Ten Questions Parents Should Ask Before School Starts

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Parents routinely walk out of back-to-school meetings overwhelmed by a flood of impressive-sounding buzzwords

Photo: © Depositphotos.com/monkeybusiness

Even simple queries—like, “How are you teaching my kid to read?”—can elicit incomprehensible talk of “decoding,” “social and emotional well-being,” “data-driven instruction,” “personalization,” “spiraled curricula,” “formative assessment,” and much else. The result: It’s easy to walk away unsure if your child is in good hands.

Trying to get helpful answers can be so tough because professionals like their jargon; it makes them sound authoritative, and they know it. Plus, if teachers or principals are good at their job, there really is a wealth of nuance and expertise that’s tough to translate. And, if they’re not, obfuscation is a proven recipe for making inconvenient parents go away.

Put simply, when educators start talking about the ins and outs of instruction, it can be tough to know what to make of the answers. What can you do about that? Instead of asking about instruction, try posing these ten questions. They demand straightforward answers. And it turns out to be pretty easy to tell whether someone has given much thought to these queries—which, frequently, will tell you all you need to know.

  1. What’s the best thing my child is going to read this year?
  2. What one value is at the heart of our school’s culture, and how does that show up on a daily basis?
  3. On a typical day, how much time will be spent on morning announcements, attendance-taking, and standing in lines?
  4. How will you know if my child is bored to tears and, if that happens, what’s your usual response?
  5. What’s the one paper, project, or unit that I should really expect my student to come home excited about?
  6. In the typical month, how many hours will be devoted to tests and test preparation?
  7. What was the most serious disciplinary issue at school last year, and how was it addressed?
  8. How frequently should I expect to hear updates about how my child is doing?
  9. If I email with a question or concern, how quickly should I expect to hear back?
  10. What’s the most important thing I can do to help my child be academically successful this year?

These questions shed light on school routines, how teachers and principals think about engaging young minds, and whether the school is serious about partnering with parents. They offer some sense as to whether school staff will talk candidly about thorny challenges—and if they’ve got practical thoughts on dealing with them.

If you get sensible, direct answers, it’s a promising sign that you’re in capable hands. If you get blank looks, hollow assurances, or gauzy generalities, that’s a useful caution. Whatever the answers, you’ll have a better sense of what’s ahead.

Good luck, and best wishes on a wonderful year.

Frederick Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute

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