Finding Your Fit

Things to Consider
When Choosing a School

Every parent wants the best for their children, and that includes an educational experience where they will be seen, supported, and successful. No two schools – or two students – are exactly alike, making comparisons more complicated. There is more than enough information available to you via school websites and other materials to help you understand which schools might be best suited to support your child. So, how do you go about finding the right fit?

Assess Your Overall Academic Experience

The first step is to dedicate time to an objective assessment of your child’s overall academic experience. I have worked in enrollment-related positions at a number of schools for over 30 years and met with many families in search of a new environment for their child. By giving thought to this issue, you will be better equipped to articulate, beyond the anecdotal, concrete examples of your child’s challenges as well as other important things necessary for assessing a good overall fit.

Know your child’s strengths and challenges. Be honest with yourself (and others) about your concerns and what you’re looking for – after all, if a school doesn’t have what it takes to support your child when they struggle, it is probably not the right school for you and it’s best to know that sooner than later.

Thoroughly Research Your School Options and Ask Questions

It is important to learn as much about a school as you can: explore the website, go for a tour, and don’t hesitate to call the Admissions Office for more information. A school may say they are set up to support students with ADHD, anxiety, dyslexia, and organizational challenges – but how does that support manifest from day to day? Parents shouldn’t be afraid to press for specifics, either. Some good questions to ask include:

Are students pulled out of the classroom?
Are services pushed in?
Is there a stigma for students who receive extra support in a particular area?
Do teachers have specialized training, and receive ongoing professional support?
What are the specific curriculums, programs, and strategies used to support students with reading challenges? ADHD? Etc.?

And what about the areas where your child shines? And the activities they love? Or maybe the experiences you want them to have? You’ll want to ask questions like:

What extracurriculars are offered and how are students encouraged to try new things?
How would they describe their community? Who succeeds and who doesn’t?
What are the demographics of the school community (racial, economic, geographical, and faculty)?
What do they feel separates their school community from others?
What schools do their students attend after their time there?
Talk about ways students learn outside of the classroom (speakers, community service, leadership opportunities)

The answers to these questions will offer tangible evidence of the core values and important cultural norms of a school. It’s critical to ensure that your child’s non-academic needs and interests are also met, and where they can learn more about who they are and advocate for what they want.

Evaluate the Community

After you’ve done your research, asked all the questions, submitted applications, and narrowed down your options, it’s time to turn your attention to the “feel” side of the school fit. Who do you think “gets” your child the most? Where did your child seem the most at ease and comfortable with their authentic self? Is there a particular community that stood out or felt more fitting than the others? My father would always ask of me, before making a big decision, “What does your gut say to you?” It is advice that has served me well, and that which I often offer families as they compare potential schools for their child.

Education nationally, both public and private, has been restructured in ways that none of us could imagine as a result of COVID-19. As expected, it has impacted the lives of students. In ways unexpected, parents have had to take on a much higher and direct level of engagement with their children’s learning. Distance learning, even the best efforts, is not the same as regular school and in reality, many students will fall behind.

More than ever, this experience has given parents a great appreciation for teachers who are trained to offer differentiated instruction to children who learn in different ways. The flexibility of our teachers to teach responsively to the different challenges of learning, along with the personal connections made with students, is not replaced easily. No one way of instruction works for all children and the distance learning platform clearly confirms this.

As you look to returning to school after our days of quarantine, it is important to consider what transitioning back to traditional learning will be like for your child. How prepared and able will their school be to both fill the gaps of online learning as well as appropriately progress them? It will take more than good intentions to support students in their new normal.

Find Your Fit at McLean School

We’re a community known for focusing first on each student’s strengths, challenging them, but also offering them the support needed in areas of need. At McLean, we refer to this as the Abilities Model ®, and it rests at the core of what makes our school transformative for students and families. Discover the McLean difference for yourself.

– Bobby Edwards, Director of Community Inclusion and External Relations