Erin Roth faced a tough choice in 2015. She needed to select a school for one of her two daughters. And in Washington, D.C., where she lives, she faced a dizzying array of traditional and charter schools from which to choose.
It’s a familiar problem for parents in areas with a lot of school choice: charter, magnet, traditional, progressive, project-based, Montessori, STEM, STEAM, immersion … the list goes on.
So in her search for a public school, Roth did what parents seeking to get into the best private schools have done for years: She hired a consultant.
It’s a relatively new job title in the public school realm. But there are now — in a growing number of cities and districts as school choice has expanded nationwide — people who’ve made it their business, literally, to help parents find the right fit. They offer a range of services at a wide range of prices, but basically they’re offering to coach confused and overwhelmed parents through the options.
Hiring a consultant can be a boon to parents like Roth who want what’s best for their kids, but some critics of school choice worry that consultants could deepen the disadvantages and inequities that low-income families already face. To read more from Heidi Glenn, click here.