Tips for Finding the Right School for Your Child

BSF advisor Dr. Rona Frederick provides a roadmap for parents seeking to select the right school for their children. In her book, Navigating School Selection 101: A Guide for African American Parents, Dr. Frederick offers a culturally responsive blueprint designed to empower families during the often-overwhelming process of choosing an educational institution. Recognizing the challenges of identifying a “best-fit” environment where a child’s unique identity, culture, and individual potential can be maximized and celebrated, Dr. Frederick offers the following advice and process.

Moving from theory to action, she emphasizes that the selection process must be deeply personal. She advises parents to prioritize a child’s unique learning profile—urging them to look honestly at their child’s specific academic strengths, social-emotional needs, and cognitive preferences rather than projecting their own adult biases or desires onto the decision.

A critical component of Dr. Frederick’s guidance involves identifying the tangible characteristics of exceptional schools and educators. She advises parents to seek out environments characterized by high expectations, active caring, and culturally responsive teaching practices. In these spaces, educators intentionally honor a student’s background and bridge cultural history with the curriculum. Dr. Frederick outlines actionable techniques for advocating within a child’s current school system, showing families how to challenge implicit bias, monitor academic tracking, and demand resource equity.

To make this advice highly practical, the book integrates structured workbook exercises that guide parents through intentional goal-setting and strategic school evaluation. Dr. Frederick encourages families to look beyond surface-level reputations or brand names, advising them to systematically examine school mission statements, analyze outcomes, and involve children directly through school visits. Her work reminds parents that finding the right school is an act of communal preservation, providing the practical tools necessary to secure an education that affirms a child’s heritage while fostering academic excellence.

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