boys, but in the end it didn't make any difference.
What is more costly - a decent education or the cost of the criminal justice system?

Hunters glenn off of 136th washington. Schools are rated very good. Almost as good cc schools

As a teacher, I have been working for a large tutoring company for the last five years. I have worked with educators in Adams 12, and 50, and also APS and Cherry Creek. The demographics may be different, but the problems are much the same across the board. My experience with these children has taught me that the most important thing to look at is student to teacher ratio. The students who attend classrooms with 30 students in their class get left behind. The students that are ahead don't get to fulfill their potential and the students that are behind, rarely get caught up, even with extra programs for reading or math after school.

I also echo earlier statements of the importance of parent involvement. Teachers have been given the responsibility of not only teaching our kids the "3 Rs", but also about their health and manners (to name a few). As parents, I think we need to take back some of those responsibilities. With the focus on test scores, much time is spent on math and reading, but many subjects are getting left behind that aren’t yet included in our standardized testing.

This is rather a soapbox of mine. So I’ll stop there. My point is, don't rely on school for 100% of your children's education. Work on math facts at home, read nightly, take your kids to museums, and on trips. For writing practice, have your children journal or get a pen pal (maybe an aunt or grandparent that lives out of town).

Hope this helps :)

As a parent and I teacher I have found that school test scores show you how involved the parents are with their children. I have found excellent teachers in some of the poorest performing schools and some horrible teachers in the best performing schools. It's all about the kids and how much their parents value education and help their children.

Teacher/student ratio is important. Although my children's school has 28 kids in a class, but with a teacher and a full-time aide. They are in a charter school so I know that they will not go over that 28 number. Regular public schools sometimes have over 30 kids in a class or only 20 but no aide.

Curriculum and methodology are also important. I picked a Core Knowledgge curriculum because I wanted to ensure that my kids were being exposed to a rich curriculum in history and science since that is what they are interested in. I also knew that the Core Knowledge school had a whole class learning model, which I was not thrilled with but the content was more important for me. I also knew the curriculum and expectations were higher than a regular public school and my kids needed to be challenged. Knowing my children, I figured they would do well in a structured environment. Not all children do. That is important for you to figure out. Would your children fall apart in a more open unstructured environment or thrive in it?

The other aspect that I liked about the school is the mandatory parent volunteering. They make it easy to get in your hours but it ensures that parents are involved which makes a big difference for kids.

It is also a very family friendly school. Parents are always welcome. The teachers are loving but firm in their discipline. All the teachers that have school aged children, have their children in the school. I think all of the aides are mothers of children at the school as well. This says a lot. I worked in schools were the teachers would never put their own kids.

Good luck!

Hi I cannot really give you any advice but if you could leave a summary of what you receive or emai me, I would really appreciate it. I have a 3 yr old and have the same questions. I have heard others say the Cherry creek district is overrated. I live in the Aurora one now and have thought of moving. P.