Author: Bill Jackson

What to look for in a high school sports program? Three things: The opportunity to play, the quality of teaching and learning, and the values that undergird the program.

Most families live in communities with multiple good schools and multiple pathways to gain admission. While finding and getting into a good school can feel overwhelming, it’s usually possible.

The world of private schools is diverse and sometimes surprising. Here are 10 facts you might not know that may be helpful as you consider your school options. Unless otherwise noted, all data is provided by the federal government for

Parents are naturally attracted to small class sizes because it seems more likely that the teacher will be able to manage the classroom well and will be able to get to know and serve each child well. But is this the right way to think about class size? How much does class size really matter?

It’s all the rage these days for schools to claim they’re student centered. But what does this phrase actually mean? In my experience, schools may be talking about three different but related ideas when they use the phrase “student centered.”

Listening to what young adults say about the Raise Ready Kids Big Three School Quality Factors: Program, Teaching, and Culture.

When might it make sense to send a smart kid to a lower-performing school and when might it not? This is ultimately a personal decision and there is no one right answer. However, let me share five of my own considerations, which may be helpful to you if you’re grappling with this question.

As you evaluate your school options, you should know there are cognitive as well as social benefits to your child being in a diverse school because diversity forces people to do more cognitive work than they otherwise would.

The Rooney Rule requires NFL teams to interview nonwhite candidates when they hire a new head coach. Similarly, when choosing a school for your child, you should consider at least one school that pushes the limit of your comfort zone.

If you’re trying to evaluate schools — whether you’re looking for a school for your child or wondering about the quality of your child’s current school — you need to know about Benjamin Bloom and his famous taxonomy of learning: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

You can learn a lot about a school by trying to observe its core values in action. Look on the playground and in the hallway. How are students spending time? How are parents and visitors treated?

When evaluating a school, I believe in stepping back and considering what I call the Raise Ready Kids Big Three School Quality Factors: Program, Teaching, and Culture. More than anything else, these three factors determine school quality.