The One Clue of a School or College that is a Poor or a Good Choice

Last updated on: June 27, 2016 at 11:01 am by John Mark N. Reynolds

The One Clue of a School or College that is a Poor or a Good Choice 2016-06-27T11:01:30-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

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team Constantine_opt Picking a private school for your child or college for yourself is made difficult by marketing. Every Christian school looks good in the brochure and every Christian college shows you the best side of the program when you visit.

How can you know if the school is right for you? One bad reason people pick for choosing a school is that it was good. Sadly, your grandfather’s teachers will not be teaching you. A school that had a strong mission in 1981 when your mom graduated might have changed with the times . . . in the sense of rotting from the top down. How can you tell?

There is one (nearly) certain clue for parents or students looking for a quality academic program in high school or college. How long have teachers worked in education or at the particular school? What is the turnover rate in faculty and senior administration?

If you are picking a college, look for leadership in the major. Is it senior? If not, find out how long the Dean or Department Chair has been at the school. If he or she has been there a short time and is not a “star,” then you may be heading to a problem department even if the school is well run. If you are a parent, meet your child’s teacher. Is he or she experienced? It can be a very good thing to get a new teacher (all that idealism and energy!), but if the teacher is new, check out the experience of his or her supervisor. Is the teacher going to get the support they need?

A well run school will have stability and a badly run school will have high turnover. In a school older than ten years, look for “middle career” people. A school with poor leadership will often have many “near retirees” who at this point cannot afford to leave and many newbies (of any age) that do not yet know the problems. Find out how many have been at the school for more than five years, but less than ten. That is a key sign of health. A school that is being run well now will keep new teachers and turn them into career teachers. A badly run school will see the best heading for the exits. 20160602_194248264_iOS_opt

Ask what the role is for retired or emeritus faculty. Are they just asked for money occasionally or is their wisdom sought? If the school was very good, why wouldn’t it take advantage of accumulated wisdom? Is leadership getting wisdom outside of the school? If not, they may be too much in a self-congratulatory bubble. In our start up, we were blessed to get the advice of Ms. Beth Speck, an experienced administrator from outside our bubble.

Most critically, look at the senior administration: how long has it been in place and worked together. Turmoil in the top ranks will filter down to you and is a sign of instability in the very top. Find the number two person in the school or college (often the provost/VP for Academics in a college and the associate headmaster/principal in a high school). How long have they been in place? How many “number two people” has the leader had over the course of the administration? High turnover is almost a sure sign of trouble.

When we formed The Saint Constantine School, we put together a leadership team that had worked together for years. The school is new, but the team is not. This is a sign of health. If a brand new school can achieve this, an older school can as well.

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