Would You Send Your Child To A 'Bad' School?

By Heather Sobieralski, Owning Pink

Lately, I have been having the itch to move. I would like a fourth bedroom, a bigger kitchen and a second garage. Most pressing (or so I thought), I would like to get off my busy street so I can get rid of this permanent ball of stress in my stomach every time my children are playing outside. I have looked at several homes, and nothing feels right. I love our house, we have the world’s best neighbors, and quite frankly, I am not sure I am up for all the effort a move involves. The path of least resistance sounds pretty good to me right now.

But is there another reason?

For several months I was the one fueling this idea. My husband would humor me as I dragged him along to open houses and talked incessantly about the exciting possibility of a new home. Lately, the tables have turned. As I settled into the fact that we are staying, my husband now has a fire under his butt. He agrees that he would like more space and a quiet street for our kids to play in peace, but he is more driven by the fact that he doesn’t want our kids attending the high school for which we are slotted. He has been looking at he school’s profile, and it doesn’t look good.

Our elementary and middle schools have the reputation of having lots of parent involvement, low poverty rates and high test scores…oh yeah…and happen to be mostly white and Asian. The geographic boundaries change for high school, and our particular neighborhood goes to a school with high FARMs (free and reduced lunch rates), poor test scores, low parent involvement…and oh yeah…happen to be mostly African American.

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Mary L.

5:08AM PST on Feb 10, 2011

You have a very difficult choice, I don't envy you. I can tell you that if I had the chance to change my daughter's middle school this time I'd take it. I fought then and still do to raise the standards in schools. But there were things that shouldn't have happened to her and I'll regret not following a teacher's advice to keep her out of that school for the rest of my life.

February 10
send a green star

Ann S.

7:49PM PST on Feb 7, 2011

February 7
send a green star

Hilary E.

11:54AM PST on Feb 5, 2011

I would go to the school and meet the administration and teachers...then if they had their heads on fairly straight, i would be ok sending my children there at least to try it out. I have to say that I learned a LOT about the world very young by going to crappy public schools. It taught me a level of patience, compassion, and self control that I would never have gotten out of a pristine school.

February 5
send a green star

James P.

7:22AM PST on Feb 4, 2011

NO.....that is why the George Bush school vouchers to take our children to 'good' schools with good teachers is so GREAT.

February 4
send a green star

6:38PM PST on Feb 3, 2011

February 3
send a green star

Rita S.

7:22AM PST on Feb 3, 2011

You DO NOT have to let your kids attend crappy schools to learn "hardships and hardwork". I would think ALL parents want the best environment for their kids. If the school is torn up from the floor up, hell with the school. I want my kids safe while going to the rest room or going from class to class. Is that to much TO ASK?

Anne J.

9:04PM PST on Jan 29, 2011

January 29
send a green star

Fran B.

11:08PM PST on Jan 12, 2011

Why not stay where you are and just send your children to a private high school? Since your husband is so worried about test scores (and rightly so), he'll be happy to know that studies have shown private school students outperform public school students on the SAT. This is not always do to socioeconomic status but that private schools provide a better environment for the development of "students' critical-thinking abilities—not just the rote memorization required to do well on achievement tests". Additionally, "private school students are more likely than public school students to complete a bachelor’s or advanced degree by their mid-20s."

If you really want what's best for your kids, most (not all) private high schools are worth the money. If the cost bothers you, think of how much money you'd save in moving costs and purchasing a new house if you simply stayed where you are. Also, this isn't a 'purchase' of a few years of education but an 'investment' in your children and their future.

As for the diversity, there's still tons of community activities, local clubs/organizations, youth groups, etc, for your children to participate in. As for having a realistic perception of the world and understanding how the less fortunate live, there's tons of volunteer organizations that would love for your entire family to come out and help.

Selected Cites:http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/5 http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1670063,00.htm