Choosing a school for your child is a big decision as it can affect their future academic path. While you want to take time to make the choice, though, you might not be sure what to consider. With that in mind, here are important things that can help make the process of deciding easier for you.
Location
The suburb that your child goes to school in can be a major factor in determining what kind of experience they have. It may also be limited by your home location or the methods of transport available to you and your child. For example, if you’re looking at secondary schools in South Melbourne, you’ll need to be sure you can get there with ease and that your child will have a backup mode of transit in case you’re not available. Even if the school seems close enough to be within walking distance, you’ll have to keep in mind that kids have a serious load of books to carry.
Coed vs Single Sex
While most schools these days are coed, some schools—especially religious ones—do still restrict entry. The jury is out on whether or not same-sex schools offer measurable academic benefits. There are some upsides, especially for girls, whose survey responses indicate some upsides: some girls attending all-girls schools report feeling more confident in STEM subjects when compared to those in coed schools.
Since the data is inconclusive regarding academic outcomes, the choice between coed and single sex schools mostly boils down to the preferences of the parent and their child. There are fewer single-sex schools than coed.
What about Size of School?
One less ambiguous metric regarding the academic performance of kids at different schools is size. Class size, in particular can make a very real difference: kids who attend smaller classes tend to have better access to their teachers, and as a result, their academic outcomes improve.
While there are some exceptions, especially in Eastern Asian cultures, in general, the conventional wisdom remains that smaller class sizes are better, and the prevailing body of research in English-speaking countries tends to support this conclusion. For this reason, class size is often seen as a deal-maker or breaker for parents when comparing different schools.
Facilities
The quality of a school’s facilities is an even more sure sign of their potential to help maximize your child’s academic results. Multiple studies show clear relationships here: the correlation between the temperature and noise level of a classroom and the ability of students to achieve better marks is relatively consistent. Students also seem to generally perform better when the buildings they study in are newer and cleaner.
Cost/Fees
While the cost of a school may not necessarily determine or reflect its quality, it’s hard to dispute the logic that schools with higher revenue will be more likely to provide additional resources or facilities. Not only will they have the finances available to keep their classes small and facilities up to date, they’ll also be able to offer more competitive salaries to attract a higher caliber of teacher. That, in turn, help hem deliver a superior academic experience for students.
That said, paying extra for a fancy school may not be worth it if it puts financial strain on the family. Studies show that a high-stress home environment hurts a child’s academic performance and for a wide variety of reasons. While we all tend to have a harder time focusing under stressful circumstances, a stressful home life can often contribute to depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and other conditions and circumstances that tend to compromise academic performance.
Conclusion: Choosing a School
Making this choice will never be easy. Selecting a school for a child is stressful in and of itself: it’s a major decision for your life and theirs, and it’s not one that’s easy (or sometimes even possible) to change. Remember that the best solution is always a combination of factors that both promote your child’s ability to study while also ensuring that this choice doesn’t impact other areas of their life—or yours—to the point that secondary effects minimize or even cancel out those benefits.
At the end of the day, take some comfort in the fact that you’re sitting here now, doing this research, and trying hard to make the right decision—it’s a good sign that you really care, want to support your child, and are doing your best to make the right call. Making the decision involves weighing the pros and cons to find what school is right for your child and your family as a whole.
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