Tour
Questionnaire
_________________________________________________ _________________________ _________________________________
(Name
of school)
(Date
of/Tour) (Name
of Guide)
What
is the school size?
Is
there a written philosophy?
Does
the school espouse a unified or a more eclectic philosophy?
How
is the tone and atmosphere of the school set, and what is it?
What is the balance between direct instruction and
more self-directed work? Independent and cooperative work? Do you find the
content of the work in the classrooms interesting? Worthwhile?
II. How
is the school day organized?
What
are posted class schedules?
How
long are free-play and work periods?
What
strategies are employed to allow children to develop extended projects?
III. Physical
Setup of Classrooms
What materials and furnishings do the classrooms
have in them? (For example, books, animals, plants, gadgets, open-ended
supplies such as clay, paint, and closed-ended supplies such as toys and games.)
Ask about what you don’t see but think should be there.
What
does the work on the walls look like?
What
are spatial/seating arrangements? How are the children using the space?
Is
there a quiet place? A cozy place? Different textures?
How do children and teachers appear to be handling
transitions from one activity to another?
How
have classroom rules been arrived at? Are they posted?
V. Homework
In
which grade do children begin doing homework, and how often do they have it?
What are the school’s stated goals for homework?
(Some examples might be cultivating work ethic, getting accustomed to homework,
strengthening home-school connection, fostering student autonomy, enriching the
study of a particular subject, or mastering a specific skill.)
Are the guidelines for homework assignments (how
much, nature of the assignments, what subjects) established by the school or
the program within the school. That is, are teachers accountable to
administrators for homework policies, or can they assign work as they see fit?
What are some common examples of assignments:
particularly interesting and useful ones, vs. inappropriate or boring ones, in
various grades? If your guides are parents, they are likely to have strong
opinions and feelings about homework. It tends to be a highly charged subject
for families.
Which, if
any, of the following are in place: art, music, dance, movement, gym, sports,
woodworking/other shop, gardening, chess, computers, foreign language
(including dual language programs), math club, chorus, conflict mediation. etc?
How often do children have these? Are the teachers
on-staff or hired from outside? Do these classes meet during regular hours,
after school, or both?
What are the goals of these programs? For example,
what are computers being used for? Are music, movement and art integrated into
the regular curriculum, or are they separate?
Where?
Is lunch in cafeteria or in classroom? Is recess in yard, playground, or park?
When? In most large schools, lunch periods are
staggered; how early/late do children eat in different grades?
Who supervises lunch & recess? What is the
adult/child ratio? What is the activity level? Noise level?
Try to stop by school
at lunchtime to scope this out informally on your own. Tours are not likely to
include a visit to the cafeteria during prime time.
Similarly,
you can watch most yards from outside, unannounced.
Has the
school made any special arrangements for staff with expertise in recreation
(either hired from outside, or trained on the job) to supervise recess?
What do
children do when the weather is lousy? For example, are there clubs (chess,
etc.) or can children use the library freely if they prefer to be with a
smaller group of children?
PTA-run
enrichment programs?
Staff-run
enrichment programs?
Daily,
afterschool care programs (e.g., the Virtual Y or A.C.T, which is a large
program run out of St. John the Divine, at a wide variety of schools, or LEAP).
Drop-off
and pick-up policies?
How active
are parents in the school, and what do they do? Possibilities range from
fundraising, to volunteering in classrooms, the library, for construction
projects, gardening, tutoring, chess, or other special subjects. How much did the PTA raise in the previous
year? This money can be a buffer
against district-wide or system-wide budget cuts.
Go to a PTA
meeting, if possible. This gives some idea of how things get done at a school,
and what the culture of the school is—e.g., democratic vs. authoritarian,
divisive vs. cohesive?
How
does the principal support children, teachers and parents?
If it is a
public school, who in the administration advocates within the Board of
Education or the District for the school, and how?
How are
academic and non-academic policy decisions made within the school? How
susceptible are policies to parent &/or teacher influence?
Is
school-based management in effect? If so, this gives the school a greater
degree of autonomy in hiring teachers and designing curriculum as well as other
matters of school policy. In theory, it also gives parents a greater voice in
all of the above.
How
many adults are in different classrooms?
How
are mandated staff development days used? What do teachers say about these?
What
kinds of collegial activities do teachers participate in (all-grade meetings,
etc.)?
In
what ways are they supported?
Are
there special programs and staff?
Is
there a guidance counselor (public school lingo) or psychologist (independent
school lingo) on staff.
What
is the prevailing mood you see among children & adults?
What
is the atmosphere in the hallways? In
the classrooms?
How are children assessed (e.g., report cards, narrative reports, individual conferences, family conferences, etc.)?