more school topics-lottery system and magnet programs

michaels_girl

This was a little too much for the "why is your school bad" post, so here's my essay.

I had it so easy growing up in a small town.  There was one school, everyone went to it, the end.  I mean, my education was a little subpar in areas, but still easy peasy.

Now living in a large city, i have to deal with the immense clusterfluck that is our system for when kiddo starts kindergarten in 2013.  We have a cluster (how appropriately named) of 7-12 schools, plus magnet schools.  You can apply to one magnet program (no backups, no second choice), then list the other schools you would prefer in order of preference.  Send in your form, and cross your fingers.  The magnet program i really really really want (of the 3-4 available to me) is a lottery.  2 kids from each zip code are chosen at random.  so if I go with that, and we don't get picked out of the hat, then we are left with the sad choice of schools in our cluster.  All of the better schools in the cluster have been turned into magnet schools.  argh! 

Can you tell i've been stressing out about this since kiddo was two?  Does anyone else have a majorly what the hell is going on here type of system?

pennysuedog

We have magnet schools and you can open enroll to any school in the district.  The magnet schools in my district for elementary were actually poor performing schools that is why they made them magnet schools so they could re-structure them.(we go to the school closest to us)

We even have a school of environmental studies nicknamed the "zoo school" because it is located in the MN zoo. (Dh graduated there) It is just for Juniors and senors.

I have no experience with super bad schools I live in one of the top districts for our state. 

But to me...

School is only half of the education.  You have to be a partner with the school, and the teachers, and support your student. Do the reading, and home work, and what-not.  You can always make your school better by volunteering and attending PTA.  

 

ETA

Hey,  sorry for intruding  I thought I was posting on OCT 11.  I have been lurking here a little.

Kitiara5512

I haven't really thought about it much. The HEB school district isn't so bad from what I have heard but we haven't done much research. We are kind of stuck in this house for a long ass while, which I have bitched about before, so I refuse to stress myself out right now. As C gets closer to 3, we will evaluate the home schooling option, as well as charter schools, magnets, and Montessori.

Mama_SAS

I grew up in a small town with one school too, but ended up transferring out of town in 8th grade due to bullying. They didn?t do much about that in the early 90s, especially when the bullies were star athletes. 

I live in a good school district; I think it?s ranked #11 out of all the districts in 11 counties. The one thing it?s lacking is the one thing my son needs - an appropriate Special Ed program for him. He was put in a program in another district last year for kindergarten and I had to pull him mid-year because it was very much the wrong program for him. Now for 1st grade we?re trying again somewhere else. We?re hoping that he?ll be in-district by 2nd grade. 

There just isn?t a perfect answer.