How To Spot a Good School?

[Delbert]

I have a son who is about school age. Is there a way i can detect if a certain school is a good one? I heard there are schools that are really undesirable.

[95EagleAWD]

In NEW YORK?

[Amysicle]

Nah. This guy has been thinking about moving to Calgary for months.

Been asking a lot of questions about neighbourhoods, the weather, and schools.

As for schools, do you mean programs they offer or the environment (bullies or lack of) or a combination of both?

[Eleanor]

I think you were looking for determine.

[Super_Geo]

I'd go by the distance it is from the NE...

[nismodrifter]

^:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Shunsui]

^^^Yea I would do that also steer away from Catholic schools, as cute as those teens look in their uniforms, they're all druggies...

[sonnyg403]

^^ What? Not all catholic schools require uniforms.

[dino_martini]

Originally posted by Shunsui
^^^Yea I would do that also steer away from Catholic schools, as cute as those teens look in their uniforms, they're all druggies...

I dont think any of the Calgary Separate School District (Catholic Board) schools wear uniforms.

[SaturnV]

Calgary Catholic schools aren't that Catholic. Just go to religion class, write that God loves you, Jesus is your homeboy and that STD's are Gods punishment for the fact that you like boobies and you're set. :rofl:

Otherwise it's a normal high-school, no uniforms, plus you get out of class every once and a while to get free food and drink and a story out of some book. :goflames:

[Delbert]

Yeah, just wanna arrange and plan all things before i move. I visited Calgary last month just to feel the place and it looks interesting. Unfortunately, i know nothing about schools in Calgary. Every parent wants a good school for their children.

[msommers]

Send them to private school then, there are a few here that are good. Moreover, regular private-school or fine-arts school?

[Shogged]

http://www.fraserinstitute.org/reportcards/schoolperformance/alberta.htm

not the only thing you want to look at, but this is a good start

[nismodrifter]

Have you kind of narrowed down the area in which you want to live? That would help provide some specific suggestions that might be of more assistance to you.

[three.eighteen.]

see if you can find provincial test score rankings, they generally indicate good teachers

[Shunsui]

Just exaggerating the uniform part my bad

[sr20s14zenki]

Originally posted by Shunsui
^^^Yea I would do that also steer away from Catholic schools, as cute as those teens look in their uniforms, they're all druggies...

Yah, i found out about the uniform thing when i went to do the erection of the addition at Bishop Carrol.......what a rip...i was hoping for uniforms :poosie: :bigpimp: :rofl:

[98brg2d]

I don't know if it is still the case but when I was in school in Calgary you didn't get to choose what school you went to until junior high (if you wanted french immersion vs english) or highschool (any choice). I didn't get to go to the same junior high as my brother since they placed him in a school based on last known address and we had been out of Calgary for three years at the time. I would find a school you like and target a community that sends kids to that school.

[ralliart_girl]

From what I remember, you typically go to the high school that is designated to the area you live in. If you want to go to a different school, you have to apply and have a reason. ie. IB program, sports program.

This is for the public system of course.

[DelSoln]

Originally posted by three.eighteen.
see if you can find provincial test score rankings, they generally indicate good teachers

Or they indicate teachers that teach towards the test rather then focusing on teaching in the classroom.

[Kritafo]

It's tough in Calgary. To add to the mix of charter schools, modified programs, immersion school, private school and home schooling.

Since our community doesn't have a school our designated school has changed 3 times since my daughter started. I decided to find a school relatively close to my home and call them up for a tour and questioned the parents around the school. I have been driving my kids since Kindergarten. Make sure the school has a lunch program, which you pay to use.

When it came time for Jr High we again didn't go with our designated school. We let our kids go to school with their fellow classmates from grade school. This took several trips of getting papers signed by principals etc. With the understanding that they still might not get into the school they wanted.

If you move to a community with schools, make sure they are not on the closure list.

I have been trying to put my hands on the provincial tests results by school, I know they put them in the Calgary Herald but I can't seem to find it online.

[alloroc]

As far as elementary schools go I don't think there is much difference.

Public school in calgary is pretty good. I had my son attend kindergarten in the NE 'Erin Woods Elementary' and the level of parent participation was surprising. I now live the McKenzie area and he goes to McKenzie lake Elementary and I have no issues with the level of education there either.

Things are different compared to when I went to school. Back then from what I can remember parents really didn't get involved much and the only time they knew what was going on was when the kid did something bad and the school sent a letter home or at report card time.

Now each child has an 'agenda' basically a large daytimer with a short note written in it every day by the student of what went on that day, any upcoming events, and daily homework assignments. Parents are expected to sign it every day.

Edit:

I think there is a difference in each area by the time child reaches junior high or high school, but once you move here and get 4-5 years experience living in the city I am sure you can make a far better decision for your child based on your experience rather than the advice of some car enthusiasts on a web forum.

[Kritafo]

Originally posted by alloroc
Public school in calgary is pretty good. I had my son attend kindergarten in the NE 'Erin Woods Elementary' and the level of parent participation was surprising. I now live the McKenzie area and he goes to McKenzie lake Elementary and I have no issues with the level of education there either.

Things are different compared to when I went to school. Back then from what I can remember parents really didn't get involved much and the only time they knew what was going on was when the kid did something bad and the school sent a letter home or at report card time.

Now each child has an 'agenda' basically a large daytimer with a short note written in it every day by the student of what went on that day, any upcoming events, and daily homework assignments. Parents are expected to sign it every day.

Wait until they get to Jr High, they use the D2L site, you get all the homework info on the site. If they miss a day, you can download and print of the pages. Homework is ready on the table when they walk through the door. It's a great site!

[alloroc]

Originally posted by Kritafo


Wait until they get to Jr High, they use the D2L site, you get all the homework info on the site. If they miss a day, you can download and print of the pages. Homework is ready on the table when they walk through the door. It's a great site!

I dont think he will have a problem with quality of Alberta education vs. that of New York.

Just have a look at how often people are busted on this forum for bad spelling, grammer, or punctuation.

[Shogged]

Originally posted by Shogged
http://www.fraserinstitute.org/reportcards/schoolperformance/alberta.htm



just quoting this for those asking where to find the provincial test results online. follow this link!

[three.eighteen.]

Originally posted by DelSoln


Or they indicate teachers that teach towards the test rather then focusing on teaching in the classroom.

yeah maybe...but isn't that the point? performance on those standardized tests bring funding to the school...which in turn make it a better school. and let's face it, school is meant to breed competitively intelligent individuals and the only viable way to measure that is through standardized testing.

it's no surprise that private schools are generally near the top of these rankings annually across all grade levels.

i don't mean this in any boastful way, but i was fortunate enough to be put through elementary and jr. high schools that ranked very high in their years (separate school board). while this may be attributable to a higher socioeconomic class of the surrounding area (smart people breed smart kids), i feel that my early childhood teachers were truly some of the best. and the amount of productive talent in my peer group/group size is phenomenal...many doctors and multiple-degree holders

[DelSoln]

Originally posted by three.eighteen.


yeah maybe...but isn't that the point? performance on those standardized tests bring funding to the school...which in turn make it a better school. and let's face it, school is meant to breed competitively intelligent individuals and the only viable way to measure that is through standardized testing.

it's no surprise that private schools are generally near the top of these rankings annually across all grade levels.

i don't mean this in any boastful way, but i was fortunate enough to be put through elementary and jr. high schools that ranked very high in their years (separate school board). while this may be attributable to a higher socioeconomic class of the surrounding area (smart people breed smart kids), i feel that my early childhood teachers were truly some of the best. and the amount of productive talent in my peer group/group size is phenomenal...many doctors and multiple-degree holders

There are other factors to consider besides achievement on standardized tests. Like you said yourself socioeconmic status has a lot to do with how well children score on those tests as well. Parents that are highly involved in their children's education are going to give their children a better chance to succeed. I have a great deal of respect for teachers that work for inner city schools as well as special needs. Those students will never score as high as children from private or charter schools. Does that mean they aren't getting good teachers? How about children that come from another country and are learning to speak english. Those children won't score as high either but that sure doesn't mean they are not as intelligent. I could go on and on when it comes to the inherent biases associated with standardized tests but I don't want to bore you. As for your comment about teaching towards the test, no that is not the point. If I only focus on the questions from previous provincial exams and ignore the outcomes in the rest of the programs of studies does that really make me a good teacher? Some would say yes while others would say no. Some might even say that is cheating the students out of a good quality of education.

[Kritafo]

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Life/Calgary+schools+deemed+best+province/1362569/story.html

6 schools from Calgary are named best in province of 715 schools.

[gatorade]

Originally posted by Shunsui
^^^Yea I would do that also steer away from Catholic schools, as cute as those teens look in their uniforms, they're all druggies...

umm most dont wear uniforms, in fact I don't even know any that do and I went to catholic schools for junior and high school

[88jbody]

there are no uniforms anymore because they found it tripled the teen pregnacy rate