US EDUCATION Most US schools follow what is known as the common core curriculum,
which was established in 2010 with the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The purpose of the common core is to have a set of standards that measure what children should know in mathematics and English language arts by the conclusion of each school year. It should be noted that the majority number of states adopted the common core curriculum for their public schools – although not all. Public school admission in the US is generally determined by where
you live and regardless of whether you rent or own a home. In most states, the child must be ‘domiciled’ within a school district to attend the public school there. So, when an employee is coming to the US for a home-finding trip and is considering public school education for the child, it can be a bit of a juggling act to concurrently look for a residence and a school(s). If the employee finds a public school that meets their criteria for the child or children in the family, they will generally need to find a home within that school district.
CHARTER SCHOOLS In addition to public and private school is the charter school. These are public schools that operate independently from the mandates of the local school system in which they are located, but receive government funding. Parents can choose for their child to attend a charter school regardless of the school zone or district in which they live. The school is established based on a charter or contract granting it greater independence in exchange for greater accountability for student performance and achievement, standards and practices, goals and assessment methodology. By the very nature of this agreement, charter schools generally provide a high quality of education with innovative programmes and study opportunities.
UNDERSTANDING GENERAL METRICS When considering a US public school for a foreign national child, it is important for the employee to understand the general metrics used to measure the educational performance of each school. Some critical metrics most often used for evaluation for Pre-K through 12 schools are standardised test scores in maths and reading, the percentage of children enrolled in kindergarten and the high school graduation rate, with a subcategory of pre-school enrolment as part of the overall picture. These metrics reflect how public schools are preparing their students
to graduate high school and for college readiness. The results determine the school’s national ranking. School ranking studies are conducted by different organisations and news outlets such as the US News & World Report, which announces its findings on an annual basis. Ranking results are often utilised by both public and private schools to promote their ranked status with national colleges and universities in the hopes of boosting their graduates’ admission rates. Corporate employees on an international assignment in the US have
many choices to make when bringing school-age children to the US. It is fair to say that regardless of which choice they make as to the type of school their will child attend, the education the child receives will be equally good, though perhaps different in the pedagogy. For good measure, a curriculum comparison should be conducted to ensure the employee is comparing ‘apples-to-apples’. That curriculum comparison should be a side-by-side comparison of all the schools in consideration – whether they are public, charter or private. In so doing, the employee can analyse data per each school that should lead to a clear decision. So, on closer examination, what exactly can help the employee to
determine the best-fit school for their child? What key metrics and data should be included in the comparison and analysed to ascertain the quality of a school whose performance and attributes stand above the rest and
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will allow the child to flourish academically and socially? Let’s take a closer look at the best model for conducting this comparison.
COMPARING SCHOOLS USING ALL THE DATA
In specific terms, a curriculum comparison compares just the elements of the curriculum of each school. However, a more extensive model that provides data, not just on the curriculum but also on the school itself, will prove far more valuable to reach a conclusion and select the right school. While there are potentially hundreds of data points to evaluate, the most common and most telling about a school include:
• A core curriculum summary • Whether the school meets national and state content standards • The student/teacher ratio, as well as the number of teacher’s aides per classroom
• National test score averages • The school culture and teaching philosophy • Core subjects • Foreign languages taught at what grade levels • Advanced classes taught and at what grade levels • Inclusion of music and the arts • Remedial subject support • Required credentials for teachers.
These data points are the very minimum to explore when evaluating the quality of potential schools for the child. If done correctly, there is a great deal of time and effort that goes into an effective and useful comparison of this nature. Further, there needs to be an understanding of exactly what the data represents. This model can be used to compare any number and any type of schools. Having the side-by-side comparison generally provides a clear vision of the top two or three schools for consideration. At this point, a visit to each of the schools with a specific set of questions for the administrator will then leave no doubt which school is the ‘best-fit’.
SUMMARY While the school selection and placement process in the US is not necessarily an easy one, it is worth the time and effort to reach the point of complete satisfaction in knowing that the appropriate due diligence was conducted and resulted in the right school for the child. The employee’s child is often their number-one priority when embarking
on an international assignment. The success or failure of that assignment may rest on their child’s educational assimilation in the US. As such, it is always recommended to engage an expert to navigate the employee through the rigours of the school placement process. An education consultant is an academic specialist and expert in the schools of a given location. This consultant will provide the employee with the knowledge and information needed to make a smart choice for their child while removing the guesswork, anxiety and internet-surfing from the equation.
CHAMNESS WORLDWIDE
Chamness Worldwide has been delivering high quality global relocation services for over 30 years. The company offers a worldwide educational consulting coverage supported by next-generation technology. For further information contact: Gail Rabasca, executive vice president of global solutions, Chamness WorldWide, Chamness Education Consulting. Email:
gail@chamnessrelo.com
www.chamnessrelo.com
To read more from our US country partners, visit
relocatemagazine.com/usa
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