It's Time For School! (Part I)

It's about that time. You're little baby is growing up and it's time for them to take their first step into the world. How are they going to do that? Well, by attending school of course. So as you sit there reading this post I have one question for you: Where will your child go to school? This question seems relatively simple right? Wrong! Have you actually considered all of the different types of schools your child can go to. Did you even know there were different types of schools. If not hopefully after reading this post you will be more informed so that you can make the best choice for your young one. For time's sake this post will talk about public schools only.

Public Schools

Considering that about 49 million students are enrolled in public schools from kindergarten to the 12 grade I think it's safe to say that most parents opt for public education. This can be for a number of reasons which I will not be going into. My goal is not to sway you in one direction but instead, I want to better inform you about all of your choices. For example, most parents don't even know that their are multiple types of public schools. There are your typical public schools which I do not think I need to go into much detail about, then there are charter and magnet schools, both of which I will talk about in more detail below.

Charter Schools

#1 Ranked Charter School

Charter schools are independent public schools. In exchange for operational freedom and flexibility, they are subject to higher accountability than traditional public schools. They have rigorous curriculum programs and unique educational approaches that vary from school to school. Like traditional public schools charter schools are tuition-free and open to all students. However some ways they differ is that charter schools  have a contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success.
Some FAQs about charter schools can be found HERE.
Some of the top charter schools can be found HERE.


Magnet Schools

#1 Ranked Magnet School

Magnet schools are public schools that can be highly competitive and highly selective. Most magnet schools have a focused theme or community. Some of these themes include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Fine and Performing Arts, International Baccalaureate, International Studies, MicroSociety, Career and Technology, World Languages (immersion and non-immersion) and many others. Like normal public schools they use state, district, or Common Core standards in all subjects, however, they are taught within the theme. Magnet schools are usually open to all students and use a computer based lottery system for admission. A lot of the schools have the belief that all students have talents that can be better cultivated if they attend a magnet school. This means if your child isn't a flat out piano prodigy they can still be put in a magnet school. There are also schools that utilize student assessment data and teacher or parent recommendations for selection.
Some of the best magnet schools can be found HERE.