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Continued: Plan ahead to find right school for your child

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WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?

ST. PAUL SCHOOLS

The St. Paul Parent Information Fair will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the St. Paul RiverCentre, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul.

• The fair features the city's public, private, parochial and charter schools.

• Families can talk with staff from the St. Paul Public Schools' Student Placement Center about the application process.

• There will be free park-and-ride services starting at 9:15 a.m. at Sears, 425 Rice St., starting at 9:15 a.m. at the St. Paul Public Schools' administration building, 360 Colborne St., and starting at 9 a.m. at Johnson High School, 1349 Arcade St., and Harding High School, 1540 E. 6th St.

• Call 651-632-3760, or visit www.spps.org, with questions.

MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Minneapolis PreK-8 School Information Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.

• Families with children entering pre-kindergarten, kindergarten or middle school for the 2008-09 year are encouraged to attend.

• Teachers and staff from various schools and departments will be available to answer questions.

• Parking at the hotel's Loring Parking Ramp will be validated for up to two hours.

• Call Student Placement Services at 612-668-1840, or visit www.mpls.k12.mn.us with questions.

MINNEAPOLIS CHARTER SCHOOLS

The Charter School Fair will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the Millennium Hotel, 1313 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.

• Meet with principals and teachers from charter school programs.

• Learn about tuition-free alternatives to the public schools.

• Learn about independent study and online programs for K-12 students.

• Get help with application and enrollment materials.

• For more information, call 612-724-4754.

More from Local + Metro

The days of school districts having one program for everyone who enters their doors are over, especially within the boundaries of the choice-heavy Minneapolis and St. Paul School Districts.

Families can choose among several programs, including Montessori, language-immersion, cultural, gifted and talented, and science and math.

Schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul are hosting their parent information fairs today. The Star Tribune gathered advice from education experts on what parents should seek in a school. The No. 1 thing to remember: Every child is different; the best school for one isn't necessarily best for another.

Here's what else the experts said:

HAVE A PLAN: Parent information fairs can be overwhelming. "Check out the website ahead of time, check out the print materials ahead of time," said Jill Cacy, director of the Student Placement Center for St. Paul Public Schools.

GO WITH YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING STYLE: Schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul offer a dizzying array of programs. Do you want your child to speak a second language? Or be a math and science whiz? "Think about where does your kid learn best and where will he or she get the most out of the programming," said Tony Scallon, superintendent of the Minnesota Transitions Charter School. "If you're the parent of an autistic child, you might want to know that there's an autistic charter school. Or which Minneapolis schools have good programs for autistic kids."

DECIDE WHAT BEST FITS YOUR FAMILY'S NEEDS: Parents need to think about their work schedules and how they plan to transport their kids to school, said Jackie Turner, who directs the Office of Family Engagement for Minneapolis Public Schools. "Do you need an early-start or late-start school if you want to drop off your kids on the way to work?" Turner asked. "We have five different start times just within the elementary schools."

TEST SCORES ARE IMPORTANT, BUT ... : "Also ask about the trends in test scores," said Joe Nathan, director of the Center for School Change at the University of Minnesota. "And see what information they have about how students feel about the school. And parents. Have they surveyed them? Ask to see the results."

Public information about schools, such as test scores and demographics, is available at the Minnesota Department of Education's website: www.education.state.mn.us.

PICK A SCHOOL THAT WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU: "It's really important that it's a school that's inclusive of a lot of views on where the school should be heading," said Mary Cecconi, executive director of Parents United for Public Schools, a parent-led education policy group in Minnesota. Nathan said parents should determine whether schools start the year with get-acquainted conferences involving parents, the teacher and the student , he said.

VISIT THE SCHOOL: Nathan remembers a visit to a well-regarded nursery school when he was choosing one for a child. He heard frequent loud noises in the classroom, only to learn that the school's gym was above the nursery school room. "I would never put a youngster in a school without visiting," he said. Other important things to look for? "Look at the front hall and see what kind of achievement is honored as you immediately walk in," Nathan said. "Are there trophies for a wide variety of activities displayed, or is it only for athletics?"

DON'T GET OVERWHELMED: Choosing a school for your child is an important decision. But if he or she ends up in a school that isn't the right fit, it's always possible to change schools later. "Take it easy, and take deep breaths," Cacy said. "There is not just one best place. Kids who have parents behind them are going to be successful in a lot of schools."

Emily Johns • 651-298-1541

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