Question on Private K-12 in Atlanta (Decatur, Druid Hills: attorney, transfer, neighborhoods)

[CMMom]

Gotta beg to differ a bit re: attorneys. Civil defense litigators in the fields of med mal and worker's comp or those who represent corporations often lean right. There are lots of attorney's kids at all the privates I know; I don't think there's a secret enclave anywhere.

[LovelySummer]

CMM, you are entitled to your opinion. I will leave you with your obvious expertise in law and politics so as to not get distracted from the point of the initial posting. I am only an attorney who has been working in the field for a number of years with other attorneys, going to conventions full of attorneys, etc.

Originally Posted by CMMom

Gotta beg to differ a bit re: attorneys. Civil defense litigators in the fields of med mal and worker's comp or those who represent corporations often lean right. There are lots of attorney's kids at all the privates I know; I don't think there's a secret enclave anywhere.

[lastminutemom]

While some at Westminster may be socially liberal or at least moderate, I have found that almost all the friends and people I know there are really conservative fiscally and otherwise.

Most attorneys I know have their children in public school. On my street alone there are three and all have children who are in or who have graduated from public school. A lot depends on where they live. There are lots of attorneys in East Cobb and N. Fulton and their kids are all in public school. Same with the Buckhead elementary schools whose fundraising efforts are impressive even as compared to many private elementary schools.

Woodward feels more liberal because it is more diverse and it attracts a more diverse type of family. Families who don't want religious instruction generally tend to be more liberal and you will not find those families at Lovett and Westminster, etc but they are interested in Woodward, Galloway etc.

[CMMom]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

CMM, you are entitled to your opinion. I will leave you with your obvious expertise in law and politics so as to not get distracted from the point of the initial posting. I am only an attorney who has been working in the field for a number of years with other attorneys, going to conventions full of attorneys, etc.

Hey, look, no need for snark. My husband is an attorney, so it's not just my "opinion." He knows many other attorneys in his field and many are conservative/right-leaning. But, really, that's neither here nor there. I've been giving you the best advice I have on this thread and your attitude here is rather vitriolic toward someone who is attempting to meet your parameters. I'm merely pointing out that it's not as black and white as "where liberal attorneys send their kids." I would be very surprised to learn that any private attracts only liberal-leaning parents.

Just trying to help, but it sounds like you're good.

[AtlJan]

A good way to gauge your comfort level is to attend lectures, plays and sporting events at the schools you have in mind. Even the opening remarks of the headmaster at the prospective parents' tour will tell you a ton. You are wise to start your research now.

I know more conservatives than liberals who have kids at Westminster but I do know some liberals--they picked it because they wanted direct instruction instead of the student-led/more creative approaches at Galloway and Paideia. Same goes for Pace--some liberals choose it b/c it is not religious but has a more traditional teaching philosophy than Galloway or Paideia.

I live in south Buckhead--99% of the neighbor kids goes to private school--Pace, Lovett, Westminster, HIES. I have never seen a school bus or met a child in our neighborhood who goes to the public school, although someone must. Many neighbors are very, very conservative attorneys. If you ever meet one of them on the chairlift, I advise you not to quote Karl Marx.

I have also noticed more liberal families (at Pace & Westminster--could be true elsewhere) start in the later grades. The elementary school grades are more heavily conservative families; liberal families sprinkle in more heavily in 6th, 9th etc. Gross over-simplification, but a trend. I think it's because the K-12 tend to be the very wealthy, the legacies, the kids living in the immediate neighborhoods, families who don't want public school on principle, etc.

Go visit--you'll find the right vibe(s)...

[dblackga]

What would you consider a 'liberal' school vs. a 'conservative' school? Are you talking about a school that uses non-traditional teaching methods vs. classical education? Or are you concerned about the political leanings of the kindergarteners? Even though my kids went to a fairly strictly religious K-12 school, I would not have characterized the school as "conservative" -- most of the parents seemed to be varying degrees of liberal when it came to social issues, and conservative when it came to monetary policy, and my children certainly weren't getting fed a constant stream of political brainwashing of either flavor.

You might want to also consider a Montessori environment if you are looking for a truly liberal curriculum. Unfortunately, there are none nearby that are PK-12 (I know you said "anywhere", but did you REALLY mean Covington? :-) But several good ones go through 8th grade (Arbor Montessori, Atlanta International Montessori, Springmont (formerly First Montessori)); at that point, you would be able to evaluate strengths, weaknesses and talents and perhaps choose a high school that would match up to their interests/inclinations.

Other schools to look at might include the Walker School, the Waldorf School, Atlanta International School (although academic strength reports vary somewhat, even with the IB program), and, depending on the sex of your child, the Atlanta Girls School, which doesn't start until 6th grade.)

I found the Galloway School to be somewhat ingenuous when it came to their so-called "evaluations". During an open-house visit, and later, during an interview, one administrator kept hammering the point that they did not use "tests" -- they used "evaluations" after each module to determine if a student was ready to take on the next level. My husband was confused -- "Wait, you mean, you DO test them, but individually." "No, we evaluate them." "But what happens if they fail the evaluation?" "They cannot fail; they simply do not meet standards." "So . . . you give 'em a test, and if they pass it, they move on." "No, we evaluate them, and if they have not grasped the material sufficiently, we reinforce the learning." "Isn't that the same thing?" "No." "Why not?" "I don't think Galloway is going to be a good fit for your family, sir." "I think you're right." It was hilarious, how fast they danced around the "no tests" concept. And yet, I know families that love it. That's why there's so many different flavors of schools -- there's one out there, somewhere.

Watch your child, figure out his learning style, see how he best learns, and THEN choose a school for him that lines up with your family's values.

[arjay57]

I don't think conservative parents necessarily want to send their kids to conservative-leaning schools. Some of them simply want to make sure their kids get a quality education, and they are okay with their kids coming down wherever they may be on the political spectrum. Mom and dad might be staunch Republicans but many recognize that young folks explore other politics, especially when they are in college.

[1Mom2Boys]

Based on the original 4 criteria - I'd vote for Woodward (it really hits all four).

Academically I don't think it's as competitive as Westminster, but it has more diversity than the Buckhead schools - probably making it more likely to lean to the left in terms of parental politics (although I'm still trying to figure out how much that really matters to the education your child receives). I agree with previous posters who have encouraged you to visit each school. Open houses and tours were invaluable to me when it came to observing each school's culture, hearing about their core principles and seeing how those principles are implemented through their curriculum. You'll not only learn about the school from its administrators and faculty, you'll learn about it from the classrooms, from the questions other prospective parents ask, from the parents of existing students who have been asked to participate and, quite frankly, from so many little things - like school bulletins posted on the wall. And go with an open mind. You may find that you care more for their creative thinking labs than you do for any political leanings that may be attributed to the school.

BTW, I'm not sure that you can participate in open houses or tours unless you've applied and you can't apply until your child is old enough to qualify for admission the following year. If you plan to attend one while your child still has years to go, check with the school.

[1Mom2Boys]

The following link takes you to the NCES Web site where you can find information (including enrollment by race) about private schools. For whatever reason, I couldn't find a listing on Woodward. I found most of the other private schools mentioned in this thread.

Search for Private Schools

[deacongirl]

All of the students I know who attended Westminster (several are sending their own kids there now) come from very conservative families, and are conservative themselves now. And anecdotally, I am also surprised to hear lawyers described in general as left-leaning. That has been the opposite of my experience, particularly among the population of lawyers who can afford >20k/child in private school.