Category: Beyond The Brochure

Q & A With Sandy Eiges, Educational Consultant: Experience and Results When You Need It Most!

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1. Your company, LA School Scout, has a terrific reputation. Do you have an area of expertise that you specialize in?

Thanks so much! I think my reputation stems from the quality of what I offer my families, in terms of my in-depth knowledge of schools, preschool through 12th grade, public and private. I meet with the schools individually, I get to know them, I re-visit them over and over again, so that I can make a great match between schools and families.

And of course from the family’s perspective, my background in social work gives me an added advantage. I have the ability to elicit enough from a family interview, and the child observation or Kindergarten readiness assessment, to give me a real intuitive sense of what schools might work for a particular family – even if it’s not on their radar. So I suppose you can say that my real expertise is in being a very successful matchmaker!

2. The economy hasn’t recovered from the recession and this has impacted private elementary schools in various ways. What can parents who are applying for fall 2011 expect?

The economy hasn’t recovered from the recession, and yet people are still applying to private schools – this hasn’t changed, and this won’t change for fall 2011 applicants. While public schools, including charters and magnets, are accepting higher numbers of applicants and increasing their class size, private schools are still very committed to small class size.

What we are seeing, however, are more open spots in the higher grades, from 4th grade and up. I get quite a few families who are relocating to L.A., and I’ve got to say, I’ve had no problem placing those families in great schools this past year, even if they were mid-year placements. And some of these placements were tough! A third-grader with no previous formal schooling or English; a fourth-grader with a learning disability, an under-achieving 7th grader, 8th and 10th grade siblings requiring placement at the same school…the list goes on.

4. This is the “million dollar question”: why do you think so many wonderful families get rejected from LA private elementary schools?

If families are not getting into their school of choice – did they apply to the right school? Did they apply to more than one school? I encourage people to consider more than one or two options. Is there a match between what the school is looking for and your child? Is there a match between what you want – the kind of school that appeals to you – and what school would suit your child? These are not always one and the same.

If all of the answers are yes, then other factors might be at work. Some years there are too many applicants of one sex, and schools generally try to put together a gender-balanced classroom. Some years there are too many children born in the same month – schools try to have a range of ages within the same classroom.

Some years there are so many siblings that there just aren’t enough spaces for all of the qualified applicants. This is sad, but it happens.

5. In general, how are your fees structured?

I work with families in a variety of ways, based on their particular need and budget, whether it’s for a one-time phone consultation or throughout the process of applying to private schools. So, for example, I can offer a one-time consultation as a sounding board about current school problems, or to help a family develop a school list. I can also help the family manage the entire school application process, including Kindergarten readiness assessments, application review and interview preparation. A rush/relocation placement might include developing a list of after-school activities and summer camps, as well as placement of international students.

6. What are some of the private elementary schools your clients have attended?

My families have been accepted in schools all over the greater Los Angeles area:

Archer, Berkeley Hall, Brawerman, Brentwood, Buckley, Calvary Christian, Campbell Hall, Carlthorp, Chaminade, Children’s Community School, Claiborn, Crespi, Crossroads, Curtis, Delphi, Echo Horizon, Good Shepherd, Harvard-Westlake, High Point Academy, Hollywood School House, John Thomas Dye, Laurence, Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles, Loyola, Marlborough, Mirman, New Roads, Oakwood, Pacific Hills, Park Century, Pasadena Waldorf, Pilgrim, PS#1, Seven Arrows, Sierra Canyon, Stephen S. Wise, St. James, St. Matthews, St. Timothy’s, Turning Point, UCLA Lab School, Viewpoint, Waverly, Wesley, Westland,Westmark, Westside Neighborhood School, Wildwood, Willows and Windward

7. Is it possible for a family to rehabilitate a parent interview or other part of the application process that they think has gone wrong?

That’s a difficult question. A parent interview gone wrong – that depends on what actually happened at the interview. For better or worse, there are plenty of applicants to choose from out there, and I would always recommend that parents put their best foot forward. Manners are always in order.

So if you felt so comfortable in the interview that you used inappropriate language, no, you are probably not going to be able to fix that. As to what else might have gone wrong, you would have no idea what that is. There are some great tips on how to manage the application process in Beyond the Brochure.

Should you need more direct help, though, and a partner in the process of finding the right school, contact Sandy at sandy@LAaschoolscout.com, or through her website at www.LAschoolscout.com.

To brag or not to brag?

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One of my best friends is a very accomplished public relations executive, the former press secretary to a governor and the mom of two. She’s married and lives in Claremont, which has wonderful private elementary schools that are extremely competitive due to the colleges in the area and the children of faculty who attend these private elementary schools.


When she was applying to schools, she called me to discuss her application. I was surprised. There was something missing from her child’s written application! The application said nothing about her professional accomplishments, her volunteer work and her non-profit board service. Nor did she mention her husband and his family, who are prominent business and charitable leaders in Los Angeles. I asked her about this missing information. Being the gracious person she is, she said, “I don’t want to brag, so I’m not going to talk about any of that stuff.”

What????

She was very concerned that she and her husband would come across as pompous and self-absorbed if she wrote about any of their professional or charitable work or mentioned it during the parent interviews. I was concerned that if they omitted it, they would be overlooked in the competitive application process.

We discussed the situation. Together, we developed her family’s key messages that focused on charitable giving, teaching her children the importance of giving back to their community, making education a priority for her family and community service.

My friend’s child was accepted at her top choice school. She’s now the head of the parent association at the school and her husband serves on the finance committee. What my friend considered bragging wasn’t really that at all. It was telling her family’s impressive story in a city filled with impressive stories. It was about marketing her family in a memorable way to admissions directors.

For most of us, it’s always uncomfortable to tout our own accomplishments. Private school applications and interviews are one place where it is recommended– and expected– that parents will do just that. You just need to find a way to do it in a low key, but memorable way.

Public School Woes Impacting Private Elementary Schools?

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Over the past school year, we’ve talked with several private elementary school insiders about the impact of public school budget woes on private elementary schools. Now that the admissions cycle for Fall 2010 is completed, some private school insiders believe that public school budget cuts, negative press and other challenges have caused some parents to apply to private elementary schools at the kindergarten and other grade levels at a higher rate than usual. This trend, they believe, will continue next year. Next year may also find families from Beverly Hills Unified, who were on out-of-district permits that are no longer allowed, applying to private elementary schools.

 

And, this perceived trend away from public schools may be responsible for less movement on wait-lists at top schools this year than in previous years. Apparently, there has been very little movement on wait-lists so far this admissions cycle at the top private elementary schools. In other words, very few families are being accepted from wait-lists, according to one of our well-connected sources. This is in contrast to last year where there was quite a bit of wait-list movement. However, that’s not to say there is no wait-list movement, just not a lot. We do know several families this year who have been accepted from wait-lists already.

 

One school official told us that the single most important factor this year driving admissions to private elementary schools has been the exit of public school families to private schools. Obviously, this information is anecdotal. We have friends at LAUSD and Santa Monica Unified who are very happy with their public elementary schools and are busy fundraising like crazy to fill the budget gaps. Nonetheless, we are always curious about private elementary school trends and like to share this information on the blog.

 

We know at least a few of you are as interested in this stuff as we are!

Private Elementary School Buzz…

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Overheard at a private jewelry trunk show Porcha and I attended to benefit Project Knapsack, Porcha’s nonprofit which provides school supplies to African children…LA socialites raving about Wildwood School and Windward School.

 The Pilgrim School is creating a buzz within private school circles.  It hired an impressive new head of school within the past few years. Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth is also attracting positive attention from private school insiders and entertainment industry parents for its all academic and all-around excellence.

Curtis School accepted only two non-sibling families for DK for fall 2010.

The Willows Community School recently invited all parents to a meeting with architects to learn more about the school’s master planning process for long-term campus enhancements.

The Very Private Side Of Private Elementary Schools

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During our April 19 panel discussion at the Beverly Hills Country Club, panelist and private school expert, Kim Hamer* told the audience she lost her husband a year ago to cancer. Parents who heard her speak were moved by her composure in the face of such a staggering loss. Several of them were in tears. Kim went on to say that her children’s schools (PS#1 and Windward) have been incredibly supportive and continue to provide support to her and her three children. She mentioned that a mom who she doesn’t know called her recently to ask if Kim needed something from Target. When Kim hesitated, the mom pressed her saying, “Kim I know there’s something you must need.”

 

I realized that Kim’s willingness to share her story illustrated a side of private schools many people don’t really know about. The supportive community found at many private schools (and probably public schools too) was new to me when my kids began school at The Willows. When my daughter was in kindergarten, a Willows mom who had breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy was offered help to deal with the crisis facing her family. Willows families drove her kids to school and back. Many of us dropped off healthy meals for her family. We grocery shopped for her, using a list she provided. When she felt well enough for us to stop, we did. Then, when she needed more help, we picked up where we left off. I’m sure the school did much more than I even know. I’m thrilled to say that she is now healthy and gorgeous, taking care of her two kids.

 

The school also rallied around an amazing Willows mom who cared for her husband during his long battle with non-smokers lung cancer. The school helped take care of her family’s needs both during his illness and after his death. Recently, she entered a Facebook contest on Ciao Bambino to win a free trip to Italy to honor her late husband’s work there. Willows families used Facebook to help her win the trip. She’s so excited that together with her two children, she’ll get the chance to visit the places in Italy she and her late husband shared together.

 

I can honestly say that this is a side of private schools I didn’t know existed. I lost my mom to breast cancer when I was 19 so I think I’m especially sensitive to the needs of families who are facing illness and death. I’ve been so amazed at the outpouring of support for families who are dealing with tragedy at our school. There may be many things that come to mind when you think of private schools in LA. But, taking care of their own during difficult times probably isn’t something most people think much about. The schools don’t talk about it. They just help to take care of the family in need. That’s the way it should be.

Kim Hamer is a mom at Windward and PS#1 and a former educational consultant.