Many parents are more careful in choosing secondary schools than in primary schools, most of them taking into account the school`s reputation, the quality of the facilities, and the campus culture.
Educational costs, religious beliefs, and academic achievement will also be taken into account.
Here are the factors that parents value most and their proportions:
Experts urged parents to have an in-depth understanding of the school and investigate the school`s greatest impact on their children`s education.
Most parents visit schools on school open days to see if private schools are considered and, if so, how much it costs.
In fact, the cost of private schools varies from A $2000 per year for Al Faisal College to A $40000 per year for SCEGGS Darlinghurst.
Peter Goss, Director of the School Education Program at Grattan College, said:
"but parents should remember that the biggest impact on the effectiveness of children`s schools is likely to be individual schools, not public schools or private schools."
That`s how Australian moms choose school.
Like many parents, Barbara Bricknell went to campus open day when he chose high school for his daughter Grace. After visiting a local high school and a nearby private school, she didn`t feel right for her daughter.
They then went to an open night in Kirrawee High School and talked to senior students there.
"then my daughter told me that she felt like home at the time."
"I`ve never been to the website to check my grades. But her daughter felt very comfortable when she went to school there. "
It doesn`t look so perfect, and it takes an hour to take a one-way bus, but two years later it turned out to be a very good choice.
Her second daughter will also start high school next year, but this time she will not have any more anxiety. Because daughter Lily decided to go to a nearby school, Menai High School, and take marine biology courses.
"they began their studies in eighth grade, and they also studied snorkeling and were able to obtain a license."
"my daughter loves sharks and stingrays, and when I took her to school to sample biology classes-# 39; she said that was where I wanted to go."
Reputation can mislead parents
School reputation is a popular school selection standard. According to the Australian Board of parents, about 50% of parents include it in school selection.
Chris Bonnor, one of the authors of a good school, says it is easy to misjudge reputation because of inaccurate or outdated information.
"it is possible that the school will change considerably in a few years."
Even counseling parents with children attending school is not a reliable source of information. They rationalize decisions that have been or have not been made. "
The reputation of a public high school in the middle class of Sydney has damaged the reputation of a public high school in the middle class of Sydney since the knife-wielding incident in the late 1990s, leading to the flow of many potential students to private schools.
However, in improving education, the public school has set one of the best records in the region.
The APC survey found that more than 1/3 of parents were also affected by school facilities. Many people like private schools with modern buildings and greener environments, and public schools are often dilapidated, air-conditioned buildings.
However, 木拉提 Dizdar, deputy secretary of education for New York, said the quality of children`s education was affected not by buildings, but by school teachers.
"I will ask these teachers what their learning experience is and what are the professional platforms for their development? What`s their focus? This makes it easier for parents to feel that school leaders are confident about their level of staff. "
The result of college entrance examination is the most unreliable factor in choosing school.
About 1/4 of parents would consider academic achievement, but that would also be a problem. The results of the college entrance examination are the least reliable, as they often reflect the social educational advantages of the student community.
Achievement is only a measure of achievement, not a standard by which schools improve their teaching performance. For a non-elite school like Reddam House, which used to be one of the top 10, the achievement this time will attract more wealthy families to send their children to the school for education.
The fact that several schools usually perform better than their counterparts in the college entrance examination is encouraging, but it is difficult to get accurate information.
In the past five years, the schools with the fastest improvement in teaching performance have been significantly different from those on the only achievement-based honors list in the top 100 of the HSC college entrance exams.
According to Herald`s classification of the results, the schools that have made great progress include the St Clare's College Waverley,Northern Beaches Secondary College Balgowlah boys` school district and the Al Faisal College.
For parents who focus on academic achievement, the improvement in NAPLAN scores for grades 7 to 9 may be more likely to depend on the spectrum, Dr. Goss said.
What are the important factors that affect school selection?
Experts teach parents not to consider college entrance examination results, but to ask about the relationship between the school and the wider world. Matraville Sports High School, for example, has a strong partnership with the nearby University of New South Wales.
Mr. Dizdar suggested that:
"how do schools relate to higher education institutions, through whom, and whether they can provide students with opportunities for growth and learning outside of campus."
Another number more useful to parents is attendance, which reflects student participation. A better way to do this is to look at the faces of the students at school.
"do they seem to be pretending to do what others tell them to do? Or are they actively involved in their studies? "
Parents may take into account the impact of their perception of the headmaster, but "it could be a trap," says Mr Bonnor.
"how strong can the headmaster`s charisma be in school? Does it have basic learning and good teaching support? "
He advised his parents to ask the school leader what they thought of the school. "did they reflect high expectations?" "does it reflect a concern for the growth of the child as a whole?" "are there any opportunities or extracurricular activities to develop students` self-confidence and ability to express themselves?"
Religion is a driving factor in the choice of schools among parents in non-public schools, which affects about 50% of parents.
Some people want their schools to take religion seriously; others do not. A religious school in the Nexi district, for example, has been welcomed by non-religious parents because the government calls it the Light of God.
Social factors, such as mobile phone policies, have also begun to affect parents` choices. Some schools, such as Wenona School, think students` self-control when using their phones is too poor to be taught; Newington College does not think it is necessary to ban students from using mobile phones.
Some parents also consider the size of the school, but the study found that "there is no significant difference in learning rates."
"some small schools are great, and some big ones are great," Dr. Goss said. "in fact, some schools are struggling, regardless of their size."
Experts agree that the most important factor to consider when choosing a school is the learning method. How does the school ensure that all children are involved? How do you make sure that every student improves? How do you get your parents involved?
You can ask, when will they communicate with their parents? Can you often talk to parents about their children`s learning?
Choosing a school is really hard, Dr. Goss said. "about 5% of schools seem to add value to what they deserve, but some schools seem to have a hard time having a positive culture of learning, which can hurt students there."
"some schools are creating a positive culture of learning and doing very well in terms of system performance. This is not the level of socio-economic advantages can determine. There are real differences between schools, but it seems that only a very small number often underperform. "
"NAPLAN may give some hints, and you can get some instructions from the school culture, whether or not the students are involved, whether the school is following its own goals."
"but as parents, choosing a school will never be that easy!"
