During any given school year, a parent will be completely fine with the elementary school their child (or children) is going to. There’s always a small group of parents, however, that aren’t happy with their child’s current elementary school. Sometimes, it’s a matter of accessibility and convenience that makes parents leave their child in his or her current educational institution. Plenty of signs can point toward the need for a student to transfer schools though. No parent should ignore some of the most obvious signs that a student should transfer schools. Therefore, here are six reasons that you should transfer your child from one elementary school to another.
Your child’s school offers a very poor education.
Not all schools offer a quality education. In fact, some dole out a downright pitiful and empty education. If your child has to attend an institution like this, then you should get them out of there as soon as possible. Letting your child suffer through a sub-par education is a huge parenting mistake. On that note, there are plenty of ways to determine whether or not a school is offering a poor academic schedule. For instance, state testing score results are available through various sources, and you can simply take a look at the kind of work your child is doing. It isn’t too difficult to see when a school is giving students material that doesn’t seem as challenging as it should be. As a parent, you should want to see your child go through challenging coursework throughout their elementary schooling. A school that offers a poor education for its students is a major reason to transfer your child from one school to a better one.
Your child is having insurmountable problems at school.
Aside from educational issues, your child could be having other problems at school that would merit a transfer. This situation usually revolves around your son or daughter having an issue with one or more students at the school. However, other situations that do occur occasionally involve a problem with a teacher or a staff member. No matter what, you should transfer your child to another school if they are having problems that are hindering their ability to succeed in school. You can be almost certain that your child will perform better at a different school where they aren’t dealing with some issue. Also, a change in scenery (students, teachers, and the school itself) can help your son or daughter out greatly when they are having issues at their current school. Definitely consider an elementary school transfer in this case.
The school’s teachers constantly underperform.
Don’t leave your child in a school where the teachers regularly underperform in comparison to the teachers at other elementary schools. For reference, you can look to state standardized testing scores for each year in a given grade level to gauge how effective a teacher (or group of teachers) is. Also, you could check with your child or other parents to get their opinions on a teacher or multiple teachers. You should use your interactions with teachers to measure their teaching abilities. Usually, it isn’t too difficult to see when a teacher either doesn’t know what they’re doing or just doesn’t teach as well as other teachers. Teachers that can’t do their job well will only work to hamper your child’s abilities in school. Don’t let that happen; do something about it. Under these circumstances, you should do more than just sit around – you should transfer your child as soon as possible.
Student-to-teacher ratios are insane.
Obviously, a single teacher can only handle so many students in a single class. A good rule of thumb for elementary schooling is that the student-to-teacher ratio should be 20 to 1 at the max. Nowadays, that ratio is almost always exceeded, but a good elementary school will get pretty close to those ratios. Your son or daughter deserves the best education they can get, so you should do your best to get them into a school that has an effective student-to-teacher ratio. No teacher can be effective at their job when there are too many kids in the class to handle. On top of that, you don’t want your child to miss out on valuable hours when they can be getting a great education as opposed to a poor on. Therefore, you should always have a transfer in the back of your mind if your elementary school student is going to a school that almost always has packed classrooms from year-to-year.
The school is financially doomed.
These days, many schools are facing a shutdown because money is tight in almost every school district. Many schools that are in extreme financial destitution won’t be able to crawl out of that hole. You should always be aware of how your child’s elementary school is doing financially. No matter how many financial issues exist, your student is going to be affected in their education and experience. For starters, financial problems affect everything from basic school supplies to textbooks to the school’s overall quality. Don’t let your child suffer through an education in a school that can’t provide them with a solid foundation for the future. Also, you should transfer your student right away if the elementary school is in major danger of shutting down due to budget problems. Either way, you should consider a transfer if the school’s financial issues are affecting your child’s education or if you think the school is in any danger of closing down for good.
Consider some miscellaneous reasons.
There are plenty of other reasons that could warrant an elementary school transfer for your son or daughter. A school with an incompetent administration is no place for students that want to learn. On top of that, you don’t want your child going to a school that is in an unsafe area or if dangerous students happen to attend the school, which can happen sometimes. Don’t let your child attend a school that is ranked among the lowest in the area according to state standardized testing scores. Obviously, you should transfer your student if the two of you just dislike the school tremendously. In the end, you should do whatever is in the best interest of your student and his or her future. That’s all that really matters.
The Other Stuff
* If you are considering a transfer to another school for your child, then use www.greatschools.org/ to find a better school.
* Transfers are more likely to be available before the start of a school year as opposed to the middle of a school year.
* Don’t just transfer your child from school to school if you find small faults with each school. That’s going to do nothing for your child but cause them issues.
