The Best Gift You Can Give Your Rising 9th Grader

It seems like everyday I meet a new parent who is exploring his/her school options and wants a little guidance along the way. Some are anxious, panicked by all of the playground chatter. Others just want to get a head start so they won’t be so stressed when it’s actually their turn. Most of the time, these are parents to toddlers or wee ones who will be entering Kindergarten in the fall. While I love working with entering elementary parents, I can’t help but wonder:

Where are my entering high school parents?

I can’t think of a more meaningful opportunity to coach your child through the decision-making process than in that of choosing a high school.  By 8th grade, our kids have begun to shed their “child” skin and have had enough life experiences (no, seriously) to be reflective. With a little coaching, they can figure out who they are, what they are and aren’t good at, what kind of people they want to be, and at the very least which subjects and teaching styles capture their interest. Having them reflect on their developmentally intense middle school years to identify what they think they need from a high school is a magnificent exercise in being self-aware and using that knowledge to drive one’s decision-making. 

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For many, this is the first opportunity kids have to make a semi-high stakes decision. In the same way that we walk beside and hold the back of our kids’ bikes when they are learning to ride, so too should we stand beside them as they learn how to make important decisions. Engaging 8th graders in the school selection process is the training wheel version of what they will have to do with the higher stakes decision of choosing a college.

One of the most important things we can teach our children is to be self-aware and self-advocating, and they can’t become those two things without our teaching them how to assess where they are (their strengths and areas for development), decide where they want to be, articulate what they think it will take to get there, and ultimately act on their findings. Not only are these the most essential steps in finding a school, they also happen to be critical to setting personal goals and making strategic decisions–a skill set that will last them a life time.   

For other skills worth teaching your rising 9th grader, download our Laying the Foundations: 6 Essential Skills for Success. 

What the Change in HISD’s Magnet Application Means for You

Last week, Houston ISD’s Board voted to make an adjustment to the magnet application process.  In the past, parents who were exploring magnet options need only know the names of the schools to which they were applying. They’d complete the application online and select up to 10 schools for which they would like their application to be considered–a process similar to the Common Application many high schoolers use when applying to college. In March, families would find out where their children got in and where they were waitlisted. Then the real work–the work of choosing which school would be best–would start. And by April, parents decisions had to be made.

That’s different now.

The change in HISD’s process requires you choose at the front end of the process rather than at the end.  When you complete their online application, you'll be required to rank your choices, so that when the actual lottery is conducted in January/February, admission in your highest ranked school forfeits consideration for anything ranked lower. Here’s a visual:

Ultimately, that means parents who are exploring their options must do the work of really understanding their options on the front end. The work of surveying other parents, posting questions in Facebook groups and looking at school data and visiting schools should be happening now, so that when it’s time to apply, you’ll have a prioritized list that resembles a high schooler’s college list.

Just as seniors bucket their school choices, parents should do the same, grouping their choices into 3 categories: dream school, sweet spot schools and safety schools. Approaching the process this way works well for anyone engaging in school selection this season, whether you are considering public or private, elementary or college.

So before you gear up to take advantage of the Magnet Thursdays (HISD did away with Magnet Week to give parents more opportunities to visit schools), decide what would make a school a dream school for your son/daughter. What characteristics would make a school fall into the sweet spot category? Doing this early will help you articulate what you are looking for and will help you focus on what matters most during your tour. Think of school selection like shopping at Target: if you go in not knowing what you want, you’ll spend time you don’t have looking at things you don’t need, and you’ll likely walk out without the essential you went in for. But if you walk in with a list in hand, you’re more likely to get exactly what you want without the loss of time and money (read: application fees). And if you focus on what’s essential to you, you make it possible for others to come in and get what they need because it’s not an extra in your basket. The change forces parents make more informed decisions on the front end which incidentally make it possible for more families to get into their school of choice.

HISD got it right here. Go forth and #choosewisely

For guidance on what else you should be looking for, tips on how to mine the data to see which schools are likely to be a good fit, for clarity on the public and private school admissions process, contact me to see how Crumbine Ed can support you through the process. 

Exceeding the Academic Bar: 29 HISD Schools Earn the Highest Marks

Parents always ask me which Houston schools are the best. And while I never answer that question because the best education is the one that fits each individual child, I do encourage them to use performance data as ONE factor when considering schools. (If you want to know the other factors, you'll have to come to a Navigating Houston Schools workshop).

Today, I come bearing gifts! Parents who are served by Houston ISD and will be considering schools for the 2016-17 school year will be happy to know that 29 of the district's schools received the highest commendation issued by the Texas Education Agency.  In terms of standards, the acceptable baseline is that a school "met standard".  All schools that meet the standard are eligible to earn five additional distinctions. Think of these distinctions like the stars we used to get in elementary school: the green star, which represents the schools that "met standard" are okay, but everybody knows that the best star is the gold one, which in this case represents the schools with the best academic results.  Most of the parents I've worked with want gold star schools as well as additional noteworthy details (which I aptly call ANDs).

The five distinctions each of the 29 schools earned in addition to having met the baseline standard are below:

HISD's Gold Star Schools:

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17 elementary schools: Bush, Carrillo, Condit, DeChaumes, De Zavala, Horn,Lovett, Lyons, Oak Forest, Park Place, Pleasantville, River Oaks, Roberts, Roosevelt, Travis, West University, and E. White. 

6 middle schools:  Lanier, Pin Oak, and Project Chrysalis middle schools, T.H. Rogers School, Wharton K–8 Dual Language Academy. Baylor College of Medicine Academy was also honored, with a distinction in math instead of science.

6 high schools: DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Eastwood Academy, High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Bellaire, Carnegie Vanguard, and Challenge Early College high schools.

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This might be a great place to begin your school selection search. Remember: performance data is only one sliver of what you should keep in mind when finding the best school for your son or daughter. Great, well-rounded kids do more than score well on standardized exams.

For help navigating public, private, charter and boarding schools to find the best fit for your child, contact me at aisha@crumbineed.com or join me for a workshop. 

Relocating Families' Biggest Fear and What Companies Can Do to Help

“An excellent article for HR professionals and recruiters who hire nationally. While many of us are used to partnering with real estate professionals to address the physical aspects of relocation, many C-suite families are as - or far more concerned - about finding the right school than they are about finding the right house.”

— Marie-Pierre Stein, Director Human Resources, The Kinkaid School

Last year, one of Houston's Fortune 500 companies lost its top executive candidate because his wife was unable to gain the knowledge she needed to navigate Houston’s elite educational landscape. Without guidance and help in managing this vital issue for her family, she could not be swayed to relocate to Houston, even with the lure of a C-suite position for her husband. When I sat with the Chief Human Resources Officer to unpack what happened, I told him the only way he could prevent this from happening again would be to ensure that the next family felt they were as knowledgeable about the options for their children’s education as they were about their new company. 

Erica Mellon’s article in The Chronicle (Aug. 9), “Enrollment Caps at Popular Schools Cause Uncertainty for Some Parents”, highlighted the anxiety parents experience as they try to navigate Houston schools to find the best fit for their children.  With limited supply in both public and private schools, many of Houston’s professional newcomers with the means and desire to be selective about their children’s education, find themselves in a panic, not sure how, where or when to start engaging in the school selection process. 

Businesses hiring or relocating executives with children have an enormous opportunity that borders on responsibility to provide support in navigating Houston schools. Local families have Facebook groups, friends and other sources that can provide some sense of direction. Prospects who live and work in Chicago, New York, or Seattle have nothing but the vast internet. Proactively offering a guide to Houston schools–with personalized consulting to find the school that will best suit the child’s needs and talents–will surely buy the company goodwill (read: spousal support), speak volumes about the company’s culture, and most importantly, it will enable new employees to focus on the work rather than worrying about whether their child’s education will suffer as a result of a relocation to Houston.

With school admissions season starting this month, businesses should be thinking ahead and making arrangements to offer educational advising for their newly relocated and tenured employees alike. Providing knowledge, support, and security to employees positively affects the bottom line. 

Aisha Crumbine is a Houston native with over 15 years of experience and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Columbia University. She’s worked as a teacher and administrator in the city’s public, private and charter schools and now runs Crumbine Education Consulting which provides strategic guidance and expertise for families and companies that want to meet its employees’ desire to give their children the competitive edge in education. For more information about how you or your company can help its employees make strategic decisions about their children’s education, contact Aisha at aisha@crumbineed.com.

Crumbine Ed Visits John Daugherty Realtors

Cheri Fama (JDR President/COO), Aisha Crumbine and John Daugherty (JDR Chairman/CEO and Founder)

Finding a home in Houston and finding a school often go hand in hand for families moving to the area. So last week, I visited with John Daugherty Realtors, one of Houston's premier luxury real estate agencies to discuss three tips that could be shared with their clients.

1. Start early: Start looking at least a full year before you'll want to apply.

2. Focus on what matters the most--the most: It's easy to get side-tracked by where your friends are looking or where you went to school. What matters most is finding a school that fits your child. Period.

3. Commit to the process: This is hard work. Make a plan and see it through.  You'll be glad you did.

Yesterday, they blogged about my visit, and shared our video with their clients, friends and families. Here's the link to their blog: John Daugherty Realtors Blog.

If you are interested in a luxury property in Houston and want excellence in a realtor, contact John Daugherty. They are fine, fine people. Be sure to tell them I sent you!

Making Sense of CHILDREN AT RISK's Elementary Rankings

Me with Dr. Bob Sanborn, President and CEO of CHILDREN AT RISK.

The ever anticipated CHILDREN AT RISK rankings of Houston Area schools was released last week, and many of the public schools are either over the moon about their rankings and posting links to the front page of their websites, or they are ignoring the rankings altogether. Whatever the case, the rankings, conducted by the local non-profit are a great starter resource for parents who want to know how their current or future public school stacks up. I highlight “starter” because a school’s ability to serve your child best depends on much, much more than a test, which is the primary basis of these rankings. Even CHILDREN AT RISK indicates their calculations don’t take into consideration some of the most significant factors in a child’s success in school. 

“There are numerous factors that affect the success of children and schools. Research shows some of the biggest factors for student success are parental involvement, social and emotional development, participation in extracurricular activities, teacher and parent expectations of students, and engaging class work that stimulates critical thinking.”

— 2014 Texas Public School Rankings Methodology, CHILDREN AT RISK

That said, parents want to know that at the very least their children’s academic needs will be met.  This list of Houston’s “A” schools should be treated like base camp—the place you go to pitch your tent and prepare for the real work of finding a school.

Here are a couple of interesting ways to process this statistical madness (I am English teacher at my core and am exceedingly grateful for those short, intense years in math and science programs.):

If all of these numbers stress you out, and you really just want to know which schools have the most kids who are meeting or exceeding the academic standard, see columns N and O.  The nitty gritty about what percentage of kids at each of these schools rocked the state exams in math and reading can be found there.

“Raw academic measurements, such as those in the Student Achievement Index, have a bias toward campuses with a low percentage of economically disadvantaged students.”

— ibid.

If diversity is important to you, scroll over to columns I through L.  It’s interesting to note that 41% of the population at Roberts Elementary considers itself something other than Black, White or Hispanic.  Imagine the richness of culture possible on that campus!
 

Those of you are looking for a small school experience, might find it interesting to note that the second ranked school is also the largest in terms of enrollment.  While size is one of the things parents equate with individualized attention at a school, the reality is great teachers are great regardless of class size. So while West University’s size may be off-putting, there has to be something working over there for the kids to be performing second only to T.H. Rogers.  And that’s without a Pre-K!

For now, I’ll give you a moment to digest the elementary information. Things get much dicier when we start talking about my favorite--the middle children.

Need help navigating the madness? Click here to see what Crumbine Ed offers the parent(s) of school-aged children looking to make their most important choice.

For CHILDREN AT RISK'S full list of Houston Area schools, click here.