Part 2 of the Davidson Institute series, “What to Consider When Choosing a New School for Gifted and 2e Students”
- Part 1: Myths About Different Schools
- Part 2: Figuring Out What To Look For In a School
- Part 3: How to Find New Schools for Gifted and 2e Students
- Part 4: Choosing a School and Preparing for the Transition
So, how do I figure out what we are looking for in a school?
Figuring out what your values are and what you and your student are looking for in their educational journey can feel like a big task, but it starts by reflecting on what really matters in the context of your child’s growth—not just academically, but as a whole person. It’s about thinking beyond what a school offers and considering the type of experience you want for your child on their path of learning and development.
You might want to ask yourself: What do I want my child to feel like on a daily basis? How do I want them to view learning and themselves in this process? Reflect on what your child’s current experiences: What makes them happy or frustrated? What do they look forward to, and where do they feel discouraged? These can be clues that will help you shape your values for their educational journey. As you identify these, try to be specific. For example, you probably want your child to be happy. But what does that look like concretely, on an everyday basis. Maybe happiness looks like your child coming home and telling you about something they learned that day that sparked their interest. It might also look like them feeling comfortable and confident expressing themselves in a classroom setting or them seeking out new challenges with excitement, not fear.
Your student’s wishes are at the center of this, and it’s important to consider how they feel about their educational journey, too. Think about what they might want or need to feel successful and happy along the way. Maybe they wish for more space to explore their interests, or they need reassurance that it’s okay to make mistakes. Perhaps they want more independence in how they learn, or they might want to feel part of a community where they are valued and respected for who they are. At the heart of it, your child likely wants to feel understood, encouraged, and safe as they navigate their educational path. Their journey isn’t just about reaching academic milestones but about developing a love for learning and feeling confident in who they are, both in and outside of the classroom.
This process isn’t set in stone. Your answers will change over time as your child grows and their needs evolve. At different points in their educational journey, what makes them feel fulfilled or challenged will shift, and it’s important to stay open to reassessing what success looks like. What might feel right for your child at one stage may not be the same at another, and that’s okay.
Start Here: To gain a deeper understanding of how your child learns and what type of environment best supports their growth, complete the “Imagining the Ideal School Environment activity.” This tool offers your gifted student an opportunity to articulate their own preferences and visions for their ideal learning space. By attentively listening to their ideas, you can uncover what aspects of their education are most meaningful to them.
While it’s unlikely that any school can, for example, offer recess all day, this exercise can reveal the key elements that hold the greatest significance for your child. These insights can guide you in selecting a school that prioritizes these values and offers a setting in which your student can excel. Whether your child values collaborative learning, independence, or creative expression, understanding their desires ensures that their needs will be met in ways that are both realistic and impactful.
This activity fosters an important and collaborative dialogue between you and your child. It not only helps you craft a more supportive and nurturing learning environment but also affirms your child’s voice in the process. By acknowledging and integrating their perspectives, you empower your child to feel a greater sense of ownership and agency in their educational journey.
Some factors that are meaningful to a child’s education are concrete and visible. You can look at curricular materials, school facilities, course and extracurricular offerings, and much more. However, there are other intangible factors that are not as visible. What should we be looking for beneath the surface?
It’s all about the people that surround your child at school. It’s not just who those people are, but the culture they build and maintain at that school.
Here a few things you might consider:
- Consider the cohort (peer-to-peer culture). Some families find that the cohort or group of peers a student joins is just as important as the school itself. Whether the school emphasizes group activities or individual work, the dynamics of the cohort can greatly affect your child’s willingness to engage. Some schools may also assign buddies or peer support based on shared interests, which can ease the transition and provide additional social comfort.
Try This: Consider asking for a trail or shadow day at the school and include an extracurricular in that trail or shadow. What are the students like outside of the classroom? How do they engage with one another when a teacher isn’t managing the minute-to-minute? How welcoming are they to a new student?
- Classroom dynamics matter (student-teacher culture). The student-teacher relationship, how students interact with different educators, and the classroom setup can all influence your child’s learning experience. For example, are the desks arranged to encourage group work and discussions, or are they more focused on independent work? Are teachers approachable and responsive to students’ individual needs?
Try This: With the trial or shadow day, you as a parent might also ask to observe a classroom other than the one that your child is in—perhaps a grade level up. You can then independently gather some information on how classrooms run at this school and compare that to your child’s experience. Is there some consistency? What is similar, and what’s different? Is this down to individual teachers or more of a school-wide dynamic?
- Leadership has an impact (teacher-admin culture and teacher-teacher culture). The saying goes, “People don’t quit jobs; they quit managers.” The same is true at schools. A fantastic teacher will only be able to do fantastic things if they are in an environment which values and supports that. While there are many clever teachers that know how to effectively circumvent things sometimes, that only can go so far. Similarly, even dynamic, visionary leaders are limited by the dynamics they inherit.
Try This: As you’re interviewing and speaking with a prospective school, take note: How do the leaders at the school speak about their teachers? Do they amp them up, praise their accomplishments, and have details about each of them? How do the teachers speak about one another? Do they have a strong culture of collaboration, or did they spill the tea? Do they have both teachers that they look up to and teachers that they are mentoring? How many new, experienced, and mid-career teachers are there? How concretely are teachers supported? How much planning time do they get and how often is that? What types of professional development opportunities do they have and how often? How and how often are they evaluated, and how do they incorporate that feedback? What is on a typical teacher’s workload beyond the classroom?
- Practical considerations aren’t to be underestimated. When we talk about school facilities, we often talk about learning materials (like lab supplies for science) and specialized equipment (like a swimming pool for the gym). But, we may overlook some things that have a real impact on the day-to-day experience of the school. Let’s just take one example: The lunchroom. How far is it from your student’s classroom (both before and after)? How long do they have to get there? When they arrive, how long does it take to get food, and do they have food options that appeal to your child and set them up for success later in the day? What types of seating are available? How crowded and loud is the room? How is the room lit, and how smelly is it? How long do you have to eat? What do you have to do to clean up, how long does that take, and does it really clean the area? In short, is your child going be able to eat good food (whatever that means for them) at a reasonable pace in a reasonably comfortable place? That’s just one part. We also have to think about their body’s experience the rest of the day: Do they get enough movement? Do they get enough rest? Is body going to be regulated sensory-wise or over/under-stimulated? We’re not saying that this is more important than other school considerations. We are saying though, that even if everything else is really great, if you are rushed/tired/sore, overstimulated, and hungry most days, you won’t be in a good position to take advantage of the other parts of the school experience.\
Try This: Don’t skip on observing lunchtime, recess or passing time, pickup/drop off, and any other sort of transition times, logistical navigation times, and the like. Remember, outside of the academics, you child will be spending 6½ -8 hours in this environment. Is it set up for success for them?
When considering a new school for your child, it can be difficult to truly understand what the daily experience will be like just by reading about the school or looking at a website. Many aspects of student life, from classroom interactions to day-to-day routines, are not always easy to capture in that type of research. Several factors play into how your child will feel and thrive at a school, and it’s important to take a holistic approach when evaluating options.
All of these factors, from academic to social to familial, contribute to shaping the overall experience a student has at school.
In Part 3, we will focus on how to find schools for gifted and 2e students.
Support From Families Who Understand
The Davidson Young Scholars Program is comprised of families of Gifted and 2e individuals who have also had to navigate the process of finding a new school eager to give advice and reflect on their experience.
Permission Statement
This article is provided as a service of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted young people 18 and under. To learn more about the Davidson Institute’s programs, please visit www.DavidsonGifted.org.
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