Choosing a School

How do you know what the right school is for your family?

Or for your oldest child versus your youngest child? Some families operate from the core belief that education should be free and is a right we have as individuals in this country. Others see education as something to take ownership of and evaluate for each of their children based on their individual personalities and family values. In the end, there is not a right or a wrong way to choose a school...it comes down to what is important to you as parents or guardians of your children.

Since education is something that most can agree is a gateway to positive growth for a child, every parent or guardian must take time to evaluate what is best for their child.

Take a few minutes to consider how you would answer these questions for your child & family:

What do I value most in education?
- Good grades
- High Test Scores
- Deep level of understanding of common core curriculum
- Learning to be fun
- Opportunity to ask questions and explore areas that interest my child
- Memorize a large amount of facts
- To be able to utilize information learned and apply it to other situations
- Life skills and character building opportunities
What do I notice about my child’s learning style?
- They like to work with hands on materials and learn best when able to work with a concept tangibly
- They like to listen then apply or repeat back what they have been instructed in
- They take in a lot of what is happening around them - what the leader is saying, what their friends are doing and more
What social emotional aspects of my child’s personality will influence them in the school setting?
- Want to be a leader
- Want to be a follower
- Want to have a lot of room to explore and ask questions
- Want to be told what to do
- Want to learn
- Not super interested in learning just yet
- Like to be independent
What do I want the school setting to help develop in addition to my child’s academics?
- Executive Functioning - planning, goal setting, follow through, etc.
- Life Skills - negotiation, working with others, responsibility, ownership
- Athletic Skills
- Critical Thinking Skills

It’s not a matter of a certain school being better than another; it’s about finding the school that is a good fit for the child and that fits best with your family values.

At Roots, one of our criteria for admission is whether we see the opportunity for continuity between home and school - as this best sets up a student for success. And for the record, we don’t define success or learning with grades or test scores here at Roots.

Roots measures success through seeing a student develop grit as they work through a lesson until they gain mastery; this also builds a sense of confidence and that mistakes are teaching tools, not a failure. We also measure success through seeing students work through issues with their peers - in healthy, respectful ways; gaining life long skills for collaboration and teamwork. Another measure is the development of critical thinking skills - using creativity and innovation in their work.