Conscious Choice: Choosing an Independent School

September 1995

Choosing an Independent School

by William Harms

"We believe that each child learns in an individual way and the task of the parent is to understand and appreciate what the child needs and find a school that meets those needs," says Alice Haskell, Admissions Director for the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and the President of the Chicago Area Admissions Directors, a group of admissions representatives of area independent schools.

Because learning styles are not always obvious, among pre-school children especially, admissions directors and others who work with families have developed lists of clues to watch for in assessing children’s interests. Your Child’s First School, by Diana Townsend-Butterworth, offers a useful checklist. (The list is also useful as a guide to parents deciding on a high school for older children.) Townsend-Butterworth suggests parents look for these indicators among their children as they try to understand their approaches to learning.

• What does you child enjoy doing?
• What excites your child and arouses his or her curiosity?
• What seems to be frustrating?
• Does your child thrive in a structured environment or seem to prefer one that offers more freedom?
• Is your child quiet or rambunctious?
• Does he or she prefer to work on projects alone or with other children?
• Does he or she have any special interests or abilities?

People who want to make a good school choice for their children should carefully consider these questions as well as other observations before they begin the process of looking for a school, admissions directors say. They also need to examine their own expectations for their children. Some of those family considerations might include these criteria:

• What goal do you have for your child’s long-term education? Is college preparation a priority?
• How important to you is parental involvement in school activities?
• Do you expect the school to have a role in developing a child’s character by encouraging respect for adults and peers as well as others in society, including the disadvantaged?
• How important is it to you that you have a strong relationship and share a philosophy with other parents at the school?
• How interested are you in providing a home setting that gives your child time for homework?
• How important is a before-school and after-school program for you?

Once you have determined what your child’s interests are and what your expectations are as parents for your children, the next step is evaluate the schools you’d like to visit.

Townsend-Butterworth points out that educational researchers generally agree on several key points about effective education. Those qualities, which are well-represented in independent schools, include small class size with individual attention to students; active learning, a commitment to high standards and excellence in teaching, high expectations, and strong parental involvement.

Chicago Independent Schools Fair
Parents who are interested in sending their children to independent schools have a wealth of choices in the Chicago-area — some 30 of these private, non-church supported schools flourish in the city and the suburbs.

Representatives of 24 of the schools will be on hand to answer questions at an Independent Schools Fair, held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, October 22, at the Chicago Historical Society Museum, Clark Street and North Avenue, Chicago.

The Independent Schools Fair is free and open to the public. Families visiting the fair will also be able to visit the Chicago Historical Society Museum free.

The families will learn about the programs offered by the schools, which range from classical to highly experimental.

The schools represent the best of a number of traditions in education, including the progressive ideas of philosophers such as John Dewey, and the European approaches such as the French national curriculum and the Waldorf movement from Germany.

Among the schools represented at the fair are these in Chicago: The Ancona School, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, Chicago Academy for the Arts, Chicago International School, Chicago Waldorf School, The Latin School of Chicago, Harvard School, Morgan Park Academy, North Shore School, Francis W. Parker School, Sacred Heart Schools, and The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Suburban schools participating in the fair are Baker Demonstration School, Chiaravalle Montessori School, and Roycemore School, all in Evanston; Chicago Junior School and Elgin Academy, both in Elgin; Creative Children’s Academy, Palatine; La Lumiere School, La Porte, Indiana; Marmion Academy, Aurora, The North Shore Country Day School, Winnetka; The Willows Academy, Niles; and Lake Forest Academy and Woodlands Academy, both of Lake Forest.

A free guide to the schools is also available by writing to the Independent Schools Directory, Room 199, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1362 E. 59th St., Chicago, IL. 60611. Information about the schools may be accessed at their Web site.

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