3 ms·

I moved from the Bay Area (lived there 2 years) to Seattle (well, Bellevue) a few years ago. I had two elementary schoolers and a toddler. The main reason was t

I moved from the Bay Area (lived there 2 years) to Seattle (well, Bellevue) a few years ago. I had two elementary schoolers and a toddler. The main reason was that although I was paid fairly well, we would never be able to buy a house. So every year was a race between my raise and rent increases. We lived in a pretty decent school district, but it was difficult to move with in the same district, let alone the same school. I was looking at my oldest entering middle school and I didn't want her to have to face the prospect of changing schools every 1-2 years. Our situation in California let us offer everything except stability. Younger kids are fine anywhere as long as their parents are involved, but older kids benefit from social stability so they have time and space to define who they are.

bumby 6y ago
I know it's natural to want to optimize for your child's school, but doesn't most evidence show that your child's school is only marginally predictive of attainment? The fact that you care so much to optimize for them might be self-selecting because your concerned/aware/have the resources to help in other ways.
- pchristensen 6y ago
  It also determines who your children's peers will be. Selecting into a highly rated school district means all the other kids' parents did the same.
  - bumby 6y ago
    Not asking with snark, but does that matter if said school demonstrates very little ability to to explain variance in attainment? I.e., if the school determines network and schools don’t contribute much to achievement, doesn’t it imply scholastic network effects have limited value? I sometimes wonder is we dedicate too much mindspace to the wrong area and rationalize our choices
    - pchristensen 6y ago
      Without worrying about the exact split, I have always looked for good teachers, functional district, and motivated, education-driven peers. I don't have enough kids to properly A/B test.

bumby 6y ago

I know it's natural to want to optimize for your child's school, but doesn't most evidence show that your child's school is only marginally predictive of attainment? The fact that you care so much to optimize for them might be self-selecting because your concerned/aware/have the resources to help in other ways.

pchristensen 6y ago
It also determines who your children's peers will be. Selecting into a highly rated school district means all the other kids' parents did the same.
- bumby 6y ago
  Not asking with snark, but does that matter if said school demonstrates very little ability to to explain variance in attainment? I.e., if the school determines network and schools don’t contribute much to achievement, doesn’t it imply scholastic network effects have limited value? I sometimes wonder is we dedicate too much mindspace to the wrong area and rationalize our choices
  - pchristensen 6y ago
    Without worrying about the exact split, I have always looked for good teachers, functional district, and motivated, education-driven peers. I don't have enough kids to properly A/B test.