07/25/2025
📚🚌🚨👀 Watchout for these indicators 🚩when choosing a school for your child:
🚩Unlicensed teachers - some schools will push alternative licensing or other credentials, but a professional educator’s license is best. Always verify teacher and school principal & directors’ licensure at: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/educators/educators-licensure
🚩Many staff members with alternative, temporary, or provisional licenses and teachers teaching subjects other than those listed on their license is an indication that the school is having a difficult time retaining qualified educators, which could indicate issues with school leadership.
🚩 High teacher turnover - how you’ll know: lots of new staff, staff unfamiliar with school policies, etc. This could be an indication that there is an issue with the workplace culture, environment, or leadership.
🚩 High student turnover. Ask the school questions like, “how many students start in kindergarten and complete their entire scholastic education here?” Pay attention to small schools with television advertisements, billboards, and Facebook/Instagram advertisements. This is an indication that the school may have trouble keeping students, which would indicate issues with school culture, leadership, etc.
🚩 Combined grade levels - This works well for the first grade student who is placed in a room with 2nd & 3rd grade students, but not so well for the 3rd grade student who has to be in the classroom with students two grades below them. Each grade level has a specific curriculum that must be covered during the school year, so combining grade levels means your child may not receive 100% focus on the content standards that must be covered in their grade level.
🚩Lack of direct service providers directly EMPLOYED by the school - why? Because school systems will have to contract with providers for individual students. If this person is not already on staff, they may try to skimp out on needed services, like occupational therapy, speech, counseling, and any other needs.
🚩SELECTED, not “voted in” school board members - why does this matter? Because school board members are tasked with the overall operations of the school. All too often, some schools, like our local charter school, chooses board members based on who they think will continue with specific ideologies or continue with the same school leaders and curriculum, instead of allowing positive changes to happen within the school. Also, selecting school board members breeds corruption within the board from “the good ‘ole boys club,” etc. Should a parent have a complaint or issue, they would need to appeal to the school board. This is an often overlooked aspect, but a very important one.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that traditional public schools are ALWAYS the BEST choice!
